From Powder Monkey to Admiral Part 26

The slightest sound might betray them.

At length they got outside her, and there was nothing now between them and the open channel.

Again Jack could hardly refrain from shouting.

Just then a voice came from the vessel.

Bill looked back. He judged by the distance the vessel was off that the character of the raft could not be discovered. He answered in very good French, "We are going out early this morning, and if we have good luck in fishing, we'll bring you some for breakfast."

"Thank you, my friend, thank you," answered the man on board the vessel.

Bill had been paddling on all the time he was speaking. He was certain that the man did not suspect who he and Jack were, and in a few minutes they lost sight of the vessel altogether.

They now gave way with might and main. They were rowing for life and liberty; for if again caught, they fully believed that they should be shot. How anxiously they wished that a breeze would spring up!

For fully an hour they rowed on, till the sh.o.r.e faded from sight.

They were steering by the polar star, which both Jack and Bill knew well.

"If there's a breeze from the southward, we ought to feel it by this time," observed Jack.

"Never fear; we shall find it before long," answered Bill. "We are not so far away from the cliffs as you suppose, and it would be as well not to speak loud, or our voices may reach any boat pa.s.sing, or even people on sh.o.r.e."

"I hope there will be none there at this hour, though they will come down fast enough in the morning from the chateau, when they find we have taken French leave," said Jack.

"A very proper thing to take, too, seeing we were in France," remarked Bill, with a quiet chuckle. "I hope we shall never set foot on its sh.o.r.es again."

"So do I; but I'm afraid we have a great chance of doing so, unless we get a breeze pretty soon. I am inclined to whistle for it," said Jack.

"It won't come the faster for that," answered Bill. "We shall do more good by working our oars. We are sending the raft along at three knots an hour at least, and as it will be three hours or more before daylight, we shall be ten miles or so away from the sh.o.r.e, even if we do not get a breeze, before the Frenchmen find out that we have got off."

As Bill advised, he and Jack continued pulling away as l.u.s.tily as at first.

The smoothness of the water was a great advantage to them, for had there been any sea their progress would have been much slower.

An hour or more pa.s.sed away, when Bill exclaimed, "Here comes the wind, and right aft, too! It's not very strong yet, but it will freshen soon, I hope. Stand by, Jack, to hoist the sail!"

"Ay, ay!" answered Jack, taking hold of the halyards and feeling that all was clear.

"Hand me the sheet; and now hoist away," said Bill.

Jack, with right good will, hauled away at the halyards, and the sail was soon set.

The raft felt the influence of the breeze and glided on at an increased speed. It was cheery to hear the water rippling against the bows.

"We must take care not to capsize the raft if the wind increases much,"

observed Bill. "Keep the halyards ready to let go in a moment; the sail is full large for our craft, and it would not take long to capsize it."

"Trust me for that," said Jack; "I have no wish to be drowned, and I feel wonderfully jolly at the thought of having got away. Are you steering a right course, Bill? It seems to me that the sail must be between you and the polar star."

"No; I can see it directly over the yard when I stand up and keep well aft," answered Bill. "The wind, too, won't let us go in any other direction."

"How about the tide?" asked Jack.

"Why, as it was just on the ebb when we came out of the harbour, and helped us along, it is, I calculate, making to the westward. It won't, however, run much longer in that direction, and it will then carry us to the eastward for a good six hours. We'll be well out of sight of land by that time, and, I hope, may fall in with an English cruiser, though, for my part, I would rather run right across the Channel. It would be fine fun to land, and tell the people how we managed it. They would think more of our raft than the Frenchmen did, though there are not many boys afloat who would not try to do as we have done."

Jack was of the same opinion, and as there was no necessity for rowing, while Bill steered, Jack sat on a chest with his arms folded. Suddenly he exclaimed, "I say, Bill, I am getting very peckish; I vote we have some supper."

"Well, we have not far to go for it," observed Bill, "seeing we have got enough in our pockets to last us for the whole of to-morrow."

As Bill could not well manage to steer and tend the sheet and eat his supper, too, he let Jack finish his; after which they changed places, and Bill fell to with a good appet.i.te on some of the old Frenchwoman's provisions.

"I hope the kind old creature won't get into any sc.r.a.pe for supplying us," said Bill.

"I don't see how it will be found out that she gave us so much," said Jack. "When she finds that we are gone, she'll keep her own counsel, depend on that."

"We must not expend the food too fast, though," remarked Bill. "It will take us several days to get across Channel; and it won't do to run short of provisions."

"You forget those we have in the chest," said Jack.

"Are you certain that the Frenchmen allowed them to remain there," asked Bill, opening the lid of one of them, and feeling about. "Yes! here's a piece of beef or pork and some biscuit. All right, we shall do now.

I'll take the helm again if you like; I feel more comfortable when I'm at it, though you steer well enough, I dare say."

"As you like," said Jack. "I'd just as soon stand by the halyards."

They again changed places.

Bill kept his eye on the polar star, while Jack peered under the sail ahead, that they might not, as he said, run down any craft.

Thus the night pa.s.sed away. The breeze slightly increased, but Bill considered that they might still carry their whole sail with safety.

Perhaps they did not move along quite so fast as he supposed. He told Jack that he thought they were running through the water at five knots an hour; but four, or even three, knots was a good deal for a raft to make, with flat bows, light and well put together as it was.

They were too much excited to feel the slightest inclination to sleep, and being both in capital spirits, did not trouble themselves with thinking of the possibility that the weather might change before they could get across to the English coast. A fast lugger would take nearly two days to do the distance.

The dawn now broke, and they eagerly looked out on every side for a sail. As the light increased they were greatly disappointed, on gazing astern, to discover the French coast still in sight, though blue and indistinct, like a cloud rising out of the water. No sail, however, was to be seen in that direction. That was a comfort; they were not pursued by any large craft, and could certainly not be seen from the sh.o.r.e.

To the northward, however, they caught sight of a sail just rising above the horizon, and soon afterwards another was seen to the eastward, but which way she was standing they could not determine.

As the sun rose the wind decreased, and before long it became perfectly calm.

"We must lower the sail and take to our oars again," said Bill. "It won't do to stop where we are."

"I am ready to pull on as long as I have any strength in me," answered Jack, as he stowed the sail, and got out his oar.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

A NARROW ESCAPE--THE FUGITIVES PICKED UP BY A FRIGATE.