by G. A. Henty
Chapter 7: A French Privateer.
Terence went off into a deep sleep as soon as he had pulled thesail over his head, but it seemed to him as if but a minute hadelapsed when his companion began to stir him up with his foot.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I am awfully sorry to wake you," Ryan shouted, "but you have hadtwo hours of it, and I really cannot keep my eyes open any longer.I have felt myself going off, two or three times."
"You don't mean to say that I have been asleep for two hours?"
"You have, and a few minutes over. I looked at my watch as you laydown."
"All right! Give me the oar. I say, it is blowing hard!"
"I should think it is. It seems to me it is getting up, rather thangoing down."
"Well, we are all right so far," Terence said cheerfully, for hewas now wide awake again. "Besides, we are getting quite skilfulmariners. You had better spend a few minutes at baling before youlie down, for the water is a good three inches over the boards."
All day the storm continued and, when darkness began to close in,it seemed to them that it was blowing harder than ever. Each hadhad two spells of sleep, and they agreed that they could now keepawake throughout the night. It was bad enough having no one tospeak to all day, but at night they felt that companionship wasabsolutely needed. During the day they had lashed together thespars, sail, and the barrel of water--which was now nearly halfempty--so that if the boat should be swamped, they could cling tothis support.
It was a terrible night but, towards morning, both were of opinionthat the gale was somewhat abating. About eight o'clock there werebreaks in the clouds and, by noon, the sun was shining brightly.The wind was still blowing strong, but nothing to what it had beenthe evening before and, by nightfall, the sea was beginning to godown. The waves were as high as before, but were no longer brokenand crested with heads of foam and, at ten o'clock, they felt thatthey could both safely lie down till morning.
The steering oar was lashed in its position, the sail spread overthe whole of the stern of the boat, every drop of water was baledout and, lying down side by side, they were soon fast asleep. Whenthey woke the sun was high, the wind had dropped to a gentlebreeze, and the boat was rising and falling gently on the smoothrollers.
"Hurrah!" Ryan shouted, as he stood up and looked round. "It is allover. I vote, Terence, that we both strip and take a swim, thenspread out our clothes to dry, after which we will breakfastcomfortably and then get up sail."
"That is a very good programme, Dicky; we will carry it out, atonce."
While they were eating their meal, Ryan asked:
"Where do you suppose we are, Terence?"
"Beyond the fact that we are right out in the Bay of Biscay, I havenot the most remote idea. By the way the water went past us, Ishould say that we had been going at pretty nearly the same rate aswe did when we were sailing; say, four miles an hour. We have beenrunning for forty-eight hours, so that we must have got nearly twohundred miles from Santander. The question is: would it be best tomake for England, now, or for Portugal? We have been going nearlynorthwest, so I should think that we are pretty nearly north ofFinisterre, which may lie a hundred and twenty miles from us; and Isuppose we are two or three times as much as that from England. Thewind is pretty nearly due east again now, so we can point her headeither way. We must be nearly in the ship course, and are likely tobe picked up, long before we make land. Which do you vote for?"
"I vote for the nearest. We may get another storm, and one of themis quite enough. At any rate, Spain will be the shortest, by agreat deal and, if we are picked up, it is just as likely to be bya French privateer as by an English vessel."
"I am quite of your opinion, and am anxious to be back again, assoon as I can. If we got to England and reported ourselves, wemight be sent to the depot and not get out again, for months; sohere goes for the south."
The sail was hoisted, and the boat sped merrily along. In a coupleof hours their clothes were dry.
"I think we had better put ourselves on short rations," Terencesaid. "We may be farther off than we calculate upon and, at anyrate, we had better hold on to the mouth of the Tagus, if we can;there are sure to be some British officials there, and we shall beable to get money, and rejoin our regiment without loss of time;while we might have all sort of trouble with the Spaniards, were weto land at Corunna or Vigo."
No sail appeared in sight during the day.
