k hitting those boats, whatever they are, and they are coming
to our help. Here, hasn't anybody got a glass?"

"No," cried Rodd; "it was left in the boat."

"Well, there's one in the cabin. Here, one of you run down."

"No, no," cried Morny excitedly; "they're our boats. Look! That's my
father in one," he cried hysterically.

"And if that aren't our old man in the other my name aren't Joe Cross!"

CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT.

THE HELP THAT CAME.

In those brief few minutes despair and dogged determination were turned
into the mingled emotions of triumph and delight, for the two boats,
after giving two or three volleys at the schooner, whose crew contented
themselves with hoisting a couple more sails to increase their speed,
came on as hard as the men could row, their crews cheering in French and
English with all their might, while in the stern of one the Count stood
up waving his cap; in that of the other Captain Chubb, looking grim and
stern, stood like a statue, his left foot on the thwart before him, his
right resting upon the muzzle of a musket.

"Here, I don't feel as if I'd got a cheer left in me, lads," cried Joe
Cross to his tired companions on board the stranded schooner; "but we
must give them one, or they'll think we aren't much obliged to them for
coming, and there's no gammon about it, we are, and no mistake."

"Cheer, yes!" cried Rodd. "With all your might, my lads. Take your
time from me. Now then, as you never cheered before--Hooray!"

There was no want of heartiness either in that or in those which
followed, to be returned as enthusiastically from the two boats, which
were rapidly nearing, so that in a few minutes Rodd and his uncle were
wringing the hands of the bluff old skipper, while it was observable
that all three kept their backs to the French Count and his son till
they came up together, when the three started round in surprise, going
through a curious kind of pantomime as if they were astonished to see
the Frenchmen there.

Meanwhile a regular fraternisation had gone on between the crews, and
after a mere glance at the three masts of the schooner, which were
standing out of the water about a couple of hundred yards away, the
skipper's whole attention was directed to their own vessel, whose keel
was now fast in the mud, and which was beginning to heel over slightly.

"Then I suppose you took her again, doctor?" he said gruffly.

"Well, hardly," said Uncle Paul. "It was Cross a