Then he made his end of it fast to the two ends of the black bundles, and backing out as far as he could, he let them both down gently into the water, and pulled away, leaving the Children of the King alone on the ledge.

He had managed to bring the rope down through the cleft, so that it could not easily be seen from the sea.

The boys waited some time before either of them spoke, although the old fellow was deaf.
"Those things looked like dead men," said Sebastiano at last.
"But they are not," answered Ruggiero confidently.

"Now I know why Don Antonino is so rich.

He smuggles tobacco." "If we could smuggle tobacco, too, it would be a fortune," remarked the younger boy.