“Who are you?”

For an instant, James thought that his assailants were revenue men, but, even in the darkness, he saw that they were countrymen.

“Quick!” he said.  “The revenue men are close at hand.  They are watching, two or three hundred yards along.  Listen!  Here they come.”

A tramping of feet coming rapidly along the cliff was clearly heard, and the men, with an oath, released their hold and ran off, giving a loud whistle, and made for their carts, which were stationed a few hundred yards inland.  James dashed down the path, shouting at the top of his voice.  He had not gone many yards before he met a number of men, coming up with tubs of spirits on their shoulders.

“Throw them down,” he cried, “and make along the shore.  The revenue men are close behind.”

His advice was taken at once.  The tubs were thrown down, and went leaping and bounding down to the shore, while the men followed James, at full speed, down the path.

Their pursuers were close behind.  There was no longer any use in concealment.  Their officer shouted to them to press forward at full speed, while, from the beach below, a hubbub of voices suddenly broke out, and, at the same moment, a blue light was lit on the cliff above.

“Beat them back, my lads,” one of the smugglers was shouting, as James ran down to the little crowd of men standing near two boats.  “We are five to one against them.  Come on.”

“Surrender in the king’s name,” the revenue officer shouted, as he rushed forward, followed by his men.

The answer was a pistol shot, and, in a moment, a furious melee began.  The advantage in numbers was all on the side of the smugglers.  Those who had landed with the kegs were all armed with pistol and cutlass, and the countrymen had heavy sticks and bludgeons.  The ten revenue men would have been overpowered, but suddenly a shout was heard, and another party of sailors ran up along the shore, and joined in the fray.  It was the detachment from the other station, which had been waiting, at some little distance along the shore, for the signal from above.

“To the boats, lads,” the leader of the smugglers shouted.  “We are caught in a trap.”

The smugglers rushed to the boats, and James, who was standing by the water’s edge, leaped on board with them.  Most of the country people fled at once along the shore, pursued by some of the revenue men, while the others made a rush for the boats.  These had been kept afloat a few yards from the shore.  Grapnels had been dropped over their sterns, and, as the men in charge hauled out the moment the fight began, they were in water shoulder deep when the smugglers scrambled on board.

The revenue men dashed in after them, and strove to hold the boats; but they were beaten off with oars and cutlasses, and the boats were soon hauled out into deep water.  The grapnels were lifted, and the men, many of whom were wounded more or less severely in the fray, got out their oars and pulled to the lugger, amid a dropping fire of pistol shots from shore.