"I should think we cannot have come as far west as we calculated,"Terence said, "or we ought to have seen vessels in the distance;however, we will keep due south. It will be better to strike thecoast of Spain, and have to run along the shore round CapeFinisterre, than to risk missing land altogether."
That night they kept regular watches. The wind was very light now,and they were not going more than two knots an hour through thewater. Ryan was steering when morning broke.
"Wake up, Terence!" he exclaimed suddenly, "here is a ship within amile or so of us. As she is a lugger, I am afraid she is a Frenchprivateer."
Terence sprang to his feet. The light was still faint, but he feltsure that his companion was right, and that the vessel was a Frenchprivateer.
"We have put our foot in it now, and no mistake," Ryan said. "It isanother French prison and, this time, without a friendly soldier tohelp us to get out."
"It looks like it, Dicky. In another hour it will be broaddaylight, and they cannot help seeing us. Still, there is a hopefor us. We must give out that we are Spanish fishermen, who havebeen blown off the coast. It is not likely they have anyone onboard that speaks Spanish, and our Portuguese will sound all rightin their ears; so very likely, after overhauling us, they will letus go on our way. At any rate, it is of no use trying to escape; wewill hold on our course for another few minutes, and then headsuddenly towards her, as if we had only just seen her. I will hailher in Portuguese, and they are sure to tell us to come on board;and then I will try to make them understand by signs, and by usinga few French words, that we have been blown out to sea by the gale,and want to know the course for Santander. As the French have beenthere for some time, it would be natural enough for us to havepicked up a little of their language."
In a few minutes they altered their course and sailed towards thelugger, which also soon turned towards them. When they approachedwithin the vessel's length, Terence stood up, and shouted inPortuguese:
"What is the bearing of Santander?"
The reply was in French, "Come alongside!" given with a gesture ofthe arm explaining the words. They let the sail run down as theycame alongside. Terence climbed up, by the channels, to the deck.
"Espagnol," he said to the captain, who was standing close to himas he jumped down on to the deck; "Espagnoles, Capitaine; Poisson,Santander; grand tempete," and he motioned with his arms to signifythat they had been blown offshore at Santander. Then he pointed inseveral directions towards the south, and looked interrogatively.
"They are Spanish fishermen who have been blown off the coast," thecaptain said to another officer. "They have been lucky in living itout. Well, we are short of hands, having so many away in prizes;and the boat will be useful, in place of the one we had smashed upin the gale. Let a couple of men throw the nets and thingsoverboard, and then run her up to the davits."
Then he said to Terence: "Prisoners! Go forward and make yourselfuseful;" and he pointed towards the forecastle.
Terence gave a yell of despair, threw his hat down on the deck and,in a volley of Portuguese, begged the captain to let them go. Thelatter, however, only waved his hand angrily; and two sailors,coming up, seized Terence by the arms and dragged him forward. Ryanwas called upon deck, and also ordered forward. He too remonstrated,but was cut short by a threatening gesture from the captain.
For a time they preserved an appearance of deep dejection, Terencetugging his hair as if in utter despair, till Ryan whispered:
"For heaven's sake, Terence, don't go on like that, or I shallbreak out in a shout of laughter."
&n
bsp; "It is monstrous, it is inhuman!" Terence exclaimed, in Portuguese."Thus to seize harmless fishermen, who have so narrowly escapeddrowning; the sea is less cruel than these men. They have taken ourboat, too, our dear good boat. What will our mothers think, when wedo not return? That we have been swallowed up by the sea. How theywill watch for us, but in vain!"
Fortunately for the success of their story, the lugger hailed froma northern French port and, as not one on board understood eitherSpanish or Portuguese, they had no idea that the latter was thelanguage in which the prisoners were speaking. After an hour ofpretended despair, both rose from the deck on which they had beensitting and, on an order being given to trim the sails, went to theropes and aided the privateersmen to haul at them and, before theend of the day, were doing duty as regular members of the crew.
