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  CHAPTER VIII

  A CRUISE IN THE 'HEROIC'

  'I can't understand Allan at all,' declared Marjorie. She and Reggie,armed with large pocket-knives, were engaged in cutting heather on themoor, which stretched, a mass of purple, to the verge of the cliffs. Apile of heather lay beside them, the result of an hour's hard sawing ofthe wiry stems.

  Marjorie's remark had interrupted a busy silence.

  Reggie looked up with a twinkle in his eyes. He had been growingthinner and browner during the summer, and his wrists came furtherbeyond the sleeves of his jacket.

  'What's the matter with Allan?' he asked.

  'Why,' said Marjorie impatiently, 'he is going on so oddly. First ofall, he wasn't to be found when we came here this morning--had beenaway for hours--and he isn't usually in such a hurry to get up in theholidays. Then when he comes back we all have to go off and getheather to patch up the roof of the Pirates' Den. I can't make out whyhe has grown so particular all of a sudden.'

  Reggie looked at her with a provoking smile.

  'I thought it was you who wanted the place kept water-tight,' hesuggested, 'in case we might be storm-stayed some evening and have tospend the night there----'

  'That's all very well,' interrupted Marjorie, 'but that's not what'smaking you and Allan so busy just now. Why did you go off togetheryesterday, and stay away for such a time, leaving us to entertain yourguests? You're busy with something that you don't want us to knowabout and I'd just like to find out what it is. It always irritates mewhen people make mysteries out of nothing.'

  Reggie was looking grave, and his dark eyes studied Marjorie intently.

  'Hullo, you two,' said Allan, coming up; 'how are you getting on?'

  Marjorie rose up from the ground, and seated herself upon the pile ofcut heather.

  'I've just been telling Reggie that I know that you and he have asecret between you,' she said, looking boldly at Allan. 'I'd just liketo know what it is. Hardly fair, I call it; keeping something from theother members of the Compact----'

  She broke off upon seeing the grave, concerned expression in Allan'seyes.

  'It's all right,' she said, looking fixedly out to sea; 'it's somethingthat you know you ought to keep from me, and I'm not going to find outwhat it is.'

  She had become flushed, and her heart was beating fast as a suspicionforced itself upon her. She turned, and stooping down, took up herarmful of heather.

  'I'm going to carry this to the boat,' she remarked, without lookinground.

  The boys looked after her retreating figure.

  'H'm,' said Allan, 'not bad for a girl.'

  Marjorie's reflections were interrupted by a about, and Harry camerunning down the hill and caught her by the arm.

  'Well, what's the matter?' she asked irritably.

  'Look!' he panted, pulling her round. 'Look at that! Well, if you'reso cross you needn't, but you must be a duffer if you don't care to seewhat's coming round that headland----'

  Marjorie's eyes followed in the direction pointed out by his shakingfinger, and her face cleared.

  A large vessel was gliding into view.

  Tricksy came running as fast as her little short legs would carry her,the two dogs barking in her wake.

  'Marjorie,' she gasped, it's a man-o'-war; oh, don't you hope it'sthat nice one that came last year!'

  By this time the vessel had been sighted by the others, who came downto discuss the situation.

  'Perhaps she's a stranger,' suggested Hamish, feeling that it might bebetter to prepare for a disappointment.

  'She's a fine big vessel, whatever she is,' said Harry.

  'She's like the one that was here last year,' said Marjorie.

  'Oh, don't you hope she's the same,' sighed Tricksy.

  'You are right, Marjorie,' said Reggie, whose eyes were the best; 'I'mcertain it's the old _Heroic_.'

  'What fun!' said Marjorie; while Tricksy sighed 'Oh, how nice!'

  'I wonder whether the same men are on board,' said Reggie, whoseserious expression had changed.

  'Don't know,' said Allan briefly, looking out to sea with his hands inhis pockets and a thoughtful face.

  His lack of enthusiasm caused all the others to look at him, andMarjorie felt her fears revive.

  The man-of-war came to a standstill in Ardnavoir Bay and a boat put offfrom her side.

  'Look, oh look,' cried Tricksy, 'they're coming on shore.'

  'Do you think they'll speak to us if they meet us?' inquired Harry,whose eyes had never ceased to sparkle since the first discovery of thevessel.

  'We'll go down to the landing-place as soon as the boat comes in,' saidAllan.

