"That man is a rascal."
"And now we shall not encounter Coppinger. He will be warned and not come."
"Trust him to come. He has heard of this. He will come and murder them all as he did Wyvill."
Oliver felt as though a frost had fallen on him.
"Hah!" said old Menaida. "Never trust anyone in this neighborhood; you cannot tell who is not in the pay or under the control of Coppinger, from the magistrate on the bench to the huckster who goes round the country. Among these six men, one is a spy and a traitor. Which it is we cannot tell. There is nothing else to be done but to bind them all, hand and foot. There is plenty of cord here."
"Plenty. But surely not Wyvill."
"Wyvill and all. How can you say that he is not the man who has done it? Many a fellow has carried his brother in his pocket. What if he has been bought?"
Old Menaida was right. He had not lived so many years in the midst of smugglers without having learned something of their ways. His advice must be taken, for the danger was imminent. If, as he supposed, full information had been sent to Captain Cruel, then he and his men would be upon them shortly.
Oliver hastily brought together all the cord of a suitable thickness he could find, and the old father raised and held each Preventive man, while Oliver firmly bound him hand and foot. As he did not know which was shamming sleep, he must bind all. Of the six, five were wholly unconscious what was being done to them, and the sixth thought it advisable to pretend to be as the rest, for he was quite aware that neither Oliver nor his father would scruple to silence him effectually did he show signs of animation.
When all were made fast, old Mr. Menaida said:
"Now, Noll, my boy, are you armed?"
"No, father. When I went from home I expected to return. I did not know I should want weapons. But these fellows have their pistols and cutlasses."
"Try the pistols. There, take that of the man Wyvill. Are you sure they are loaded?"
"I know they are."
"Well, try."
Oliver took Wyvill's pistol, and put in the ramrod.
