The boys did look, and saw Jacques standing by the steersman, with a
drawn sword in one hand and pistols in his belt, hardly seeming to
notice the boats, which had separated, one making for the schooner and
the other for the _Belle-Marie_.
"Pilot sees mischief," said the cook. "He's going back. So would I if
I could. I say, young 'uns, you'd better go below, hadn't you?"
"No," said Vince sharply. "You won't, will you, Ladle?"
"No: I want to see," replied Mike; and they stood and watched the
rapidly approaching boat, with the smartly uniformed officer in the
stern sheets, and the sailors making the water sparkle as they sent the
trim craft rapidly nearer.
"Ha, ha!" laughed the cook softly; and the boys were about to turn and
ask him what he meant, when a movement on the part of the captain caught
their attention, while a wave of his hand made his men spring to their
feet.
The cutter's boat was still fifty yards away, when a sudden puff of wind
struck the lugger, her heavy canvas filled out, and she began instantly
to yield to the pressure, gliding softly through the water, and putting
fifty yards more between her and the boat.
Then the wind dropped again, and the officer in the boat stood up and
shouted to Jacques to lower sail, while his men pulled with all their
might, getting nearer and nearer.
"Do you hear?" yelled the officer: "let go everything, you scoundrel!"
But Jacques gave no order, and when the boat was within twenty yards he
was about to make a sign to his men to seize their arms, when the breeze
struck the lugger, and away she went, showing her magnificent sailing
qualities, for in a few minutes the boat was far behind, when there was
a put from the cutter's side, but not to send a ball across their bows,
for before the report reached the boys' ears a peculiar sound came
overhead, and there was a hole through the mainsail.
"Now we're in for it," said the cook; and another report rang out, but
this shot was at the schooner, which was gliding rapidly away, taking a
different course from that of the lugger, but paying no heed to the gun.
Both boats gave up now, for the wind had caught the cutter once more,
and she was gliding up to them. There was a short delay as she got both
her boats on board, but she was paying attentions to lugger and schooner
all the time, sending steadily shot after shot at each, till the
schooner tacked out to get round the southern point of the island; and
then, as the cutter crowded on all sail, her bow guns were both trimmed
to bear upon the lugger, and shot after shot came whistling overhead.
It was nervous work at first, but after the first few shots the
excitement took away all sense of fear, and the two boys watched the
effect of the balls, as now and then one tore through the rigging.
The schooner was going at a tremendous rate, and her escape seemed
certain; so the lieutenant in command of the cutter devoted all his
attention to the lugger, which sailed rapidly on, first overtaking Joe
Daygo's boat, which lay half a mile away, and rapidly leaving the cutter
behind.
Twice over the Frenchman had the after guns turned ready for a shot at
his pursuer; but the lugger was going so swiftly that there was no need
to use them to try and cripple the cutter's sails, and so make the
offence deadly by firing upon His Majesty's ship. Hence the hot irons
remained in the fire ready for an emergency, one which was not long in
coming, but which proved too great, even for so reckless a man as
Jacques.
For, as they sailed steadily along, gliding rapidly by the island, and
edging off so that they would soon be leaving it behind, the commander
of the cutter, enraged at the apparently certain escape of the expected
prize, and disappointed by the trifling damage done by the firing upon
the lugger's rigging, suddenly changed his tactics, and a shot struck
the starboard bulwark, splintering it for a dozen feet along, and
sending the pieces flying.
This roused the captain's wrath, and, giving a sharp order, he went to
one of the guns, pointing it himself, while one of the men ran up to the
galley where the boys were standing.
"Now, cookie," he cried--"reg'lar hot 'un!" and he whisked a white-hot
bar from the stove. "Here, youngsters, skipper says you're to go
below."
He ran aft with the bar, scintillating faintly in the sunlight, and
handed it to the captain, who bent down once more to take aim,
when--_crash_!--a shot struck the stern between wind and water, after
ricocheting along the surface. The next instant they saw a brilliant
flash, heard a roar as of thunder; and as a dense cloud of smoke arose
there was a great gap in the deck on the starboard side close to the
cabin-hatch, and the boys grasped the fact instantly that the lugger's
little powder magazine had been blown up, while, as they stared aghast
at the mischief, and the men making for the boats, the mizen-mast with
its heavy sail slowly dropped over the side and lay upon the water, with
the effect that it acted like a rudder, and drew the unfortunate vessel
round, head to wind.
The disorder among the crew only lasted a few minutes; their discipline
was to the front again, Jacques giving his orders and the men obeying
promptly.
"She is not going down, my lads," he cried; "ze fire all come upvard.
You need not take to ze boats, for ze cutter vould follow and take you.
Zere: ze game is up. Ve could fight, but vat good? You see _La
Belle-Marie_ can do no more. Vat you say? Shall ve fight?"
"If you like, skipper," said the mate quietly; "but if we do the cutter
will only stand off a bit and sink us. We couldn't get away."
"_Non_" said Jacques: "luck is against us zis time. I sank you, my
brave lads, and I like you too vell to go lose your life for nossing.
Ve must strike."
The men gave him a faint cheer, and crowded round to hold out their
hands.
"But we will fight if you like, skipper," cried one who made himself
spokesman.
"I know, my lad," said Jacques. "Good boys all. Ve nevaire had a
coward on board ze _Belle-Marie_."
Meanwhile the cutter was coming up fast, and a few minutes after two
boats boarded them full of sailors and marines, when the first thing
done was to send a boat-load of prisoners, which included the captain,
Vince and Mike, on board the cutter.