Vince: "I'll promise to show you by land. I
can't by sea, for it's a regular puzzle."

"By land, then. Where is it?"

"Over yonder, on our island."

"What, at the Crag?" cried the lieutenant.

"Yes."

The officer gave vent to a long, low whistle.

"Thank you, my lad," he said; "this is good news indeed! We have been
baffled for years, stopped by this hiding-place which no one knew of.
Then, when I have taken the schooner I'll land you with a party, and you
shall show us the place."

"No," said Vince; "I want to be paid for doing it."

"Indeed!" said the officer, curling his lip: "how much?"

"Oh, I don't mean money. Our fathers and mothers think we're dead, and
you must land us to go home at once."

"Impossible, my boy," said the lieutenant, clapping him on the shoulder
in a friendly way. "Quite right; but English men--and boys--have to
think first of their duty to the King. I must chase that schooner
first, and--Ahoy, there! look sharp with that boat.--Look: directly I
have taken her I'll land you."

"No, sir; land us now," cried Mike. "You have only to make that little
sailing boat come alongside and order him to take us."

"Yes, yes," cried Vince. "He comes from our island."

"What, that fishing boat yonder?" said the lieutenant.

"Well, that is in my way. Yes, I'll do that. Now then, alongside
there! Tumble up, you fellows! Marines, take charge, and see them into
the hold."

"_Au revoir, mes enfans_," said Jacques--"_au revoir_, if zey do not
hang me. Good boys, bose of you, but von vord. Old Daygo he is a
rascaille, an old scamp; but he serve me vairy true, and it vas I tempt
him vis _monnaie_ to keep my secrete after he show me ze cavern. You
vill not tell of him. He is so old, if you send him to ze prisone he
soon die."

"Oh, very well; we won't tell tales of him--eh, Mike?"

"I should like to knock his old head off; but you've been so civil to
us, Captain Jacques, we will not."

The captain smiled and nodded, and then followed his crew into the hold,
where they were shut up with a couple of marines on guard.

By this time the cutter was in full sail, in chase of the schooner,
which had reached out for a long distance, to get clear of the long
reefs of dangerous rocks, running far away from the northern shore of
the island. She was evidently, in fact, obliged, as she had taken that
course, to tack at last, and then run straight almost back again; but it
would lead her al