"They are active young fellows," the captain said to his firstmate, as he watched the supposed Spaniards making themselvesuseful. "It was lucky for them that they had a fair store ofprovisions and water in their boat. We are very short handed, andthey will be useful. I would have let them go if it had not beenfor the boat but, as we have only one left that can swim, it wastoo lucky a find to give up."
The craft had been heading north when Ryan had first seen her, andshe held that course all day. Terence gathered from the talk of thesailors that they were bound for Brest, to which port she belonged.The Frenchmen were congratulating themselves that their cruise wasso nearly over, and that it had been so successful a one. From timeto time a sailor was sent up into the cross trees, and scanned thehorizon to the north and west. In the afternoon he reported that hecould make out the upper sails of a large ship going south. Thecaptain went up to look at her.
"I think she is an English ship of war," he said, when he descendedto the deck, "but she is a long way off. With this light wind wecould run away from her. She will not trouble herself about us. Shewould know well enough that she could not get within ten miles ofus, before it got dark."
This turned out to be the case, for the lookout from time to timereported that the distant sail was keeping on her course, and theslight feeling of hope that had been felt by Terence and Ryan fadedaway. They were placed in the same watch, and were below when, asdaylight broke, they heard sudden exclamations, tramping of feetoverhead, and a moment later the watch was summoned on deck.
"I hope that they have had the same luck that we had, and have runinto the arms of one of our cruisers," Terence whispered inPortuguese to Ryan, as they ran up on deck together.
As he reached the deck the boom of a cannon was heard, and at thesame instant a ball passed through the mainsail. Half a mile awaywas a British sloop of war. She had evidently made out the luggerbefore the watch on board the latter had seen her. The captain wasfoaming with rage, and shouting orders which the crew hurried toexecute. On the deck near the foremast lay the man who had been onthe lookout, and who had been felled with a handspike by thecaptain when he ran out on deck, at the first alarm. Although atfirst flurried and alarmed, the crew speedily recovered themselves,and executed with promptitude the orders which were given.
There was a haze on the water, but a light wind was stirring, andthe vessel was moving through the water at some three knots anhour. As soon as her course had been changed, so as to bring thewind forward of the beam, which was her best point of sailing, themen were sent to the guns; the first mate placing himself at a longeighteen pounder, which was mounted as a pivot gun aft, a similarweapon being in her bows. All this took but four or five minutes,and shot after shot from the sloop hummed overhead.
The firing now ceased, as the change of course of the lugger hadplaced the sloop dead astern of her; and the latter was unable,therefore, to fire even her bow chasers without yawing. It was nowthe turn of the lugger. The gun in the stern was carefully trainedand, as it was fired, a patch of white splinters appeared in thesloop's bulwarks. A cheer broke from the French. The effect of theshot, which must have raked her from stem to stern, was at onceevident. The sloop bore off the wind, until her whole broadsidecould be seen.
"Flat on your faces!" the captain shouted.
There was a roar of ten guns, and a storm of shot screamedoverhead. Four of them passed through the sails. One ploughed upthe deck, killing two sailors and injuring three others with thesplinters. Two or three ropes of minor importance were cut, but noserious damage inflicted.
The crew, as they leapt to their feet, gave a cheer. They knewthat, with this light wind, their lugger could run away from theheavier craft; and that the latter could only hope for success bycrippling her.
"Steady with the helm!" the captain went on, as the pivot gun wasagain ready to deliver its fire. "Wait till her three masts showlike one.
"Jacques, aim a little bit higher. See if you cannot knock away aspar."
The sloop was coming up again to the wind and, as she was nearlystem on, the gun cracked out again. A cheer broke from the luggeras her opponent's foretop mast fell over her side, with all itshamper. Round the sloop came, and delivered the other broadside.Two shots crashed through the bulwarks, one of them dismounting agun which, in its fall, crushed a man who had thrown himself downbeside it. Another shot struck the yard of the foresail, cutting itasunder; and the lugger at once ran up into the wind.
