ime. Then he replaced the piece
they had cut out from the hatch, and fixed the beams beneath it,
and then lay down again. He was worn out by the excitement of the
day, and in spite of his anxiety about the morrow he presently fell
off to sleep.

It was long before he woke. When he did so, he looked through one
of the auger-holes into the hold and saw the light streaming down
the open hatchway, and could tell that the sun was already up.

He ate the food which Marthe had put into his pocket just as he
was starting; saw that the bundles of corks were ready at hand, and
the ropes attached to them so placed that they could be fastened on
in an instant. Then there was nothing to do but to wait. The time
passed slowly. Presently he heard the sound of drums and bugles, and
knew that the troops were taking up their positions on the quays.
At last--it seemed many hours to him--he heard the splash of oars,
and presently a slight shock as a boat ran alongside the lugger.
Then there were voices, and the sound of feet above as persons
mounted on to the deck. There was a scraping noise by the lugger's
side, and immediately afterwards another bump as the second boat
took the place of the first.

This, as far as Harry could hear, did not leave the lugger. There
was a great hum of talking on deck, principally in women's voices,
and frequently persons stepped on the hatch, and Harry congratulated
himself that the beams gave a solid support to it.

Half an hour passed, as well as Harry could judge, then the boom
of a cannon was heard, and immediately two men leapt down into the
hold, knocked the six plugs out of their place, and climbed up on
deck again. There was again the scraping noise, and Harry knew the
boat had pushed off this time for good. He watched as if fascinated
the six jets of water for a minute or two. Then, saying to himself,
"It is time," he knocked the beams from their ledges, allowed
the square of wood to fall, lifted the hatch, and pushed it off
its combing, and then clambered on to the deck with the corks and
ropes. There were some fifty persons on board, for the most part
women and children, but with two or three men among them. They were
gathered near the stern, and were apparently watching the scene
ashore with astonishment. He hurried aft, having no fear that at
this distance from the shore his figure would be recognized from
the rest, and, if it were, it mattered not. Two or three turned
round as the suppo