aised a dripping hand to silence her, and while the dark eyes were
still widening with surprise, a dull boom came rolling along the wind over
the cliffs of Brecqhou.

"A gun," said the boy, and turned and headed swiftly for the shore.

"Wait for me, Phil!" cried the girl, as she skipped over the stones like a
sunbeam and disappeared into the black mouth of the cave.

"Quick then!" as he wrestled with his half-dried clothes, still sticky with
the sea-water.

He was fixing the iron bar, which served as anchor for his boat, under a
big boulder, when she joined him, still buttoning her skirt, and they sped
together up the hazardous path which led up to La Fregondee. He gave her a
helping hand now and again over difficult bits, but they had no breath for
words. They reached the top panting like hounds, but the boy turned at once
through the fields to the left and never stopped till he dropped spent on
the short turf of the headland by Saut de Juan.

"Ah!" he gasped, and sighed with vast enjoyment, and the girl stared
wide-eyed.

Down Great Russel, between them and Herm, two great ships were driving
furiously, with every sail at fullest stretch and the white waves boiling
under their bows. Farther out, beyond the bristle of reefs and islets which
stretch in a menacing line to the north of Herm, another stately vessel was
manoeuvring in advance of--

"One--two--three--four--five--six," counted the boy, "and each one as big
as herself."

Every now and again came the sullen boom of her guns and answering booms
from her pursuers.

"Six to one!" breathed the boy, quivering like a pointer. "And she's
terrible near the rocks. Bon Gyu! but she'll be on them! She'll be on them
sure," and he jumped up and danced in his excitement. "You can't get her
through there!--Ay-ee!" and he funnelled his hands to shout a warning
across three miles of sea in the teeth of a westerly breeze.

"Silly!" said the girl from the turf where she sat with her hands round her
knees. "They can't hear you!"

"Oh, guyabble! Oh, bon Gyu!" and he stood stiff and stark, as the great
ship narrowed as she turned towards them suddenly, and came threading her
way through the bristling rocks, in a way that passed belief and set the
hair in the nape of the boy's neck crawling with apprehension.

"Platte Boue!" he gasped, as she came safely past that danger. "Grand
Amfroque!" and he began to dance.

"Founiais!" and she came out into Great Russel with a glo