“Pulls like she had an anchor down. Holy Moses! how’ll we ever get there at this rate?”
His words gave me a sudden thought, born of suspicion; I looked over the rounded stern of the boat, and was just in time to discover a human head, which instantly vanished.
“Now she moves!” cried the mate.
“Yes; it was that lubber holding on to the keel and dragging—the fellow you sent in.”
It was fortunate I discovered his clever ruse when I did, for a little more of it would have ruined us.
We were leaving the quay well behind now, but I could see that it was rapidly filling with people, who shouted in a way that might not be misunderstood.
Of course, they would immediately seize upon all the available boats at the landing stage, and put out in hot pursuit.
Who cared? With the open bay before us, and my good yacht in sight, I felt as though this stage of my troubles was nearing its end.
We could hear them tumbling into the boats, and I only hoped their eagerness to share in the golden reward would cause them to overcrowd every craft.
Then came the splash of oars in the water, and we knew we were in for the last stage of this really exciting affair.