three o'clock before
The drivers went to the packhorses ' heads , and so we walked down to the strand , a silent moving group of men and horses mixed ; and before we came to the bottom , heard the first boat 's nose grind on the beach , and the feet of the seamen crunching in the pebbles . Then all fell to the business of landing , and a strange enough scene it was , what with the medley of men , the lanthorns swinging , and a frothy Upper from the sea running up till sometimes it was over our boots ; and all the time there was a patter of French and Dutch , for most of the _ Bonaventure 's _ men were foreigners . But I shall not speak more of this ; for , after all , one landing is very like another , and kegs come ashore in much the same way , whether they are to pay excise or not . It must have been three o'clock before the lugger 's boats were off again to sea , and by that time the horses were well laden , and most of the men had a keg or two to carry beside . Then Elzevir , who was in command , gave the word , and we began to file away from the beach up to the under-cliff . Now , what with the cargo being heavy , we were longer than usual in getting away ; and though there was no sign of sunrise , yet the night was greyer , and not so blue as it had been . We reached the under-cliff , and were moving across it to address ourselves to the bridle-path , and so wind sideways up the steep , when I saw something moving behind one of the plumbs of brambles with which the place is beset .