“Now you read it,” he said to Hilary; who took it, and read it aloud.
“Yes,” said the fellow, “that’s it. Now you sign it.”
Hilary glanced at his superior, who frowned and nodded his head; and the young man went below and added his signature.
“That’ll do,” said the man smiling. “Now look here, captain, as soon as I’m gone you sail right off out of sight if you can, and get her lying off the point by about ten o’clock—two bells, or whatever it is. Then you wait till a small lugger comes creeping off slowly, as if it was going out for the night with the drift-nets. I and my mates will be aboard that lugger, and they’ll drop down alongside and put me aboard, and I’ll pilot you just to the place where you can lie in the cove out of sight till the schooner comes in. If I come in my little boat the boys on shore would make signals, and the schooner would keep off, but if they see us go as usual out in our lugger they’ll pay no heed. But don’t you come in a bit nigher than this. Now I’m off!”
Lieutenant Lipscombe stood thinking for a few minutes after the man had gone, stealing over the side of the cutter farthest from the shore, so that when his boat drifted by it was not likely that his visit on board would have been seen.
Then turning to Hilary:
“What do you think of it, Leigh?”
“It may be a ruse to get us away.”
“Yes, it may be, but I don’t think it is. ’Bout ship, there!” he shouted; and the great boom of the mainsail slowly swung round, and they sailed nearly out of sight of land by sundown, when the helm was once more rammed down hard, the cutter careened round in a half circle, and as the white wings were swelling, they made once more for the coast.
It was about nine o’clock of a deliciously soft night, and the moist sweet air that came off the shore was sweetly fragrant of flowers and new-mown hay. The night was cloudy, and very dusky for the time of year, a fact so much in their favour, and with the watch on the alert, for the lieutenant would not call the men to quarters in case the informer did not come, he and Hilary leaned over the side, gazing at the scattered lights that twinkled on the shore.