"Lower the foresail!" the captain shouted. "Quick, men! and lash aspare spar to the yard. They are busy cutting away their topmast,but we shall be off again before they are ready to move. They havelost nearly half a mile; we shall soon be out of range. Be sharpwith that gun again!"
The sloop had indeed fallen greatly astern while delivering herbroadsides; but her commander had evidently seen that, unless thewind sprang up, the lugger would get away from him unless he couldcripple her; and that she might seriously damage him, and perhapsknock one of the masts out of him by her stern chaser. His onlychance, therefore, of capturing her was to take a spar out of her.He did not attempt to come about again, after firing the secondbroadside; but kept up his fire as fast as his guns could beloaded.
The lugger, however, was stealing rapidly away from him and, in tenminutes, had increased her lead by another half mile, withouthaving suffered any serious damage; and the sloop soon ceased fire,as she was now almost out of range. Seven or eight of the crew hadbeen more or less injured by splinters but, with the exception ofthe three killed, none were badly hurt. The lugger was now put onher former course, the guns lashed into their places again, and thethree men killed sewn up in hammocks and laid between two of theguns, in order to be handed to their friends on arrival in port.
"That is another slip between the cup and the lip," Terenceremarked to his companion, as the sloop ceased firing. "I certainlythought, when we came on deck, that our troubles were over. I mustsay for our friend, the French captain, he showed himself a goodsailor, and got out of the scrape uncommonly well."
"A good deal too well," Ryan grumbled; "it was very unpleasantwhile it lasted. It is all very well to be shot at by an enemy, butto be shot at by one's friends is more than one bargained for."
The coolness under fire displayed by the two Spaniards he hadcarried off pleased the captain, who patted them on the shoulder ashe came along, his good temper being now completely restored by hisescape.
"You are brave fellows," he said, "and will make goodprivateersmen. You cannot do better than stay with us. You willmake as much money, in a month, as you would in a year's fishing."
Terence smiled vaguely, as if he understood that the captain waspleased with them, but did not otherwise catch his meaning. Theyarrived at Brest without further adventure. As they neared theport, the captain asked Terence if he and his companion would enterupon the books of the privateer and after much difficulty made, ashe believed, Terence understand his question. The latter affectedto consult Ryan, and then answered that they would be both willingto do so. The captain then put the names they gave him down on theship's roll, and handed each of them a paper, certifying that JuanMontes and Sebastian Peral belonged to the crew of the BelleJeanne, naming
the rate of wages that they were to receive, andtheir share in the value of the prizes taken. He then gave themeighty francs each, as an advance on their pay from the date oftheir coming on board, and signified to them that they must buyclothes similar to those worn by the crew, instead of the heavyfishermen's garments they had on.
"They will soon learn our language," he said to the mate, "and I amsure they will make good sailors. I have put down their wages andshare of prize money at half that of our own men, and I am surethey will be well worth it, when they get to speak the language andlearn their duties."
As soon as they were alongside, the greater portion of the men wentashore and, in the evening, the boatswain landed with Terence andRyan, and proceeded with them to a slop shop, where he bought themclothes similar to those worn by the crew. Beyond the fact thatthese were of nautical appearance, there was no distinctive dress.They then returned to the lugger and changed their clothes at once,the boatswain telling them to stow away their boots and otherthings, as these would be useful to them in bad weather.
The next day the privateer commenced to unload, for the mostvaluable portions of the cargoes of the captured ships had beentaken on board when the vessels themselves, with the greaterportion of the goods they carried, had been sent into port underthe charge of prize crews. They remained on board for ten days,going freely into the town, sometimes with the sailors andsometimes alone. Terence pretended to make considerable progress inFrench, and was able, though with some difficulty, to make himselfunderstood by the crew. The first mate had gone with them to themairie, where the official stamp had been affixed to their shippapers.
