Rocks covered with wet seaweed and rugged in form are not easy to walk over; a fact which was soon proved by Swankie staggering violently once or twice, and by Spink falling flat on his back.  Neither paid attention to his comrade’s misfortunes in this way.  Each scrambled about actively, searching with care among the crevices of the rocks, and from time to time picking up articles which they thrust into their pockets or laid on their shoulders, according as weight and dimensions required.

In a short time they returned to their boat pretty well laden.

“Weel, lad, what luck?” enquired Spink, as Swankie and he met—­the former with a grappling iron on his shoulder, the latter staggering under the weight of a mass of metal.

“Not much,” replied Swankie; “nothin’ but heavy metal this mornin’, only a bit of a cookin’ stove an’ a cannon shot—­that’s all.”

“Never mind, try again.  There must ha’ bin two or three wrecks on the rock this gale,” said Davy, as he and his friend threw their burdens into the boat, and hastened to resume the search.

At first Spink was the more successful of the two.  He returned to the boat with various articles more than once, while his comrade continued his rambles unsuccessfully.  At last, however, Big Swankie came to a gully or inlet where a large mass of the debris of a wreck was piled up in indescribable confusion, in the midst of which lay the dead body of an old man.  Swankie’s first impulse was to shout to his companion, but he checked himself, and proceeded to examine the pockets of the dead man.

Raising the corpse with some difficulty he placed it on the ledge of rock.  Observing a ring on the little finger of the right hand, he removed it and put it hastily in his pocket.  Then he drew a red morocco case from an inner breast pocket in the dead man’s coat.  To his surprise and delight he found that it contained a gold watch and several gold rings and brooches, in some of which were beautiful stones.  Swankie was no judge of jewellery, but he could not avoid the conviction that these things must needs be valuable.  He laid the case down on the rock beside him, and eagerly searched the other pockets.  In one he found a large clasp-knife and a pencil-case; in another a leather purse, which felt heavy as he drew it out.  His eyes sparkled at the first glance he got of the contents, for they were sovereigns!  Just as he made this discovery, Davy Spink climbed over the ledge at his back, and Swankie hastily thrust the purse underneath the body of the dead man.

“Hallo! lad, what have ye there?  Hey! watches and rings—­come, we’re in luck this mornin’.”

“We!” exclaimed Swankie, somewhat sternly, “you didn’t find that case.”

“Na, lad, but we’ve aye divided, an’ I dinna see what for we should change our plan noo.”

“We’ve nae paction to that effec’—­the case o’ kickshaws is mine,” retorted Swankie.