“No, I’ll go,” said the doctor. “You are not fit.”
“But I’m going all the same,” cried my father; and I saw them go off along the cliff path.
“Here, Mars Sep,” said our foreman, “I’m going to climb up yonder to see what’s going on; will you come?”
“I don’t think I can do it,” I said, “but I’ll try;” and with the help of his hand now and then I managed to climb up the west slope of the Gap right to the very top, where, in the bright sunny morning, we saw a sight that filled us with horror, for a couple of well-filled boats were rowing towards us from the side of a large sloop of war, from whose port-holes projected a row of guns that seemed to threaten fresh destruction to our coast.
But all at once we saw a flag run fluttering up to the peak and then blow out clear, with the result that the boats began to alter their course, turning completely round and rowing back to the man-of-war.
As they were going back we could see sail after sail drop down from the yards of the sloop; and as the boats reached her and were hoisted up to the davits, she began to move swiftly towards the west, her canvas growing broader minute by minute till she passed out of our sight.
“Why, she’s gone,” said our foreman. “Is she coming back?”
“I hope not,” I cried. “Look!” I pointed towards the east over a depression in the Gap side through which we could catch a glimpse of the sea, and there in the bright sunlight we could make out a couple of vessels crowding on under all sail; and, little as I knew of such matters, I was able to say that one was a small frigate and the other a man-of-war cutter that looked very much like our old friend.
“After the Frenchman—eh?” said our foreman, gazing hard, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, as his cheeks flushed and he seemed to forget his wounds. “Well, then, all I can say is, that I hope they’ll be caught.”
“Let’s get down,” I said. “See, there’s the doctor bringing Bigley Uggleston back on his pony. I wonder how he is.”