"Yes; do you not see, as you just now said, that if we endeavor to fly they will sink us?"
"But, perhaps," the patron ventured to say, "perhaps, by the favor of the night we could escape them."
"Oh!" said Aramis, "they have, little doubt, some Greek fire to lighten their own course and ours likewise."
At the same moment, as if the little vessel wished to reply to the appeal of Aramis, a second cloud of smoke mounted slowly to the heavens, and from the bosom of that cloud sparkled an arrow of flame, which described its parabola like a rainbow, and fell into the sea, where it continued to burn, illuminating a space of a quarter of a league in diameter.
The Bretons looked at each other in terror. "You see plainly," said Aramis, "it will be better to wait for them."
The oars dropped from the hands of the sailors, and the bark, ceasing to make way, rocked motionless on the summits of the waves. Night came on, but the vessel still approached nearer. It might be said it redoubled its speed with the darkness. From time to time, as a bloody-necked vulture rears its head out of its nest, the formidable Greek fire darted from its sides, and cast its flame into the ocean like an incandescent snow. At last it came within musket-shot. All the men were on deck, arms in hand; the cannoneers were at their guns, the matches were burning. It might be thought they were about to board a frigate and to combat a crew superior in number to their own, and not to take a canoe manned by four people.
"Surrender!" cried the commander of the balancelle, with the aid of his speaking trumpet.
The sailors looked at Aramis. Aramis made a sign with his head. The patron Yves waved a white cloth at the end of a gaff. This was like striking their flag. The vessel came on like a racehorse. It launched a fresh Greek fire which fell within twenty paces of the little canoe, and threw a stronger light upon them than the most ardent ray of the sun could have done.
"At the first sign of resistance," cried the commander of the balancelle, "fire!" And the soldiers brought their muskets to the present.
"Did not we say we surrendered?" said the patron Yves.