102 TIGER'S TEETH 



The following day a boat pulled round 

 the headland, and the stronghold of the 

 robbers was detected, though no sign of 

 them could be seen. Aaron was in the 

 boat, and he fixed the place by a peculiar 

 formation of the edge of the cliff. This 

 done, he grunted, and a long pull back to 

 the sands began. 



The waning moon of dawn had floated 

 above the Exmoor hills when the next 

 morning three men left the village and set 

 off along the road to the base of the head- 

 land. They carried ropes, hauling blocks, 

 a great crowbar, and a sledge-hammer. 

 John Smith of Crowberry was one, and his 

 companions were the blacksmith brothers. 



They were going to rob the robbers. 



Now ravens are rare birds, having been 

 persecuted during the centuries almost to 

 extinction. The reasons for that persecu- 

 tion are easily understandable. There was 

 no compensation for the dead lambs, no 

 money paid out for the slaughtered chicks, 



