ptain. 'Well, then, sir, are your fellows
ready? Armed? All right.'

So Berenger descended to the boat, followed by Philip; next came the
captain, and then the two serving-men. Six of the crew were ready to row
them to the shore, and were bidden by their captain to return at once
to the vessel, and only return on a signal from him. the surging rush of
intense anxiety, sure to precede the destined moment of the consummation
of hope long deferred, kept Berenger silent, choked by something between
fear and prayer; but Philip, less engrossed, asked Master Hobbs if it
were not strange that none of the inhabitants of the squalid little huts
on the shore had not put out to greet them in some of the boats that
were drawn up on the beach.

'Poor wretches,' said Hobbs; 'they scarce know friend from foe, and are
slow to run their heads into the lion's mouth. Strange fellows have the
impudence to sail under our flag at times.'

However, as they neared the low, flat, sandy shore, a few red caps
peeped out at the cottage-doors, and then, apparently gaining confidence
from the survey, some wiry, active figures appeared, and were hailed by
Hobbs. His Bordeaux trade had rendered him master of the coast language;
and a few incomprehensible shouts between him and the natives resulted
in a line being thrown to them, and the boat dragged as near as possible
to the landing-place, when half a dozen ran up, splashing with their
bare legs, to offer their shoulders for the transport of the passengers,
both of whom were seized upon before they were aware, Philip struggling
with all his might, till a call from Captain Hobbs warned him to resign
himself; and then he became almost helpless with laughter at the figure
cut by the long-legged Berenger upon a small fisherman's back.

They were landed. Could it be that Berenger was only two miles--only
half an hour's walk form Eustacie? The bound his heart gave as he
touched the shore seemed to stifle him. He could not believe it. Yet he
knew how fully he had believed it, the next moment, when he listened to
what the fishermen were saying to Captain Hobbs.

'Did Monsieur wish to go to La Sablerie? Ah! then he did not know
what had happened. The soldiers had been there; there had been a great
burning. They had been out in their boats at sea, but they had seen the
sky red--red as a furnace, all night; and the steeple was down. Surely,
Monsieur had missed the steeple that was a guide to all poor seafare