as only one vessel more which they had to pass before they
reached the harbour's mouth. They both earnestly hoped that her crew
were fast asleep, and that no watch was kept on deck.

They paddled slowly by, and more than half a cable's length from her,
moving their oars as gently as possible, and scarcely daring to breathe.
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 shore 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 passing, or even people
on shore."

"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
shores 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