They found that no questions were asked of persons entering orleaving the town, on the land side; and twice strolled out and wentsome distance into the country. They had agreed that it would bebetter to defer any attempt to escape until the day before thelugger sailed, as there would then be but little time for thecaptain to make inquiries after them, or to institute a search.They bought a pocket map of the north of France, and carefullystudied the roads.
"It is plain enough what our best course is, Dick. We must go alongthis projecting point of Brittany through Dinan to Avranches, andthen follow the coast up till we get to Coutances. You see it isnearly opposite Jersey, and that island does not look to be morethan fifteen miles away so that, if we can get hold of a boatthere, we should be able to run across in three hours or so, withfavourable wind."
"That looks easy enough," Ryan agreed. "It seems to be about onehundred and twenty miles from here to Avranches, and another thirtyor forty up to Coutances, so we should do it in a week, easily.What stories shall we make up, if we are questioned?"
"I don't suppose the peasants we may meet on the road are likely toquestion us at all, for most of the Bretons speak only their ownlanguage. We had better always sleep out in the open. If we do runacross an official, we can show our papers and give out that wehave been ill treated on board the lugger, and are going to SaintMalo, where we mean to ship on another privateer. I know that is aport from which lots of them sail. I don't think we shall have anydifficulty in buying provisions at small villages. My French willpass muster very well in such places, and I can easily remark thatwe are on our way to Saint Malo to join a ship there and, if anyvillage functionary questions us, these papers will be good enoughfor him.
"Or we can say that we got left ashore by accident, when our craftsailed from Brest, and are going to rejoin her at Saint Malo, whereshe was going to put in. I think, perhaps, that that would be abetter story than that we had run away. I don't know that theauthorities interest themselves in runaway seamen from privateersbut, at any rate, it is a likely tale. Drunken seamen, no doubt,often do get left ashore."
"Yes, that would be a very good story, Terence, and I think thatthere would be no great fear, even if we were to go boldly into atown."
"I don't think there would; still, it is better to be on the safeside, and avoid all risks."
Accordingly, the afternoon before the Belle Jeanne was to sail theywent ashore, bought enough bread and cold meat to last them for acouple of days; and two thick blankets, as it was now November andthe nights were bitterly cold; and then left the town and followedthe road for Dinan. On approaching the village of Landerneau theyleft the road, and lay down until it was quite dark. Then they madea detour through the fields, round the village, came down on theroad again, walked all night--passing through Huelgoat--and then,as morning was breaking they left the road again and, after going aquarter of a mile through the fields, lay down in a dry ditch bythe side of a thick hedge, ate a meal, and went to sleep.
They did not start again until it was getting dusk, when theyreturned to the road, which they followed all night. In the morningthey went boldly into a little village, and Terence went into ashop and bought a couple of loaves. His French was quite goodenough for so simple an operation.
"I suppose you are going to Saint Malo," the woman said.
"Yes. We have had a holiday to see some friends at Brest, and aregoing to rejoin."
This was the only question asked and, after walking another twomiles, they lay up for the day as before. They had met severalpeasants on the road, and had exchanged salutations with them. Theyfound by their map that they were now within twenty miles of Dinan,having made over thirty miles each night and, as both were somewhatfootsore from their unaccustomed exercise, they travelled only somesixteen or seventeen miles the following night.
The next evening, at about ten o'clock, they walked boldly throughDinan. Most of the inhabitants were already asleep, and the few whowere still in the streets paid no heed to two sailors; going, theyhad no doubt, to Saint Malo. Crossing the river Rance by thebridge, they took the road in the direction of the port but, afterfollowing it for a mile or two, struck off to the east and, beforemorning, arrived on the river running up from the bay of MountSaint Michaels. They lay down until late in the afternoon, and thencrossed the river at a ferry, and kept along by the coast untilthey reached the Sebine river.
"We are getting on first rate," Ryan said, as they lay down for afew hours' sleep. "We have only got Avranches to pass, now."