  'Can I go too?' asked Tricksy.

  Allan looked at her.

  'I think you two girls had better stay up here,' he said; and Tricksy'sface showed her disappointment.

  The boat was rapidly coming nearer, and soon she grounded near the spotwhere the Pirate Craft lay beached.

  'There,' said Allan; 'there are three officers in the boat, and they'regetting out.'

  The young people clustered at the edge of the rocks and looked down.

  'We had better wait until they are gone,' said Allan; 'don't let themsee that we are watching them.'

  'They are going in the direction of Ardnavoir,' said Marjorie; 'Ibelieve they are going to call for your father and mother!'

  'Oh,' sighed Tricksy after the breathless pause during which they wereuncertain whether the officers were really going to enter the gate orwould pass by; 'they've gone in. I saw that nice one who came herelast year. Do you think they can be going to invite us to come onboard?'

  This question being rather difficult to answer, Allan suggested thatthe boys should go down to the shore and see if any of their oldfriends were in the boat.

  'Marjorie,' said Tricksy, as the two girls remained looking down fromabove; 'do you think we should have better fun if we were boys?'

  Marjorie's reply was forestalled by a shout from below; and the girlsscrambled down to the beach.

  'Come along, you two,' said Allan; 'here's Jim Macdonnell, Euan's twinbrother, and a lot of the men who were here last year.'

  Greetings were exchanged with the pleasant-faced young blue-jacket andhis companions; and then the boys and girls sat down on the stones totalk with their friends.

  The men could not come on shore, as no leave had yet been given, butthey hoped to be allowed to land on the following day.

  'You will be glad to see Euan,' said Marjorie to Jim Macdonnell.

  'Yes, Miss Marjorie,' replied the lad, but his handsome face clouded;and Marjorie knew that he was thinking of his cousin Neil, once thefavourite of the island.

  'We were going to ask you, Mr. Allan,' he said, 'whether you younggentlemen would come and have tea on board this afternoon; just with usmen, you know, sir.'

  'Thank you very much,' replied Allan, while all the boys lookedgratified; 'it would be no end jolly, and we'll come if Father will letus. I'm sure he will. May we bring our friends too, Harry and GeraldGraham?'

  'To be sure, sir,' replied Jim; 'we'll be glad to see the younggentlemen. Are you fond of the sea, sir?' he inquired, turning toHarry.

  Yes,' replied Harry, 'and I'm going into the navy.'

  'That's good,' said Jim. 'Perhaps I'll see you as a midshipman nexttime we meet.'

  'Perhaps,' said Harry; 'and I hope I'll be a captain before very long.'

  'I hope you will be an admiral some day, sir, I'm sure,' answered Jimgravely.

  'Thank you,' said Harry; 'yes, I daresay I shall be.'

  Allan turned his head away, and a smile gleamed out for an instant uponMarjorie's face. Harry saw it and did not feel pleased, and heremarked to Gerald afterwards that he was afraid Marjorie thought agreat deal too much of herself.

  'And what are you going to be, air?' inquired another of the men,turning to Gerald, who was sitting by with a thoughtful face.

  'I'm going into the army, I think,' answered Gerald; 'but I don'
t knowif I can pass the exams. They're very difficult, but I'm going to try.'

  'Here are the gentlemen coming back again,' said Jim.

  'Then we'll leave you now,' said Allan; 'but we'll see you again in theafternoon.'

  'Right you are, sir,' replied Jim; 'we'll send a boat to fetch you.'

  'You are lucky,' said Marjorie to the boys. 'How I wish we could gotoo. Do you think they meant to invite us?'

  Allan looked doubtful.

  'I don't know,' he said. 'I don't think they thought of it. But Idaresay they would be glad to see you if you came.'

  'It's no good, I'm afraid,' answered Marjorie; 'I'd have to ask Motherand she'd be sure to say no. But there is the boat going away, andlisten, isn't that the horn?'

  They hearkened for a moment, and it was unmistakably the old ram's hornwhich was sounded at Ardnavoir to summon those at a distance when anynotable event was about to take place.

  'I wonder what it can be,' said Tricksy, as they scampered in thedirection of the mansion-house; 'do you think it can have anything todo with the _Heroic_, Allan?'

  Mrs. Stewart was in the doorway.

