e west, others coming in this direction. Those going to
the west were traced until a party of French and black sailors were
discovered asleep in a wood. They stated that the vessel was French,
captured by an English man-of-war; that she had been driven by the
hurricane on the reef, and that it was their belief the English officers
and crew had escaped as well as themselves, but they could not tell what
had become of them. The mayor, on hearing this, had despatched a party
of gendarmes in search of the missing people. How soon they may be here
it is impossible to say."

"But they will not be so barbarous as to carry off to prison English
officers who come with a flag of truce, and had no hostile intentions!"
exclaimed Virginie.

"The authorities would be only too glad to get some Englishmen to
exhibit as prisoners," said Francois. "We must not trust them; and I
propose that we hide away the officers and men."

Just as Francois had finished giving this account, Le Duc ran into the
room.

"Oh, madame, oh messieurs!" he exclaimed, "I have seen those gendarmes
coming along the road towards the house; they will be here presently."

"Here, come this way, my friends!" cried Madame La Roche. "Francois,
run and get the ladder. There may be time for you all to mount up
before the gendarmes appear. Call the other sailors. The sick man is
strong enough to move, or some one must help him. Vite, vite!"

The old lady hurried about in a state of great agitation. Rayner and
Oliver had serious fears that she would betray herself.

Francois soon came with the ladder, which he placed in a dark corner of
a passage, and, ascending, opened a trapdoor, and urged the party to
mount without delay. Oliver went up first. Jack was able to get up
without assistance. Le Duc was unwilling to go until the old lady
seized him by the arm.

"Go up, my son, go up," she said. "You will not be worse off than the
rest."

He at length unwillingly obeyed.

As soon as Rayner got up, by Francois' directions he shut down the
trapdoor. There was just light sufficient, through a pane of glass in
the roof, to see that the loft extended over a considerable portion of
the building. Part only was covered with boards, on which, according to
the instructions given them, they laid down. Francois had charged them
on no account to move about, lest they should be heard by the people
below. The planks, however, were not placed very close together,