Chapter 29 - Page 2

attending to the hurt.

Leaving the party on the islets for a moment, we will follow the two
vessels in their attempt to escape. Pintard and his companions abandoned
Raoul with heavy hearts, but they plainly saw him prostrated on the
rocks, and by the hand placed on his side understood the desperate
nature of his wound. Like him, they felt some such interest as one
entertains for a beloved mistress in the fate of the lugger, and the
words--"_sauve mon Feu-Follet!_" were ringing in their ears.

As soon as the lugger got round, she set her after-sail, and then she
began to glide through the water with the usual knife-like parting of
the element under her bows. The course she steered took her directly out
of the bay, seeming to lead across the forefoots of the English ships.
Ithuel did not imitate this manoeuvre. He kept more away in the line for
Paestum, rightly enough believing that, in the greedy desire to overtake
the lugger, his own movement would pass unheeded. The owner of this
craft was still on board the Terpsichore; but every remonstrance, and
all the requests he made that his own vessel might be followed and
captured, were utterly unheeded by the lieutenant now in command. To
him, as to all others in authority, there seemed to be but one thing
desirable, and that was to secure the lugger. Of course none yet knew of
the fatal character of the struggle on the rocks, or of the death of the
English leader; though the nature of the result was sufficiently
understood by seeing the English Jack flying among the ruins, and the
two vessels under weigh, endeavoring to escape.

The season was now so far advanced as to render the old stability of the
breezes a little uncertain. The zephyr had come early, and it had come
fresh; but there were symptoms of a sirocco about the barometer and in
the atmosphere. This rendered all in the ships eager to secure their
prize before a shift of wind should come. Now that there were three fast
vessels in chase, none doubted of the final result; and Cuffe paced the
quarter-deck of the Proserpine, rubbing his hands with delight, as he
regarded all the propitious signs of the times.

The Ringdove was ordered by signal to haul up south-southwest, or close
on a wind, with a view to make such an offing as would prevent the
possibility of the lugger's getting outside of the ships, and gaining
the wind of them; an achievement Cuffe thought she might very well be
enabled to accomplish, could she once fairly come by the wind under
circumstances that would prevent any of his vessels from bringing her
under their guns. The Terpsichore was directed to run well into the bay,
to see that a similar artifice was not practised in that direction;
while the Proserpine shaped her