Returning to his man Vance made sure that He could not release
himself, and then started down to the shore and moved along
the beach, hoping to come upon the smugglers engaged in the
unloading of their goods.
The detective traversed about four miles of coast when, far
ahead of him, he saw the glimmer of dancing lights.
"Aha!" he muttered, "I've got 'em!"
He spoke in an incautiously loud tone, when a man sprung
toward him.
The smugglers had put out sentinels, and our hero had run
across one of them.
The sentinel proved to be a resolute fellow, as he did not
stop to ask questions, but made a stroke at the detective's
head.
Our hero dodged the blow, and seized the fellow;
The man struggled violently, and made several attempts to sing
out an alarm, but he was in a grip of iron. The detective,
however, had no time to spare. He was an overmatch for the
smuggler, but at any, moment assistance might arrive. It was
silence the officer needed at that moment, and he buried the
fellow's head under water.
The poor fellow struggled violently, and it appeared a cruel
recourse, but our hero knew that the water would render the
man temporarily harmless. He did not mean to drown him.
The man's struggles finally ceased, when the detective raised
his head from the water.
The fellow was not dead, but his cries were stopped for the
time being--a water gag, as our hero termed it.
Vance left the man lying on the beach, and advanced more
cautiously.
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