"I hope we sha'n't be questioned at all, Dick, for we have now nogood story to tell them; for we are going away from Saint Malo,instead of to it. Of course, as long as they don't question us weare all right. We are simply two sailors on our way home for atime; but if we have to show our papers, with those Spanish nameson them, we should be in a fix. Of course, we might have run awayfrom our ship at Saint Malo, but that would not explain our comingup this way. However, I hope my French is good enough to answer anycasual questions without exciting attention. We will cross by theferry boat, as soon as it begins to ply and, as Avranches standssome little distance up the river, we can avoid it altogether bykeeping along the coastline."
A score of peasants had assembled by the time the ferry boat manmade his appearance from his cottage, and Terence and hiscompanion, who had been lying down 200 yards away, joined them justas they were going down to the boat.
"You are from Saint Malo, I suppose?" an old peasant said toTerence.
The latter nodded.
"We have got a month's leave from our ship," he said. "She has beenknocked about by an English cruiser, and will be in theshipwright's hands for five or six weeks, before she is ready forsea again."
"You are not from this part of the country," the peasant, who wasspeaking in the patois of Normandy, remarked.
"No, we come from the south; but one of our comrades comes fromCherbourg and, as he cannot get away, we are going to see hisfriends and tell them that he is well. It is a holiday for us, andwe may as well go there as anywhere else."
The explanation was simple enough for the peasant, and Terencecontinued chatting with him until they landed.
"You do not need to go through Avranches," the latter said. "Takethe road by the coast through Granville to Coutances."
"How far is it to Coutances?"
"About twenty miles. At least, so I have he
ard, for I have neverbeen there."
After walking a few miles, they went down on to the seashore andlay down among some rocks until evening. At eight o'clock theystarted again and walked boldly through Granville, where theirsailor's dress would, they felt sure, attract no attention. It wasabout nine o'clock when they entered the place. Their reason fordoing so at this hour was that they wished to lay in a stock ofprovisions, as they did not intend to enter Coutances until late atnight; when they hoped to be able to get hold of a boat, at once.They had just made their purchases when they met a fat little man,with a red sash--which showed him to be the Maire of the place, orsome other public functionary.
"Where are you going, and what ship do you belong to?" he askedpompously.
"We are sailors on our way from Saint Malo to Cherbourg," Terencereplied.
"You have papers, of course?"
"Of course, Monsieur le Maire."
"I must see them," the Maire said. "Come with me to my house, closeby."
There were several persons near, and a man in civil uniform waswith the Maire. Therefore Terence gave an apparently willing assentand, followed by the functionary, they went into a house close by.A lamp was burning on the table in the hall.
"Light these candles in my office," the Maire said. "The women havegone up to bed."
The man turned a key, went in and, bringing out two candles,lighted them at the lamp; and they then went into the room. TheMaire seated himself in an armchair at the table. The minorfunctionary placed the two suspected persons on the side facinghim, and took his place standing by their side.
As they were going in, Terence whispered:
"If there is trouble, I will take this fellow, and you manage theMaire."
"Now," that functionary said, "let me see your papers.
"Why," he exclaimed, looking at the names, "you are not Frenchmen!"
"No," Terence said quietly. "We do not pretend to be but, as yousee, we are sailors who have done service on board a Frenchprivateer."
"But where is this privateer?"
"I don't know, Monsieur le Maire. We were not satisfied with ourtreatment, so we left her at Brest."
"This is very serious," the Maire said. "You are Spaniards. Youhave deserted your ship at Brest. You have travelled a hundred andfifty miles through France, and now what are you doing here?"
"We are, as you say, monsieur, travelling through France. We desireto see France. We have heard that it is the greatest country in theworld. Frenchmen visit Spain in large numbers. Why should notSpaniards visit France?"
The tone of sarcasm in which Terence spoke was not lost upon theMaire, who rose from his seat, purple with anger.
"You will take these men into custody," he said to his assistant."This is a very grave business."