  'We are invited to luncheon on board the _Heroic_,' she announced.'The officers have signalled to ask Dr. and Mrs. MacGregor to come too,and we have telephoned to say that Marjorie can get ready here, if Mrs.MacGregor will bring her things with her.'

  The young people did not look so pleased as Mrs. Stewart hadanticipated.

  'How many of us are asked, Mummie?' inquired Tricksy.

  'As many as care to come,' answered Mrs. Stewart. 'The boys may cometoo if they like.'

  All the boys looked unwilling.

  'Don't you want to go?' asked Mrs. Stewart in surprise.

  'Yes, Mother,' answered Allan; 'but the men have invited us already.'

  'And would you rather go with them?'

  The boys' faces showed that they would, and Mrs. Stewart gavepermission with a laugh.

  Tricksy sidled up to her mother.

  'Mummie, don't you think that Marjorie and I could go too?' she asked.

  'No, I am quite sure that it wouldn't do,' replied Mrs. Stewart; andthe girls looked disappointed.

  'You had better go upstairs and begin to get ready,' said Mrs. Stewart.'Marjorie can brush her hair'--looking dubiously at the tangled mass ofcurls, in which bits of grass and heather had become intermixed, 'andperhaps by that time her other frock and her hat will have arrived.'

  The girls turned to go upstairs, but paused to look at Carlo, who camerunning down the steps, wriggling his small body, and whining as thoughhe were in pain.

  'What's the matter with the poor little dog?' they cried.

  Every one turned round as Carlo landed on the rug, and stood yelpingdistressfully.

  'Whatever is the little brute going on about?' said Reggie, looking athim with curiosity.

  'Something is hurting him,' said Hamish.

  'I never saw him go on like that before,' remarked Allan.

  Laddie sprang forward, wagging his tail and running to every one inturn, trying to explain that his little friend needed help.

  'Look how he bites his tail,' cried Mrs. Stewart, 'why do you do that,Carlo?'

  'Hydrophobia, perhaps,' suggested Allan; and some of the bystandersedged a little farther away.

  'Poor little dog,' said Gerald soothingly; 'tell us what's the matterwith you.'

  At the sound of the pitying voice the little dog gathered up his ears,then sat up and uttered a doleful howl, accompanied by agitatedmovements of his fore-paws.

  'There's something clinging to his tail,' cried Reggie suddenly,pouncing upon him. 'Why, just look at this; it's a couple of smallcrabs!'

  'Where can he have got them from?' asked Mrs. Stewart, lookingbewildered; 'he came from upstairs.'

  'Oh, it's--it's--_I_ know,' stuttered Gerald, flushing deeply.'It's--I'll put it all right, you needn't come.'

  The remainder of the sentence was lost as he hurried upstairs.

  'Whatever is he about?' said Marjorie; 'let's go and see.'

  Gerald became very red again as he was discovered in the room which heshared with Harry, collecting some small objects from the floor.

  You needn't have come,' he said. 'It's--it's only my collection, andthey've been escaping----'

  'Ha, ha!' laughed Harry; 'it's those snails and things that he has beengathering on the beach, and they've crawled all over the place!'

  Gerald stood, flushing to the roots of his hair, and shrinking from themirth of the others.

  His treasures had been trying to make themselves at home in their newquarters. The little crabs and lobsters had scattered in search ofwater, and the shell-fish had crawled over the floor or attachedthemselves to the wall, where they waited with tilted shells for thetide that failed to come.

  'Never mind, Gerald,' said Marjorie, as tears began to start in theboy's eyes; 'it's very nice making a collection, and I've got a nicepail with a lid that I'll give you to keep the things in.'

  'And now,' said Mrs. Stewart, 'I see the pony cart coming up the drive,with Mrs. MacGregor in it; run and get ready, girls, or we shall belate.'

  After about a quarter of an hour's tidying, Marjorie was released fromher mother's hands, dressed in a cream serge frock and a large hat, andwith her hair brushed out and neatly arranged.

  Feeling unlike herself and hardly satisfied with the change, she peepedin the glass as soon as her mother's back was turned.

  Her own reflection caused her to start and colour with surprise.

  Blue eyes, bright with suppressed excitement, a wild rose face framedin short fair curls and set off by the light colours of her attire,slender hands and neat ankles--'and that's me,' said Marjorie toherself in bewilderment.

  Tricksy came into the room, wearing a white hanging frock with a bigfloppy white hat.

