Contraband: A Tale of Modern Smugglers by Erle Spencer - HTML preview

CHAPTER XII
 THE CLOSING OF THE "OVEN"

Dare was standing at the window of his father's office, looking out over the town to where the Drake rode at anchor. In the room were Captains McDonnell and Stanley, deep in the details of the coup which had been carried out so successfully that morning. All the smugglers had been taken. Twenty-four in number, they were reposing at that moment in cells which the Drake held ready for the detention of such as themselves. Some of them were badly hurt, and most of them carried cuts and bruises, as did the Drake's crew. There had been no fatality, however, to the great satisfaction of both Captain McDonnell and Captain Stanley; for the crew of the Drake had used only the butt-ends of their rifles, while the smugglers had been caught weaponless save for a few knives. Excepting the shot fired as a signal at the entrance to the cave, no force except that of physical strength had been used against the smugglers, but that had sufficed. Nine had been taken on the cliff, twelve in the cave, and three at the cache, where that member of the Drake's crew detailed for the duty had found them and easily overpowered them with the threat of his rifle.

The cache had yielded a great store of illicit goods of all descriptions. These had been seized and placed on board the Mary, which now rode at anchor in Saltern harbour, her hold and her cabin and fo'c'sle sealed, awaiting her fate.

The smugglers were to be taken to St. John's, where they would stand their trial. The coup had been an unprecedented success, in fact, and both Captain Stanley and his colleague were considerably elated at the sudden elimination of a strong, cunning enemy.

That smuggling had been wiped out in Saltern could not be doubted. At least, it would be some time before it raised its head again, and it probably would never attain in the future such proportions as it had done formerly. The capture of the whole gang had been the most important success of Captain Stanley's career in the Revenue Service. The people of Saltern could not hide their surprise, and in some cases their consternation, at the event. For if the smugglers talked, many of them would be implicated. There was a great deal of destruction of evidence that morning, and many of the villagers eyed each other in some anxiety, wondering what was to happen next. They had been defying the law so long without injury to themselves that its sudden transformation into a Nemesis routed their habitual calm, for each knew himself guilty of receiving benefits from the crime the captured men had committed.

Dare saw them pass in groups before the Customs House, eyeing its windows as if anxious to discover whether it was preparing a like thunderbolt to that which had already been launched, and he could not help smiling a little maliciously, for he had no sympathy with them; not so much as he had for Pierre and his crew, who, at least, faced manfully the penalties of their crimes. These fearful villagers were indirect, weak accomplices for the most part, not one of whom would have boldly run the gauntlet of the Revenue Service as Pierre, the rogue, had. They did not need to fear for their skins, however. Captain Stanley was more than content in having captured the ringleaders of the trade.

"It's just enough to frighten the villagers out of their bad habits," he said to Captain McDonnell. "Oh, we've ended the trade here, there's no doubt of that."

"I think so," agreed McDonnell. "Well," he added, "that's all the inventory, isn't it? And long enough it is. My men are tickled to death, for I've told them there'll be prize money in it for them. Prize money for them and plenty of glory for us!"

His eyes twinkled merrily as he pronounced the latter words.

"We destroyed that cache completely after we'd taken out the last of the stuff. A perfect hiding-place it was: an immense pit overgrown with brushwood so densely that it was as dry as a lime-kiln. And you might have walked by it a dozen times without seeing it. We set fire to the brush, and now all that's left of the cache is a hole in the ground."

"A good business!" declared Captain Stanley emphatically.

"Aye. Now, as to the Mary—— She's moored, I warrant you, so that she's as safe as if she was beached. I'll leave you five of my men under the bo'sun to guard her and her cargo until the court makes the order to have her fetched to St. John's."

"Five will be enough. I'm not very doubtful of the temper of the men here. They're cowed, and I think that now Pierre and his fellows are locked up they'll lose any initiative they ever had. Still, we won't take risks, for the Mary is a prize of considerable value as she stands."

"That's so. And speaking of prizes, I shall recommend that man of yours for a good competence. It's impossible to over-estimate the value of his and Dare's work. My word, Stanley, that boy of yours is a good plucked one!"

Captain Stanley flushed with pleasure and looked in Dare's direction. Dare had heard his name pronounced and had turned inquiringly. His father beckoned him to approach.

"Well, Dare, my boy, we've settled up the odds and ends of this business. It's been the most complete success, thanks to you and Ben. You took risks that I could never approve of, but the results have been so splendid that I've had no difficulty in promising Captain McDonnell to overlook that part of the affair. You did splendidly, my boy, splendidly. But I'll spare your blushes. Besides, if I'm not mistaken, you'll hear more of this from another and a higher quarter."

"That's so," interpolated Captain McDonnell. "The Government will learn of your services, my lad, both through the official report and the medium of your humble servant. And as you've saved them some thousands in revenue and gained them a great deal more in seizures, you can count on them doing the right thing."

"But I don't want them——" began Dare, considerably abashed by the turn the conversation had taken, though he could not help feeling delight in having earned the praise of his superiors.

"Of course you don't, boy," interrupted Captain McDonnell, "but that's neither here nor there. You've been of service, and as it's a Government affair things must take their proper course. Now, as to the present—— But you'd better break this to him, Stanley."

Dare looked at his father questioningly. Captain Stanley returned the look, smiling gravely.

"I've decided, Dare, and Captain McDonnell supports my decision, that it's best for you to leave Saltern now that our object in coming here has been attained. The temper of the villagers is uncertain. They're disappointed and scared, and at such times people are apt to be excessive in their demonstrations of emotion. It's not that there's any great danger, but they know of the part you played in the cleaning up of the gang and they don't feel very friendly towards you, to say the least; and under the circumstances I'd rather that you left here as soon as possible.

"I'll be following you shortly myself. As soon as the Mary is taken to St. John's, someone will be sent to relieve me and in time a permanent official will be appointed. Then we'll do some hunting and fishing in the Humber Valley. In the meantime I hope you won't mind obliging me by leaving here alone. I won't order you to go; you've earned the right to decide for yourself, but I own I'll be considerably relieved if you'll consent to follow my advice."

Dare flushed.

"Of course, dad," he burst out impulsively, "whatever you wish——"

"But where am I to go?" he asked, when his father had placed his hand on his shoulder to show his approval.

"Ah! that will interest you, I think. Captain McDonnell has offered to take you cruising in the Drake for a month."

"Dad!"

Both Captain Stanley and Captain McDonnell smiled at that enthusiastic, forceful exclamation.

"Appeals to you, eh?" chuckled McDonnell.

"Rather!" ejaculated Dare. "There's nothing I'd like better, seeing I can't stay on here."

"Then be on board by five o'clock."

* * * * *

At half-past five the Drake broke out her anchor and, dipping her flag to the Customs House ensign, slowly got under way. When she reached the Oven she slackened speed, and a gun was trained on the former harbour of the smugglers. The shell expelled from it struck the face of the cliff just above the narrow opening. There came a report as though the cliff itself had split in twain, then hundreds of tons of loosened rock fell to form a barrier for all time to the entrance to the cave.

Dare, who was with Captain McDonnell on the bridge, witnessed the result with considerable satisfaction.

"Well, that's the end of the Oven," he said.

"And a jolly good thing too," said Captain McDonnell. Then he reached out a hand and rang "Full speed ahead" to the engine-room.

And the Drake, shuddering from stem to stern at the sudden revolutions of her propeller, leapt forward like a greyhound, and with a white wave at her prow headed jauntily for the open sea.

END