nd."

"At anchor?" cried Poole.

"Can't say yet, sir, till we've cleared that point; but she's upon an
even keel, and seems to be about her old distance from the shore. That
must be the southernmost of them two great cliffs, and we are nearer the
river than I thought."

"Lay your backs into it, my lads," cried Poole.

The gig travelled faster as the two strong men took the place of the
tired lads; and as they rowed on it was plain to see that the gunboat
was much farther from the point and shore than had been at first
imagined.

"It would be awkward," said Fitz, "if they sent out boats to try and
take us, for they must see us by now."

But the occupants of the gunboat made no sign, and when at last the
_Teal's_ gig was rowed round the headland which formed the southern side
of the entrance to the river, all on board could hardly realise how
greatly they had been deceived by the clear morning light, for the
gunboat was still some three or four miles away, and apparently fast
upon one of the reefs of rocks, while from her lowered boats, crowded
with men, it was evident that they were either busy over something
astern, or preparing to leave.

"They must be hard at work trying to clear the screw," cried Fitz
excitedly.

"Can't make out, for my part, sir," replied the boatswain, while Poole
carefully kept silence; "but it looks as much like that as ever it can,
and we have nothing to mind now, for we can get right in and up the
river long before their boats could row to the mouth."

Poole steered close in to the right bank of the river, so as to avoid
the swift rush of the stream, this taking them close under the
perpendicular cliff; and they had not gone far before there was a loud
"Ahoy!" from high overhead. Looking up they made out the face of
Burgess the mate projecting from the bushes as, high upon a shelf, he
held on by a bough and leaned outwards so as to watch the motions of the
boat.

"Ahoy!" came from the men, in answer to his hail.

"All right aboard?" shouted the mate.

"Yes. All right!" roared the boatswain. "What are they doing out
yonder to the Spaniel?"

"Trying to get her off, I suppose. She went ashore in the night. I
came up here with a glass to look out for you, and there she was, and
hasn't moved since. What about that gun?"

"Burnett has drawn its tooth," shouted Poole. "Father all right?"

"No. Got the grumps about you. Thinks you are lost. You didn't foul
the screw, did