nt place, with all manner of coloured
sea-plants clinging to the wall, that the light as it entered played
upon. Here we ate of the good store that lay in the boat's locker, and a
rare draught of wine washed down the food and refreshed our spirits, and
then Simon bade me lie down and rest, and as the sun began to climb up
and make all the sea glisten along its crest, I lay down and slept, and
awaked not till he had climbed far up into the sky. But when I awoke old
Simon Renouf still sat by the cave-mouth, gazing out to sea from under
his looming brows, and I thought he sat there like some great eagle by
its eyrie keeping watch over its young. And such indeed he was, an eagle
soaring high in fidelity, and my guardian to the death, as in the end it
appeared.

Now, as evening drew near, Simon showed us that with an early start
that night, with good weather as the wind lay, we would make the Norman
coast ere morning, and creep along as we might to Port Granville by
daylight.

But alas! that night we had but just shot out of our hermitage amid the
rocks, and were giving great heed to the perilous passage withal, when,
as we rounded a sudden shelve of rock, we met almost face to face a
great ship that was making across our course. And I feared that the
worst would hap, for she was of the same build as the fleet of Le Grand
Sarrasin. Did they see us lying in now close by the rock? We could not
tell for a moment, but then there was no doubt. A shout rang out, and a
voice bidding us come aside.

What could men so bidden do? To sail forth were hopeless. This great
craft would overhaul us of an instant. To coast along the shore were
perilous and must end in capture. For a moment Simon hesitated, and then
ran our boat into the creek again.

"See, lads," he said, "here we must stand. The land is more friendly
than the water. Yet I have prayed oft to die on the sea, when my time
came."

We climbed on to the rocks, and he handed us a cutlass apiece and a
knife such as seamen use, and he pointed to a square ledge of rock, that
but one could enter upon at a time, since a thick jagged wall protected
half the front.

"Stay, Simon," said I, "art sure she is a pirate?"

"Ay, lad, sure," he said; "none but a pirate so hails peaceable fisher
craft"

"Simon," I said, "why not give in? Why should you and the lad die for
me?"

The old man laid his rugged hand upon me, and the sun lit up with a rich
light his red beard as he spoke.