ire, if you must needs mention me to the King, to crave his
pardon that I should have broken my journey thus."

"You are right, Robert. God-speed you on your way! And I would that I
were sailing under your banner, for I see clearly that you will take
your people where they may worshipfully win worship. Perchance I also
maybe in Brittany before the year is past."

The Prince turned to the task of gathering his weary people together,
and the Basilisks passed over the side once more and dropped down on to
their own little ship. They poled her off from the captured Spaniard
and set their sail with their prow for the south. Far ahead of them were
their two consorts, beating towards them in the hope of giving help,
while down Channel were a score of Spanish ships with a few of the
English vessels hanging upon their skirts. The sun lay low on the water,
and its level beams glowed upon the scarlet and gold of fourteen great
caracks, each flying the cross of Saint George, and towering high above
the cluster of English ships which, with brave waving of flags and
blaring of music, were moving slowly towards the Kentish coast.

XVIII. HOW BLACK SIMON CLAIMED FORFEIT FROM THE KING OF SARK

For a day and a half the small fleet made good progress, but on the
second morning, after sighting Cape de la Hague, there came a brisk land
wind which blew them out to sea. It grew into a squall with rain and fog
so that they were two more days beating back. Next morning they found
themselves in a dangerous rock studded sea with a small island upon
their starboard quarter. It was girdled with high granite cliffs of
a reddish hue, and slopes of bright green grassland lay above them. A
second smaller island lay beside it. Dennis the shipman shook his head
as he looked.

"That is Brechou," said he, "and the larger one is the Island of Sark.
If ever I be cast away, I pray the saints that I may not be upon yonder
coast!"

Knolles gazed across at it. "You say well, master-shipman," said he. "It
does appear to be a rocky and perilous spot."

"Nay, it is the rocky hearts of those who dwell upon it that I had in
my mind," the old sailor answered. "We are well safe in three goodly
vessels, but had we been here in a small craft I make no doubt that they
would have already had their boats out against us."

"Who then are these people, and how do they live upon so small and
windswept an island?" asked the soldier.

"They do not live from the