  'Dear me,' said Marjorie to herself, taking another glance in themirror, after the eyes of the two girls had met in silent approval ofone another; 'curious that we've never thought of it before--perhapsit's because we so seldom have bothered to look in the glass--but itstrikes me that we're actually a pair of very pretty girls--with ourhair brushed and our faces washed!'

  They went downstairs without speaking, and encountered the boys in thehall.

  All eyes were attracted to them; then an approving expression came intothe boys' faces, and as the girls passed they moved somewhat aside tolook at them from another point of view.

  Despite the anxiety which had brooded over her since morning, Marjoriebegan to feel her spirits rise.

  'Marjorie,' said Tricksy solemnly, as Duncan was driving them to thelanding-stage, 'which do you think is the best fun, being a boy orbeing a girl?'

  Marjorie had been lost in thought, but at Tricksy's question her eyesbegan to dance.

  'I think it's best of all to be a tomboy,' she said, 'and then you canbe a bit of both!'

  When the sailors had shipped their oars, and the boat glided under theside of the great war-vessel, first the ladies, and then the girls wereassisted on deck and greeted by the captain, erect andbroad-shouldered, and by the officers, the youngest of whom wasTricksy's friend of the year before. Dr. MacGregor and the laird andMr. Graham were already on board.

  'Hullo, Miss Tricksy, how do you do?' said a voice, and Tricksy lookedup to see the Sheriff, who was smiling at her with outstretched hand.

  Tricksy looked solemnly up in his face.

  'Well, aren't you going to shake hands, Tricksy?' said the Sheriff.

  'No,' said Tricksy deliberately.

  The Sheriff's expression altered.

  'And why not, Miss Tricksy, if I might inquire?' he said.

  Tricksy met his grim smile with a solemn stare of disapproval.

  'Because you let a great friend of ours be put in prison when he didn'tdeserve it,' she replied. 'That was why I sent back the big box ofchocolates that you sent me by post. Mother did not know that it hadcome. We can't be friends until you've owned yourself in the wrong.We've
all joined a Compact to get our friend back again and to showthat it wasn't he who did it. I've got it with me,' and Tricksy beganto fumble in her pocket.

  The smile was beginning to twitch at the corners of the Sheriff's lipsagain when he was addressed by one of the officers. The little scenehad passed unobserved by all save Marjorie, as the captain suggestedthat, the weather being fine and time at their disposal, the _Heroic_should take their visitors on a tour round Inchkerra.

  'Certainly, certainly,' said the Sheriff at haphazard, and Tricksyslipped away.

  'In the meanwhile I think lunch is ready,' said Captain Redwood, andeach of the officers took a lady downstairs, Tricksy falling to theshare of the youngest.

  'Dear me, this isn't half so exciting as I expected,' said Marjorie toherself. 'What stupid grown-up things they are talking about; I amsure they wouldn't be interested if I were to tell them about thethings we do, riding bare-backed ponies, and about the Craft and theDen, and finding the smugglers; and I have nothing else to talk to themabout. They haven't taken much notice of Tricksy and me after all;they weren't a bit surprised when they saw us; we're pretty, but notany prettier than lots of other girls, and it isn't enough to make afuss about.'

  She wondered what Tricksy was finding to say to Lieutenant Jones, theyoung officer by whose side she was sitting, and who appeared to begreatly entertained by the little girl.

  After lunch they returned on deck to see a boat bring the boys onboard; then the screw was set in motion and the water began to churnitself into foam round the vessel's sides.

  'It isn't bad,' said Marjorie to herself as the _Heroic_ ploughed herway past the well-known shores, 'but it's a bother not having anythingto do. I've seen all this before, and it isn't as though we wererowing for all we were worth in the old _Mermaid_--I mean, the_Craft_--and in danger of getting into currents and being swept away toI don't know where. Now I have no doubt the boys are having no end ofa good time, going into the engine-room and getting themselves dirty,and climbing all over the place, and listening to the sailors' yarns.Once I get out of this, catch me bother any more about looking nice,and being grown-up, and all the rest of it--it will be time enough whenI'm so old that I get no fun out of being a tomboy any more.'

  Lieutenant Jones left Tricksy and came to sit beside Marjorie for aturn.

  'I suppose you are quite accustomed to sailing as you live in anisland, Miss MacGregor?' he said.