"Now, Dick!" Terence exclaimed and, turning to the man who stoodnext to him, he grasped him suddenly by the throat.
At the same moment Ryan caught up a heavy inkstand and threw itacross the table at the Maire, striking that functionary in thestomach, and doubling him completely up. Then he ran round the tableand bound the man--who had not yet recovered his breath--tightly inhis chair, and thrust his handkerchief into his mouth.
The man whom Terence was holding had scarcely struggled. Terence,as he gripped him, had said, "Keep quiet or I will choke you!" andthe prisoner felt that his assailant could do so in a moment, if hechose.
His hands were fastened tightly behind him, with his own belt, byRyan. A short ruler was thrust between his teeth, and fastenedthere by a handkerchief going round the back of his head.
"So far so good, Dick. Now look round for something with which wecan bind them more firmly."
Several hanks of red tape lay upon the table. With a portion of oneof these, the back of the chair in which the Maire sat was lashedto the handle of a heavy bureau. Then his feet were fastened to thetwo legs of the chair, so that he could neither kick nor upsethimself. The other man was then fastened as securely. This donethey blew out the candles, left the room, locked the door behindthem--taking the key--and then sallied out into the street.
"That was a good shot of yours with the inkstand," Terence said.
"I had my eye on it, all the time he was speaking," Ryan replied."I saw that, if I were to move to get round the table at him, thelittle man would have time to shout; but that if I could hit him inthe wind, it would be all right."
"Well, there must be no more stopping, now. I don't know whetherthere is a Mrs. Maire; if not, there will certainly be no alarmuntil morning. If there is, it depends upon what sort of woman sheis as to how long a start we shall get. If she is a sleepy womanshe is probably dreaming by this time, and may not discover untilmorning that her lord and master is not by her side. If she is abad-tempered woman, she will probably lie for an hour or two,thinking over what she shall say to him when he comes in. If she isa nervous woman, she will get up and go downstairs.
"I left the lamp burning in the hall on purpose. Seeing it there,she will naturally think that he has not come in, and will goupstairs again for an hour or two; then she will probably call upthe servants, and may send them out to look for him; finally, shemay go to the police office and wake up a constable. It is notprobable there are any of them on night duty, in a quiet place likethis. Altogether, I calculate that it will be at least four hoursbefore they think of breaking open the door of the office, to seeif he is there; so at the worst we have got four hours' start; atthe best, ten hours.
"It is only half-past nine now. We shall be at the mouth of theSienne in three hours, or less. It does not look above nine or tenmiles on the map and, directly we get fairly out of the town, wewill go as quickly as we can, for every minute is of importance.
"If we can get hold of a boat at once, we ought to be at Jerseysoon after daybreak; although I am not very sure of that, for Ibelieve there are all sorts of strong currents along this coast. Iremember one of the officers saying so, as we came down the Channelon the voyage out. Of course, it will make a difference whether wecan get a boat with a sail, or not. If we cannot find a boat, weshall have to hide up; but you may be sure that there will be a hotsearch for us in the morning, and we must get off tonight, if wecan. Most likely there is a fishing village somewhere near themouth of the river."
As soon as they were out of the town they broke into a trot; whichthey continued, with scarcely any intermission, until theyapproached a small village.
"I expect this stands on the bank of the river," Terence said."There is no chance of anyone being up, so we can go throughfearlessly."
A couple of hundred yards farther they reached the river. A largeferry boat was moored here. Keeping along the bank to the left,they were not long before they came upon several boats hauled up onthe shore; while three or four others lay at their moorings, ashort distance out.
"Thank goodness," Terence exclaimed. "We shall have no difficulty,now!"
They selected the boat lying nearest the water's edge. The moon washalf full, but was now sinking towards the west. Its light,however, was of some assistance to them. There was a mast and sailin the boat, as well as a pair of oars.
At first they were unable to move her down to the water but,getting some oars out of the other boats, they laid them down asrollers and, with these, managed after great exertions to get herafloat.
