e straight
there than come to this place."

"I do want to find her," Leigh said. "Is there any chance of
finding a ship going down south?"

"Well, you might find one," the man said; "but you would have to
take your chance of getting there. Many of the ships are laid up,
for the risk of capture is great. It is small craft that, for the
most part, make the venture. They creep along inshore, and either
run into a port or anchor under the guns of a battery if they see a
British cruiser outside. Drawing so little water, they can keep in
nearer than a cruiser would dare to; and as they all can take the
mud, they do not mind if they stick on the sands for a tide."

Leigh returned with the news to his sister.

"What do you think, Patsey?" he said. "I do not say that we cannot
cross from here in a boat, though I have learned that the entrance
to the Channel is guarded by gunboats. If we passed safely through
these, we should have serious risk and many hardships to undergo. I
hear that there are numerous French privateers, and we might be
picked up by one of them, instead of by an English cruiser. I am
afraid that our passes, in that case, would not avail us in the
slightest.

"Now, if we go down to Bordeaux, we have only to wait till the
Henriette comes in. Possibly she may be there when we arrive. In
that case, I am sure that Lefaux will be willing to take us out,
and either put us on board a British cruiser, or land us in
England."

"Certainly we will go to Bordeaux," Patsey said. "We may find Jean
there. If he escaped that night he would make for the Loire and, as
he is a good swimmer, he would get over without difficulty, and he
would then try to make his way towards Bordeaux."

"That may be so, Patsey; but I would not be too sanguine about our
finding him there. It was so much nearer for him to have made for
one of the northern ports that he might very well have done so and,
as soon as he managed to obtain a sea outfit, he would no longer be
suspected of having anything to do with the Vendeans."

They had learnt before this that, after the fight at Le Mans, the
Vendeans had made for the river, had desperately fought their way
through the forces that barred their march, had come down on the
banks, but had failed to find any means to cross it. Then they had
turned into Brittany again for a short distance, had fought two or
three more desperate battles, and had again reached the Loire.
There was but one leaky boat