"Think so?" said Vince thoughtfully, as it began to dawn upon his mind that possibly Captain Jacques with his fast lugger ran across Channel to various smuggling ports, and brought cargoes over to deposit in the cavern ready for the contraband goods to be fetched by other vessels and landed here and there upon the English coast. He did not know then that he had made a very shrewd guess, and hit the truth of how the captain had for years gone on enriching himself and others by his ingenious way of avoiding the revenue cutters, whose commanders had always looked upon the Crag as a dangerous place, that every one would avoid, but who would have given chase directly had they seen Jacques' long low swift vessel approaching any part of the English coast to land a cargo.

Vince did not ripen his thoughts then--that happened afterwards, for he was interrupted by a hand laid upon his shoulder, Mike feeling another upon his.

"You sink you vill keep ze middle vatch?" said the captain: "_ma foi_, no! Go down and sleep, and grow to big man."

He gave them a gentle push in the direction of the hatch.

"_Bon soir_," he said mockingly, and the boys went down.

"You'll hear the bolts shot directly," said Vince grimly, as he seated himself on the edge of the bunk.

_Click_--_clack_! came instantaneously, and then they heard an ascending step.

"Don't mean us to see much of what is going on," said Mike.

"Oh, it isn't that," replied Vince. "He fancies we should do something while they're busy--get a boat down, slip on board the other lugger or whatever it is."

"He needn't fancy that," said Mike. "Frying-pan's bad enough; I'm not going to jump into the fire and try that!"

"Nor I either. Well, shall we turn in?"

"May as well: I don't want to stop up and listen to a gang of smugglers loading and unloading their stupid cargo."

"Nor I, Ladle. I say, what a shame it is of old Jacques to be living now, instead of a hundred years ago! Poor old chap, you won't get any plunder after all!"

"I don't see that it's right to be trying to make fun of our trouble,"

said Mike bitterly; "there's the poor old Crag only a few miles away, and we're shut up here!"

"Don't take any notice," said Vince: "I say all sorts of things I don't mean. No chance of getting away to-night, is there?"

"No--not even to drown ourselves by trying to swim away," said Mike, with a sigh; and they hardly spoke again.

CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN.

THE KING'S CUTTER SPEAKS OUT.

"Ladle!"

"Hullo!"

"Wake up!"

"What's the good? We can't go on deck. May as well lie here and rest."

"Nonsense! Get up, or I'll pull you out by one leg!"

"You touch me, and I'll send you flying against the bulkhead."

"Go it!" cried Vince, who was standing on the rough floor, in his trousers; and, quick as thought, he seized Mike's leg and pulled him half out. "Now kick, and I'll let you down bang."

"Oh! I say, Cinder, let go! Don't, there's a good fellow."

"Then will you get up?"

"Yes: all right. Does it rain?"

"No--lovely morning; you can see it is through that bit of skylight."

Mike slipped out and began to dress.

"Wonder what they've been doing in the night?"

"Don't know--don't care," said Vince, yawning. "Oh, how horrid it is to be boxed up here like a rabbit! Can hardly breathe, and perhaps he won't let us out for hours. Here, Jacques, come and unfasten this door," he said in a low, angry growl; and, seizing the handle, he was about to give the door a rough shake, when to the surprise of both it flew open.

"Hurrah!" cried Vince; and they were not long finishing dressing and hurrying on deck, to find that, whatever might have been done, the hatches were in their places, while a good-sized schooner was lying close by with her sails flapping, as were those of the lugger; for the sea was very smooth, save where the currents showed, and during the night they had been carried by one of these well back towards the island, whose north-east point lay about a couple of miles on their port bow.

"That's an English schooner, for certain," said Vince. "What is she?"

"_The Shark_" read Mike from her stern. "Looks as if she could sail better than the _Belle-Marie_."

"Not she," said Vince, with the tone of authority; "these long three-masted luggers can race through the water."

"Aha! _mes enfans_--my good shildren," said the captain, in his irritating way of giving bad interpretations of his French which annoyed the boys, "I vant you vairy bad. You go and vistle for ze vind, eh? We shall go soon upon ze rock."

"Wind's coming soon," said Vince; "it's on the other side of the island now. Look: you can see the ripple off the point. Looks dark. We don't get it because the Crag shelters us."

"Good boy! I see you sall make a grand sailor some day, and be my first lieutenant; I give you command of a schooner like ze _Shark_."

He waved his hand towards the vessel, and then looked eagerly in the direction of the rippled water, which indicated the coming wind.

"Is that boat yours?" said Vince.

"Yais! vy you ask? Ah-h-h-ah--ze wind--vill he nevaire com?"

At that moment the schooner hoisted a small flag very rapidly, and, simple as the action was, it completely changed the aspect of affairs.

Orders were given sharply; and, to the boys' wonder, they were startled by seeing the men begin rapidly to cast loose the four small long guns, while others were busy fetching up powder and shot from below, pa.s.sing down the little hatchway which had led to the boys' first place of confinement.

The captain walked sharply here and there, giving his instructions, and in an incredibly short s.p.a.ce of time every st.i.tch of sail possible was crowded upon the lugger, while a similar course was pursued by the captain of the schooner.

A thrill of excitement ran through the boys as they saw an arm chest hoisted up from the cabin, placed amidships, and the lid thrown open; but nothing was taken out, and after watching their opportunity, so that the captain should not observe their action, the boys walked by where the chest had been placed, and saw that it was divided longitudinally, and on one side, neatly arranged, were bra.s.s-bound pistols, on the other, cutla.s.ses.

They had hardly seen this, when a glance forward showed them the captain superintending the loading of the two bow guns, and as soon as this was done he began to walk aft, while the boys discreetly walked forward along the other side, so as to be out of the fierce-looking fellow's way.

"I say, Ladle," whispered Vince, "this is like what we have often read of. How do you feel? There's going to be a fight. Look! they're loading the guns aft."

"Oh, I feel all right yet,--just a little shivery like. But what makes you say there's going to be a fight?"