t night to make for the Isle of
Jersey, and craftily to lie hid in a quiet opening in the rocks for the
day, and then next day, if the wind were good, to sail to the port of
Granville in Normandy.

Now, it was arranged I was to bear no written message to my lord the
duke, only a ring of gold hung in a little bag about my neck, that our
abbot said would stand me in better stead with William, recalling past
services and duties, and would be thought, were I taken by the pirates,
but some harmless relic or valued heirloom. Now, the ring had on it but
the letter "A," and the motto inscribed around "_Loyal devoir_."

And so at nightfall we went forth from the back side of the Castle, down
the steep and rugged path that led at length to the shore of Bordeaux
Bay, Brother Hugo, as we went, giving me words of good counsel as to my
behaviour before Duke William, impressing on him the insult of these
knaves to his high fame as duke, and how I should keep a still tongue if
I fell into the hands of the Grand Sarrasin.

We found Simon Renouf and Jacques de la Mare waiting for us in their
small fishing-smack which I knew so well, having so often sailed with
them as boy and lad, and well they loved me, as did all the fishers of
Grande Havre and St. Sampson. But now, as Jacques took the tiller, old
Simon bade me handle the sail, as though I were indeed that which I
appeared, a raw hand learning seaman's craft. Right manfully I took up
my task, and in a moment the dark sail ran up the mast, Simon undid the
fastening and pushed off, and with Jacques cunningly guiding us from the
rocks, the boat stole noiselessly from the bay, coasting northward for a
space to get away from the Moorish ships that still lay outside, and
then, aided by a dim white mist that lay upon the face of the waters and
a chill night-breeze, we bore away to the south of Herm and Jethou,
whose craggy sides loomed black and terrible as we sailed by.

Presently the wind fell, and we lay well-nigh becalmed, and the moon
came out, and we could see now the high walls of Sark and the steep side
of Brecquou, and slowly we approached thither. So we ran straight to
Jersey. The moon set presently, and we made little way, and with the
light of breaking dawn we entered a small creek, wherein the water lay
calm and still. When the boat was in safety we clambered upon the rocks,
and among them Simon showed a little cave overhung with green streaming
plants that indeed was a pleasa