vord of honnaire to-day, and to-day
last _vingt-quatre heures_--till zis time to-morrow: you understand?"

"Yes," said Vince; and then, frankly, "I beg your pardon, skip--"

"Eh?"

"Captain," said Vince quickly: "I beg your pardon, captain, for calling
you a coward."

The Frenchman looked at him searchingly, and then clapped down both
hands on the boy's shoulders and held him firmly.

"_Bon_!" he said; "_bon_! Zat is all gone now. I sall not call you out
and say vill you have ze pistol or ze arm _blanc_--ze sword. You bose
come dine vis me _ce soir_--zis evening, and you not make fool of ze
comestible, as ve call him, eh? Now go valk about ze deck. You like to
see ze vay out? No; ve leave all zat to my good _ami_, Joseph Daygo.
He take ze _Belle-Marie_ out to sea vile ve dine. It is ze secret know
only to Joseph. I could not do him myselfs."

This only increased Vince's desire to discover by what means the lugger
was piloted out from its moorings beneath the towering rocks, where it
was completely shut-in, though it seemed that there was a channel behind
the rock which spread out in front.

Sunset was drawing near, and it became evident that the time was
approaching for a start to be made, for the boat in which they came from
the cave had been hoisted up to the davits, and the men were busy
preparing for hoisting sails. The hatches were in their places, and the
vessel looked wonderfully orderly, being very different in aspect from
those of its class. In fact, from stem to stern she was nearly as neat
as a king's ship.

Meanwhile Joe Daygo kept close to the bulwark, turning from time to time
to note how the men were progressing, and then leaning over the bulwark
again to gaze at the perpendicular wall of rock before him, which
towered up to a great height and went apparently straight down into the
sea. "I know," said Vince at last, in a whisper. "Know what?"

"Joe Daygo is watching that streak of white paint on the rock over
yonder."

"I see no streak of white paint," said Mike. "Yes, I do. But what of
that?"

"It's his mark," said Vince. "He's going to wait till the tide touches
that, and then going to cast off."

"Think so?"

"Sure of it."

But Vince had no opportunity for waiting to see. The glassy current was
still a couple of inches below the dimly seen white mark, when there was
a peculiar odour which came from a tureen that the cook carried along
the deck towards the cabin; and