“I suppose,” said Ethan after a short silence, “that we two are destined for some hulk or prison.”
“For a prison, you may be sure,” laughed the emissary of the crown, “but a private prison of my own. You’ll be safe enough there until I can end the whole matter. And now, where is the dispatch?”
“I only wish I could say,” said Ethan. “But I assure you I know nothing of its whereabouts.”
“Here, men!” he cried to some of his followers, who had withdrawn some little distance during the above conversation, “search these prisoners; and do it thoroughly.”
The men did as they were bidden; their search was complete, but, of course it resulted in nothing. Danvers bit his lip and was savage in his disappointment.
“Jones has it, then,” he said. “The villain; I’ll have it from him yet.”
“You seem very ready, Mr. Danvers, to apply harsh names to Americans.”
[Illustration: _DANVERS CAME DOWN INTO THE HOLD_]
“You are wrong. By accident of birth he was a Scotchman; but love of liberty and the willingness to dare death in her cause has made him American.”
“He is a rascally ex-slaver,” growled Danvers.
“If a lad of eighteen was a rascal for taking employment in a slave ship, then the English government must be a government of rascals for encouraging that hideous traffic that they might gain money by it.”
“How dare you!” cried the Englishman. “How dare you talk so against the king’s government while in the king’s country!”
“I have not stopped at words against the king’s government,” said Ethan proudly.
“No; I’ve heard of the doings of your pirate ship in the channel. But she’ll soon meet her fate. British ships and British tars are in search of her.”
“You saw what happened to a British ship less than a half hour ago, did you not? The Ranger will not be so easily taken.”
Danvers was a man of violent temper; he could not answer this in the calm manner that he desired; so he turned away without a reply, and gave an order to his men in a low tone. In a few moments the young American and the Irishman were deposited in the bottom of a large skiff, still trussed up with the ropes, and were being rowed toward the Dee, where a small schooner-rigged tender lay. They were lifted on board of this vessel, which toward night made sail out of the harbor and down the coast.