She felt assured that this would lead to their discovery; but it had quite the opposite effect, for it caused Swankie to turn round and examine the trinket with much curiosity.

A long discussion as to how it could have come there immediately ensued between the smugglers, in the midst of which a wavelet washed against Swankie’s feet, reminding him that the tide was rising, and that he had no time to lose.

“There’s nae place behint the rocks,” said he quickly, putting the brooch in his pocket, “so we’ll just hide the kegs amang the stanes.  Lucky for us that we got the rest o’ the cargo run ashore at Auchmithie.  This’ll lie snugly here, and we’ll pull past the leftenant, who thinks we havena seen him, with oor heeds up and oor tongues in oor cheeks.”

They both chuckled heartily at the idea of disappointing the preventive officer, and while one held the torch the other dug a hole in the beach deep enough to contain the two kegs.

“In ye go, my beauties,” said Swankie, covering them up.  “Mony’s the time I’ve buried ye.”

“Ay, an’ mony’s the time ye’ve helped at their resurrection,” added Spink, with a laugh.

“Noo, we’ll away an’ have a look at the kegs in the Forbidden Cave,” said Swankie, “see that they’re a’ richt, an’ then have our game wi’ the land-sharks.”

Next moment the torch was dashed against the stones and extinguished, and the two men, leaping into their boat, rowed away.  As they passed through the outer cavern, Ruby heard them arrange to go back to Auchmithie.  Their voices were too indistinct to enable him to ascertain their object in doing so, but he knew enough of the smugglers to enable him to guess that it was for the purpose of warning some of their friends of the presence of the preventive boat, which their words proved that they had seen.

“Now, Minnie,” said he, starting up as soon as the boat had disappeared, “this is what I call good luck, for not only shall we be able to return with something to the boat, but we shall be able to intercept big Swankie and his comrade, and offer them a glass of their own gin!”

“Yes, and I shall be able to boast of having had quite a little adventure,” said Minnie, who, now that her anxiety was over, began to feel elated.

They did not waste time in conversation, however, for the digging up of two kegs from a gravelly beach with fingers instead of a spade was not a quick or easy thing to do; so Ruby found as he went down on his knees in that dark place and began the work.

“Can I help you?” asked his fair companion after a time.

“Help me!  What?  Chafe and tear your little hands with work that all but skins mine?  Nay, truly.  But here comes one, and the other will soon follow.  Yo, heave, HO!”

With the well-known nautical shout Ruby put forth an herculean effort, and tore the kegs out of the earth.  After a short pause he carried Minnie out of the cavern, and led her to the field above by the same path by which they had descended.