“There she is, sir,” said a seaman, pointing, “and dowse my tops if your prisoners ain’t in her.”
With an inarticulate cry of rage Danvers whipped out a pistol.
“Pull hard,” said Ethan coolly to Longsword.
“Hard it is,” came the voice of the ex-dragoon, as his powerful arms and shoulders labored at the oars.
Seeing that no attention was paid to his command, Danvers raised his pistol and fired. The flash and report lit and wakened the night; then the ping-g-g of the bullet came to the ears of the two in the boat as it went past them. A series of quick, snapping shots followed as the seamen also discharged their pieces. When the steady splash of the oars in the water told the British emissary that the shots had been ineffective, he shouted in a voice that could be plainly heard by the two rowers:
“There are no boats, sir, except those of the fishermen around on the other side of the inlet.”
“Lead the way then and show me where they are. We’ll make the schooner, and we’ll soon overhaul these Yankees.”
Ethan signaled Longsword silently to stop pulling, and the dragoon obeyed. Running feet could be heard thudding dully upon the planking of the pier.
“I did, faith,” answered Longsword. “And he speaks the truth. Let them get out to the schooner and it’s all up with us. There’s a good breeze blowing and these clouds will not hang before the moon long. So wid the wind in their sails and floods of light to see by, we can’t escape them.”
Ethan felt with his foot for the cutlasses and pistols that lay in the stern.
“Could we prevent them gaining the schooner?” he asked.
“All you want is encouragement,” declared Longsword, “and you’d face an army. No, Master Ethan, we couldn’t stop them. Ye know that I’m never anyways backward in a fight; but, faith, this would be mere folly, so it would.”
There was a silence, during which they resumed pulling. At length Ethan dropped his oars and whirled about, facing the dragoon.
“Boy, dear, are ye mad?” gasped the astonished Irishman.
“Not a bit of it,” said the lad excitedly. “Listen. There were only about ten men in the vessel all told. There were four with Danvers and two upon the pier. That makes six, and leaves only four on the schooner.”
Longsword drew in a long, deep breath and then said: