wo
hours, becoming more and more distant, and then it ceased altogether.

When the sun rose he saw the frigate some twenty miles away. There was
a smaller craft two or three miles further off, and two others were
visible ten or twelve miles further away to the west. Two of the
privateers had evidently made their escape, and the third seemed to be
leaving her pursuer behind, for the wind was exceedingly light. Some
miles nearer to the island than the frigate a schooner was visible.
She was heading for the two vessels that had gone toward the west, but
as these were fully fifteen miles to windward her chance of overtaking
them appeared to be slight. Ralph waited an hour, and then proceeded
at a leisurely pace toward the spot where he was to meet Jacques. He
was but five minutes at the spot agreed upon when he saw him coming
through the trees.

"I heard nothing of the landing-parties," he said as the French sailor
approached.

"The reason is not far to search for," he replied. "They did not land
at all, and I did not much expect that they would. The boats from the
frigate arrived a few minutes before I lighted my fire. I was lying
down at the edge of the cliff, looking right down upon her deck. They
came up in a body, rowing with muffled oars. I could just hear the
sound of their talking when they came on deck. As soon as I had the
fire fairly alight I saw your signal and then went back to watch them.
Everything was quiet till I heard the boom of the first gun; then I
heard 'Silence!' ordered on the schooner. I suppose some one had said
that he heard a gun, and other's didn't. Of course the sound did not
come to them under the shelter of the cliff as it did to me. Then came
the sound of another gun, and then three or four close together; then
orders were given sharply, the capstan was manned and the anchor run
up, and they were not a minute getting her sails set. But under the
shelter of the cliff there was not enough wind to fill them, and so
the boats were manned, and she went gliding away until I could no
longer make her out. They guessed, of course, that our craft were
making off, and went to help the frigate."

"They were too late to be of any use, Jacques."

"Ah! you have seen them from the top of the hill. I did not think of
that. What is the news?"

"The frigate was in chase of one of them. It was too far for me to see
which. I should say he was two or three miles ahead, certainly well
out of gunshot, and a