te to deal with, and in these
light winds and dark nights we ought to be able to give her the slip;
but the only way to be sure the schooner keeps the other side is to
watch her. So one man is to be placed on the cliff above her, and at
two o'clock in the morning, if she is still there, he is to light a
fire well back from the cliff, so that the light will not be seen by
her. Another man is to be on the top of the hill, where we were
together with a lantern. You see, we can just see the top of the hill
from here. When he sees the fire he is to show a light three times. If
he sees it answered here he will know it's all right, and his work is
done; if not, of course he shows the lights again until it's answered.
Now, they are going to leave you as one of the two signallers, and of
course all you will have to do will be to wait for a bit, and then
come down and join your friends."

"That is capital," Ralph said. "Nothing could be better. Now, what is
the other matter that you want my advice about, Jacques?"

"Well, you see, it will be awkward for the other man, for he will
either have the choice of coming down and giving himself up and being
carried off as a prisoner, or of stopping on this island perhaps for
years till a French ship happens to come along; for once off the Marie
will continue her cruise to the Indian seas, and the other two will
make straight for France. Of course there is another course which
might be taken. A boat might be hidden away for him, and he might go
for a cruise on his own account and take the chance of being picked
up.

"Well, they have offered to the man as stops to put his name down on
the books of all the three craft. That means, of course, that he will
get a share in the prize-money of all three ships if they get back.
That's a pretty good offer, you know. You see, a fellow on board may
get captured or killed in battle or wrecked, and in that case there
would not be a penny of prize-money. The man who stops here is sure of
prize-money if only one of the three craft get back to France. Now,
they ask me if I will undertake it. I should be better off than the
others; because in the first place I shall have you to talk with till
I get to prison, and in the next place as I can talk English I can get
on a good deal better in prison than other fellows would do. Now,
what's your advice, lad?"

"I should say certainly accept the offer, Jacques. You see, I can tell
them all what a good friend y