"Ladle!"
"Hullo!"
"Wake up!"
"What's the good? We can't go on deck. May as well lie here and rest."
"Nonsense! Get up, or I'll pull you out by one leg!"
"You touch me, and I'll send you flying against the bulkhead."
"Go it!" cried Vince, who was standing on the rough floor, in his
trousers; and, quick as thought, he seized Mike's leg and pulled him
half out. "Now kick, and I'll let you down bang."
"Oh! I say, Cinder, let go! Don't, there's a good fellow."
"Then will you get up?"
"Yes: all right. Does it rain?"
"No--lovely morning; you can see it is through that bit of skylight."
Mike slipped out and began to dress.
"Wonder what they've been doing in the night?"
"Don't know--don't care," said Vince, yawning. "Oh, how horrid it is to
be boxed up here like a rabbit! Can hardly breathe, and perhaps he
won't let us out for hours. Here, Jacques, come and unfasten this
door," he said in a low, angry growl; and, seizing the handle, he was
about to give the door a rough shake, when to the surprise of both it
flew open.
"Hurrah!" cried Vince; and they were not long finishing dressing and
hurrying on deck, to find that, whatever might have been done, the
hatches were in their places, while a good-sized schooner was lying
close by with her sails flapping, as were those of the lugger; for the
sea was very smooth, save where the currents showed, and during the
night they had been carried by one of these well back towards the
island, whose north-east point lay about a couple of miles on their port
bow.
"That's an English schooner, for certain," said Vince. "What is she?"
"_The Shark_" read Mike from her stern. "Looks as if she could sail
better than the _Belle-Marie_."
"Not she," said Vince, with the tone of authority; "these long
three-masted luggers can race through the water."
"Aha! _mes enfans_--my good shildren," said the captain, in his
irritating way of giving bad interpretations of his French which annoyed
the boys, "I vant you vairy bad. You go and vistle for ze vind, eh? We
shall go soon upon ze rock."
"Wind's coming soon," said Vince; "it's on the other side of the island
now. Look: you can see the ripple off the point. Looks dark. We don't
get it because the Crag shelters us."
"Good boy! I see you sall make a grand sailor some day, and be my first
lieutenant; I give you command of a schooner like ze _Shark_."
He waved his hand towards the vessel, and then looked eagerly in the
direction of the rippled water, which indicated the coming wind.
"Is that boat yours?" said Vince.
"Yais! vy you ask? Ah-h-h-ah--ze wind--vill he nevaire com?"
At that moment the schooner hoisted a small flag very rapidly, and,
simple as the action was, it completely changed the aspect of affairs.
Orders were given sharply; and, to the boys' wonder, they were startled
by seeing the men begin rapidly to cast loose the four small long guns,
while others were busy fetching up powder and shot from below, passing
down the little hatchway which had led to the boys' first place of
confinement.
The captain walked sharply here and there, giving his instructions, and
in an incredibly short space of time every stitch of sail possible was
crowded upon the lugger, while a similar course was pursued by the
captain of the schooner.
A thrill of excitement ran through the boys as they saw an arm chest
hoisted up from the cabin, placed amidships, and the lid thrown open;
but nothing was taken out, and after watching their opportunity, so that
the captain should not observe their action, the boys walked by where
the chest had been placed, and saw that it was divided longitudinally,
and on one side, neatly arranged, were brass-bound pistols, on the
other, cutlasses.
They had hardly seen this, when a glance forward showed them the captain
superintending the loading of the two bow guns, and as soon as this was
done he began to walk aft, while the boys discreetly walked forward
along the other side, so as to be out of the fierce-looking fellow's
way.
"I say, Ladle," whispered Vince, "this is like what we have often read
of. How do you feel? There's going to be a fight. Look! they're
loading the guns aft."
"Oh, I feel all right yet,--just a little shivery like. But what makes
you say there's going to be a fight?"
"Didn't you see the schooner hoist a flag?"
"Of course I did, but I thought she was a friend. Why are they going to
fight? Oh, I know: it's only a sham fight, for practice."
"I don't believe it is sham; the skipper looked too serious. I saw him
showing his teeth, and the men all look in earnest. They've been doing
something old Jacques don't like, and he's going to bring them to their
senses. Here, I say, you're not getting those ready for breakfast?"
They were opposite the galley as Vince spoke, and he had suddenly caught
sight of the cook, who was hurrying on his fire, and heating about half
a dozen rods of iron between the bars of the stove.
"Oh yes, I am," said the man, with a grin--"for somebody's breakfast. I
say, youngsters, I'd go down below if I was you; it may mean warm work
if the wind don't come soon."
"What has the wind to do with it?" said Vince.
"To do with it! Everything, my lad. If the wind comes, we shall run,
of course. We don't want to fight."
"But why are we going to fight the schooner?"
"The schooner!" said the man, staring. "Nonsense! She belongs to
Jarks, and trades to the south coast. Didn't you see her signal?"
"Yes."
"Well, that means one of King Billy's cutters is in sight from there,
and she'll be nearing before long."
"But what are those rods for?" said Mike eagerly.
