"Bring on the saddle," said the captain. "There may be papers stitched in it." We heard the sergeant unbuckling the girth. "By the way," said the captain, "you're sure the third horse was led?" "Yes," said the sergeant. "Two and a led horse there was, sir." "H'm," said the captain. "I wonder if they have dismounted. They might have. Look about among the rocks there." I saw Marah's right hand raise his horse-pistol, as the sergeant stepped nearer. In another moment he must have seen us. If he had even looked down, he could not have failed to see us: but he stood within six feet of us, looking all round him--looking anywhere but at his feet. Then he walked away from us, and looked at the rocks near the brook. "D'ye see them?" snapped the captain. "No, sir. Nothin' of 'em. They ben't about here, sir. I think they've ridden on. Shall I look in the furze there, sir, afore we go?" "No," said the captain. "Well, yes. Just take a squint through it." But as the sergeant waddled uneasily in his sea-boots across the shingle, the carbines of the preventives cracked out in a volley about a quarter of a mile away. A shot or two followed the volley. "A shotgun that last, sir," said the sergeant. "Yes," said the captain. "Come along. There's another. Come, mount, man. They're engaged." We heard the sergeant's horse squirming about as the sergeant tried to mount, and then the two galloped off. Voices sounded close beside us, and feet moved upon the sand. "Still!" growled Marah in my ear. Some one cried out, "Further on. They're fighting further on. Hurry up, and we shall see it." About a dozen Tor Cross men were hurrying up, in the chance of seeing a skirmish. The wife of one of them--old Mrs. Rivers--followed after them, calling to her man to come back. "I'll give it to 'ee, if 'ee don't come back. Come back, I tell 'ee." They passed on rapidly, pursued by the angry woman, while more shots banged and cracked further and further along the shore. We waited till they passed out of hearing, and then Marah got up. "Come on, son," he said. "We must be going. Lucky your teeth didn't chatter, or they'd have heard us." "I wish they had heard us," I cried, hotly. "Then I'd have gone home to-night. Let me go, Marah. Let me go home." "Next trip, Jim," he said kindly. "Not this. I want you to learn about life. You will get mewed up with them ladies else, and then you will never do anything." "Ah," I said. "But if you don't let me go I'll scream. Now then. I'll scream." "Scream away, son," said Marah, calmly. "There's not many to hear you. But you'll not get home after what you have seen to-night. Come on, now."