rling back
the third time. "We must go round." So we drew in the oars, and hoisted a
bit of our lug, and ran straight out past Les Dents, whose black heads were
sheets of flying foam, to make a long tack round Brecqhou. Then, with the
wind full on our port quarter, we made a quick, straight run for the
Boutiques, and found ourselves not very far astray. Dropping the sail, and
leaving Krok in charge, Uncle George and I pulled in the small boat to the
channel into which his cave opened. It was still awash, but we could not
wait. We dragged the boat up onto the shingle just showing at the head of
the chasm, then wading out up to our shoulders to the leaning slab, we
pulled down the rock screen and crawled into the tunnel.

The wounded man lay just as we had left him, breathing slowly and
regularly, but showing no other sign of life. We dropped a little cognac
into him, and took him by the shoulders and feet and carried him into the
tunnel. How we got him through I cannot tell--inch by inch, shoving and
hauling, till the sweat poured down us in that narrow place.

But we got him to the opening at last, and hauled the boat down and hoisted
him in, soaked to the skin each one of us. Uncle George carefully closed
his door, and we pulled out to Krok, waiting in the lugger.

"Mon Dieu! I have had enough of him," said Uncle George, worn out, I
suppose, with all the night's doings. "If he dies, I shall not care much.
He is better dead."

We laid him in the bottom of the boat and covered him with the mizzen sail.

"Keep well out round Bec du Nez," said Uncle George, "and run so for half
an hour. Then run due east for two hours, and then make for Jersey. God
keep you, my boy! It's a bitter duty, but you're doing the right thing."

He wrung my hand, and pushed off and disappeared in the darkness, and we
ran up the lug and went thrashing out into Great Russel.

We turned and ran before the west wind straight for the French coast, till
the sun rose and the cliffs of Sercq, about twelve miles away, gleamed as
though they had but just been made--or had newly risen out of the sea. Then
we turned to the south-west and made for Jersey.

As soon as it was light I saw Krok's eyes dwelling on our passenger with a
very natural curiosity. Torode was unknown to him as to most of us, but
there was a whole world of enquiry in his face as he sat looking down on
the unconscious face below--studying it, pondering it, catching, I thought,
at tim