"Don't be such a blockhead, Ladle!" cried Vince excitedly. "Why did we
make the poker red-hot when we wanted to fire the old ship gun on your
lawn?"
"Look--look!" cried Mike.
There was no need, for Vince had seen the white flying jib of a cutter
coming into sight round the end of the Crag, with plenty of wind urging
her on, while, by the time she was clear, a faint puff of light air made
the schooner's sails shiver, but only for a few moments, then it was
calm again, while the cutter, now quite clear of the point, was
careening over and gliding rapidly along, with a pleasant breeze astern.
Just then the captain came forward, looking black as thunder, taking no
notice of the boys, but giving a few sharp orders to the men to stand by
ready to take advantage of the first puff of wind.
"We're not going below, are we?" whispered Mike.
"No; I want to see what's done," said Vince.
"Then you like fighting before breakfast better than I do," said the
cook. "Look, there goes her colours, and she'll send a shot across the
_Shark's_ bows directly. We shall get it next."
He had hardly spoken before there was a white puff of smoke from the
cutter, and before the report came echoing from the towering rocks of
the Crag the boys saw the water splash up twice from somewhere near the
schooner's bows, while within half a minute another shot was fired
across the lugger's course, as she glided slowly along with the swift
current, which was drawing them nearer the Crag.
"Bad job for us as old Daygo arn't here," said the cook.
"Why?" asked Vince.
The man laughed.
"Why, if he were aboard and the wind came up, he'd run the _Marie_ in
among the rocks."
"And into the pool?" said Vince eagerly.
"Not likely, my lad. No, he'd manoeuvre her right in, and lead the
revenoos after us, till the cutter was stuck on one of the fang rocks,
and leave her there, perhaps for good. Bound to say the skipper wishes
Master Daygo was here."
Vince looked round, and thought of the fierce currents and sunken rocks,
which a sailing boat might pass over in safety, but which would be fatal
to a vessel of the cutter's size.
Just then the cook laughed, and the boys looked at him inquiringly.
"They think we are lying to on account o' their guns," said the man;
"but only wait till we ketch the wind."
"Do you think they know these vessels are--"
"Smugglers?" said the cook, for Vince had not finished the sentence.
"Ay, they know fast enough, and they think they're in luck, and have
dropped upon a strong dose of prize money; but they don't know old
Jarks."
"Will he fight?" said Mike excitedly. "Is these pokers getting
red-hot?" said the man, grinning. "Ay, he'll fight. He's a Frenchy,
but he's got the fighting stuff in him. 'Course he'll run. He don't
want to fight, but if that cutter makes him, he will. My! I wish the
wind would come."
But though the cutter came merrily along, hardly a puff reached the
smugglers, and the cutter was now not more than a mile away.
"Look! look!" cried Mike suddenly. "There's old Joe Daygo coming."
"So it is," said Vince. "No mistaking the cut of that sail;" and he
gazed excitedly at the little boat, which was coming rapidly on from the
other end of the island.
"Ay, that's he sure enough," said the cook. "He's seen the cutter and
come to give us warning, but we can see her ourselves now."
Still no wind, and the captain stamped up and down the deck, enraged
beyond measure to see two vessels in totally opposite directions sailing
merrily on, while the towering crag diverted the breeze and left him and
his companion in a complete calm.
Nearer and nearer came the cutter, and the boys' hearts beat hard with
excitement as they saw the flash of arms beneath the white sails, and
began to feel that before long they would be on board, and that meant
freedom.
Mike said something of the kind, but Vince made an allusion to the old
proverb about not counting chickens until they were hatched.
"Get out!" cried Mike: "you always make the worst of things. I say,
look how beautifully she comes along."
"Yes, and she'll be on one of they rocks if she don't mind," said the
cook. "I say, my lads, there'll be no breakfast till all this business
is over, but if you step in here I'll give you both some coffee and
biscuit."
"Oh, who could eat and drink now?" said Vince. "I can't."
"I can," said the man; "and as my pokers are all hot, I mean to have a
snack."
The boys' great dread was that they would be sent below, and
consequently they kept out of the captain's way, and saw all that was
going on, till the cutter was within a few hundred yards; and then, all
at once, the wind failed her, and she lay as motionless as the two
smugglers. The same fate had befallen Daygo in his boat, he being a
mile away; but they saw that he had put out his oars, and was rowing.
"Going to board us," said the cook, with a sigh. "Now the fun's going
to begin."
For two boats dropped from the cutter's sides, and the boys saw an
officer in uniform in each, with a couple of red-coated marines, whose
pieces glistened in the morning sunshine, as did the arms of the
sailors.
But they saw something else as well. At a word from the captain, a
dozen of the men went on hands and knees to the arm chest, each sailor
in turn taking a cutlass, pistols, and cartridge pouch, and crawling
back under the shelter of the bulwarks to load.
Vince drew a deep sigh, and his face was flushed, while Mike looked of a
sallow white.
"Then there'll be a fight?" said the latter.
"Ay, there'll be a fight," said the cook. "We're in for it now; but
unless it's done with the big guns they won't take the _Marie_."
"Why?" said Vince. "Jacques daren't resist the King's men."