te.

The little vessel felt the effects of the powerful sweeps, and, in spite
of the calm, continued to move ahead.

Again and again the frigate fired at her, but she was a small object,
and each shot missed.

This encouraged the French crew, whose spirits rose as they saw their
chance of escaping increase.

Farther and farther they got from the frigate, which, with the
uncertainty from what quarter the wind would next blow, was afraid of
standing closer in shore.

By nightfall the cutter, by dint of hard rowing, had got safe into
harbour.

When Dame Turgot and Jeannette heard what had occurred, they expressed
their delight at seeing their young friends back.

"We must not let you go to sea again, for it would be a sad thing to
hear that you had been captured and shot for being deserters," said
Jeannette.

She had the same idea which had occurred to Jack.

The English frigates were at this time so frequently seen off the coast,
that Captain Turgot, who had several boats as well as the cutter,
thought it prudent to confine his operations to inshore fishing, so as
not to run the risk of being captured.

Jack and Bill sometimes went out with him, but, for some reason or
other, he more generally left them at home.

Pierre, who was a good swimmer, induced them to come down and bathe with
him in the morning, and gave them instruction in the art.

Jack could already swim a little. Bill took to it at once, and beat him
hollow; in a short time being able to perform all sorts of evolutions.
He was soon so perfectly at home in the water, that he declared he felt
able to swim across the Channel, if he could carry some food with him to
support himself on the way.

Jack laughed at the idea, observing that "nobody ever had swum across
the Channel, and he did not believe that anybody ever would do so."

Pierre advised Bill not to make the attempt.

"No fear," said Jack. "He'll not go without me, and I am not going to
drown myself if I can help it."

Bill, however, often thought over the matter, and tried to devise some
plan by which he and Jack might manage to get across. His plans came to
nothing; and, indeed, the Channel where they were was much too wide to
be crossed except in a small vessel or in a large boat. Jack was
beginning to speak French pretty well, and Bill was able to gabble away
with considerable fluency, greatly to the delight of Jeannette, who was
his usual instructress. He tried to teach her