e the soldiers are not able to pull
themselves or they would have been after us by this time. See, the
breeze is freshening, and by nightfall we shall be well away from the
land."

This information greatly relieved the minds of the fugitives; they had
now every hope of getting free, and, should the fine weather continue,
be able to land in Holland. Stephen's chief anxiety was for the old
pilot; the horses would very likely be taken from him, and he might too
probably be carried off as a prisoner for having enabled rebels to
escape. Though they had not witnessed the cruelties practised by
Colonel Kirk and his lambs, Simon had told him of what he had heard, and
of the hundreds who had been hung up on the Bussex oak directly after
the action. They were justly afraid that Mr Headland might be treated
in the same cruel manner; and "if we had gone back we could have done no
good," Stephen said to himself over and over again. For some hours the
weather continued fine, and the boat made fair progress, but towards
midnight a dark bank of clouds rose to the eastward, threatening a gale.

"What do you think of it, Joe?" asked Stephen.

"We shall catch it, but the boat will float like a cork; we will shorten
sail in good time, though we shall not make much of our way towards
Holland till it is over, I have a notion."

The boat, it should be understood, was only half-decked; but she had
good high sides, and was provided with water-ways, so that unless the
gale should prove of unusual violence, they had no reason to fear for
their safety. Though Andrew had lived near the sea, he had seldom been
afloat, and Simon had never even seen the ocean before. At first he had
been highly pleased with its appearance, but now that he saw the dark
leaden foam-topped waves rising up, he began to look as if he would
rather have been safe on shore; but he was a stout-hearted fellow, and
was not disposed to give way to idle fears. The boat began to pitch and
tumble about, and to take the water over her bows.

"I will go to the helm now," said Joe to Stephen, "for though I see you
know how to handle a boat in smooth water, it is a very different matter
in a heavy sea."

Stephen gladly gave up the helm, and stood by with the lad to shorten
sail, should it be necessary. Two reefs had already been taken down,
and the little vessel went bobbing away over the dark foaming seas,
making but little progress. She might, as Joe affirmed, be the b