222 THE SMUGGLER. 



me along with them till daylight, one half of them will know 

 me; and then the game's up: and yet he can't mean me harm 

 cither. Well, I may have an opportunity of repaying him 

 some day." 



When the party arrived at Bonnington, however, and, as 

 we have already stated, two small bodies were sent off to tho 

 right and left;, to reconnoitre the ground on either side, Mowle 

 was one of those selected by the major to accompany him on 

 the side of Bilsington. But after having gone to the prescribed 

 distance, without discovering anything to create suspicion, the 

 worthy field-officer gave the order to return; and contriving to 

 disentangle Mowle from the rest, he whispered in his ear, "Off 

 with you as fast as you can, and take back by the Marsh, for 

 if you give the least information, or bring the soldiers upon us, 

 be you sure that some of -us will find means to cut your throat. 

 Get on; get on fasti" he continued aloud, to the other men. 

 " We've no time to lose;" and Mowle, taking advantage of 

 the hurry and confusion of the moment, ran off towards Bil- 

 sington as fast as his legs could carry him. 



" He's offl" cried one of the men. " Shall I give him a shot?" 



" No, no," answered the major; "it will only make more 

 row. He's more frightened than treacherous, I believe. I 

 don't think he'll peach." 



Thus saying, he rejoined the main body of the smugglers, 

 as we have seen; and Mowle hurried on his way without 

 pause, running till he was quite out of breath. Now, the 

 major, in his parting speech to Mowle, though a shrewd man, 

 had miscalculated his course, and mistaken the person with 

 whom he had to deal. Had he put it to the custom-house 

 officer, as a matter of honour and generosity, not to inform 

 against the person who had saved his life, poor Mowle would 

 have been in a situation of great perplexity; but the threat 

 which had been used relieved him of half the difficulty. Not 

 that he did not feel a repugnance to the task which duty 

 pointed out ; not that he did not ask himself, as soon as he had 

 a moment to think of anything, " What ought I to do? How 

 ought I to act?'' But still the answer was, that his duty and 

 his oath required him immediately to take steps for the pursuit 

 and capture of the smugglers ; and when he thought of the 

 menace he said to himself: u No, no; if I don't do what I 

 ought, these fellows will only say that I was afraid," 