  'Yes,' replied Marjorie, 'we are all very fond of boating, the boys andTricksy and I,' and after talking for a little while she began to thinkthat a grown-up man was nearly as good company as a boy once you gothim upon the right subject.

  'Now,' said the Sheriff, coming up with his spy-glass, 'we are comingnear the finest bit of rock scenery on the island; one of the finest,in my opinion, on this part of the West Coast.'

  The _Heroic_ was just rounding the point which concealed the Smugglers'Caves from view.

  'The Corrachin Crags,' continued the Sheriff; 'the caves are remarkablyfine; interesting, too, as in former times they are said to have beenused for smuggling purposes, and as hiding-places for pirates and otherlawless characters----'

  'Now!' burst from the lips of the gazers as the lofty cliffs came inview, with the waves tumbling at their base.

  Captain Redwood had issued orders to slacken speed, and as the vesselsteamed slowly past, a fine view was obtained of bold masses of rockand the black openings to the caves, with the startled birds rising inclouds and screaming.

  'If all stories are true, the caves are still sometimes put to theirold uses,' observed Mrs. MacGregor as the _Heroic's_ engines throbbedthrough the smooth swell of the water; 'for all we know, the mostthrilling adventures may be taking place there.'

  'A score of men might lie in hiding without discovering one another'spresence,' said the laird; 'the caves form a regular network, andstretch a long way underground. The entire headland is said to behoneycombed with them----'

  'Hullo, good people!' cried a soft little voice from overhead, followedby a triumphant laugh.

  Every one looked round, and half-way up the mast Tricksy wasdiscovered, who having become annoyed at her desertion by LieutenantJones, was indulging in an exploring expedition on her own account.Her little round face smiled mischievously from between a large whitehat and tumbled frock, and she sat swinging her heels in perfectcontentment.

  Jim Macdonnell's duties having brought him to the quarter-deck at thismoment, the captain made him a sign almost without pausing in thesentence which he was addressing to Mrs. Stewart.

  The sailor climbed into the rigging and removed Tricksy very gentlyfrom her perch, tucked her under one arm with her head hanging in frontand her heels behind, slid down the ropes and deposited the little girlon the deck.

  Tricksy stood and looked at every one in speechless wrath. Herdignity, being as great as her anger, prevented her from giving way toan outburst before she should have discovered who deserved it most.

  Lieutenant Jones crossed over to her.

  'I suppose you have been round all this place before, Miss Tricksy,' hesaid in a conversational tone.

  Tricksy looked at him with mistrust.

  'I believe you are great explorers and rock-climbers, you and yourbrothers, Miss Tricksy,' continued the officer, as though being carrieddown from a mast before a crowd of people were a matter of everydayoccurrence; 'I envy you your opportunities----'

  This sounded quite like the way the other officers had been talking tothe grown-up ladies, and Tricksy found her stiffness begin to forsakeher.

  The most important point was to discover whether the Sheriff had seenwhat had occurred. If he had not been a witness, Tricksy felt that shemight allow herself to get over it.

  Her eyes sought her enemy, but that magistrate was, or affected to be,engrossed in trying to bring his telescope to bear upon the caves, andthe episode had apparently escaped him.

  'Talking of people hiding in the caves,' he said suddenly; 'Mrs.MacGregor, do you see the figure of a man at the mouth of the one whichwe are now opposite? From his attitude he might be a fugitive fromjustice or any other of these interesting desperadoes about whom wehave been talking----'

  Marjorie's face flushed, and she began to tremble from head to foot.

  'Wait a minute, Mrs. MacGregor,' said the Sheriff, 'I will get myglasses adjusted. Curious; there is something in the man's appearancewhich seems familiar to me----'

  He was about to take another look when the air was rent by the shrillwhistle of a siren.

  They all turned round in astonishment, and when they looked towards therocks again the figure had disappeared.

  The captain's face had become stern, but the culprit proved to be onlya small boy in a jacket whose sleeves were too short for him.

  Marjorie had seen more, however; she had seen that it was JimMacdonnell who had made Reggie blow the siren.

  During the rest of the afternoon things seemed to be swimming beforeMarjorie's eyes, and she heard only a confused murmur of voices.

  When the voyage was over she went straight to Allan.

  'Allan,' she said abruptly, 'I may as well tell you that I know yoursecret. Neil is in Inchkerra--and he is in hiding.'