“I am afraid so,” said Harry; “but still I cannot bear that the young fisherman should be ill-treated without attempting to save him.”
“God bless you, Mr Harry, for saying that,” exclaimed Adam. “I pray we may get back our Jacob, for I know the tricks of those villains; and the Lively has a fast pair of heels; there are few cutters can come up with her, and the Scout is not one of those that can. Still something may happen to help us, though it will not be man’s doing. I can’t deceive myself, and I don’t want to deceive you.”
Headland feared that the old man was right. At the same time, as long as Harry had any hopes of overtaking the lugger he determined to accompany him.
The cutter was now about a mile distant to the south-east, but it was a question whether the Nancy could cut her off before she had run past to the north and darkness had come on.
The Nancy’s flag was run up to the mast-head and hauled down again several times in the hopes of attracting her attention.
As they approached, even though it was dark, their voices might be heard on board the cutter, and her commander would probably heave to to ascertain what they wanted.
Some more anxious minutes went by. At length Adam thought they had got near enough to make themselves heard; for though the gloom of night had come on, the cutter’s phantom-like form could now be seen as she glided onwards over the smooth sea.
“Now, lads, I will give the word and we will shout together,” cried Adam; and he and his crew, with Headland and Harry joining their voices, sent a loud shout across the ocean.
Directly afterwards the cutter was seen to haul up towards them.
“They have heard us! they have heard us!” he exclaimed. “Wait a bit, lads, we will give them another.”