"They’re not fools: far from it: but they might be a trifle sharper in the wits, perhaps. If it comes to scheming, I think we can beat ’em, Sam. We’ll build the shed close under the house. Now listen. We’ll make the door to open outwards, and tie a strand of sewing thread to the bottom, running it through hooks along the wall and out at the back of the shed. There we’ll tie it to a fishing-line, and round a pulley up to the cliff-top, taking care to keep it off the rock by making it run through notches in sticks of wood. At the top we’ll have another pulley, and at the foot of the house wall another, and so carry it into my bedroom. There we’ll fasten it to a weight—a poker will do; which we’ll sling up beside the window. We’ll put a tea-tray underneath it, d’ you see? so that if the shed door is pulled open the thread will break, the poker will fall, and make such a clatter that we are bound to hear it all over the house." Sam broke into laughter. "Ha! ha! it do mind me of the old ’ooman and little crooked sixpence," he cried. "Do ’ee mind, Maister Dick? ’Cat began to kill the rat, rat began to gnaw the rope,’ and so on till th’ old ’ooman got home at last. My life, ’tis a noble notion! What a headpiece you have got, to be sure! But, scrounch it all, won’t they see the line?" "I don’t think so. ’Tis so much the colour of the rock that it will escape notice." "True. But s’pose we do hear a clatter-bang. That won’t stop ’em from hauling out the boat, and we couldn’ get down the cliff in time to save her." "I’d thought of that. We’ll fix up a booby-trap over the door." "Never heerd o’t. What be a booby-trap?" "’Tis a thing that Mr. Carlyon told me of, a trick he used to play when he was a young fellow at college. You fix above the doorway something that will tumble down when the door is opened, and come plump on the head of any one entering. That will stagger them, and while they are recovering their wits we shall have time to run down. You may be sure they’ll run away before we get to them, for if we recognize them they’ll have Sir Bevil to reckon with." "Ha! ha!" laughed Sam. "That ’ud be a funny sight to see. We’ll do it, Maister Dick, and ’tis my wish I bean’t too sleepy to tumble up when they tries their tricks."