and hissing,
and frothing, betokening concealed dangers, which none but the most
experienced of pilots could hope to avoid. Meantime, many an eye was
turned towards the French squadron. It was scarcely to be expected that
the enemy should be ignorant of the surrounding dangers; still no one
would have been sorry if, in their eagerness, they had run themselves on
shore.

Suddenly the leading French ship was seen to haul her wind--so suddenly,
indeed, that the next almost ran into her, and, as it was, shot so far
beyond her that she must have almost grazed the rocks before her yards
were braced up, and she was able to stand off shore. In a few minutes
more the _Ruby_ ran triumphantly into Guernsey roads, where the _Druid_
and _Eurydice_ had already arrived in safety, while thousands of
spectators were looking down and cheering them from the surrounding
heights.

"I knew our Captain would do it!" exclaimed Paul, when, the sails being
furled and the ship brought to an anchor, he and his messmates were once
again below. "There are few things a brave man can't do when he tries.
Our Captain can fight a ship and take care of a ship. What I've been
saying to Billy is, that we should never give up, however great the odds
against us, because, for what we can tell, even at the last moment
something or other may turn up in our favour. Mind, Billy, whatever you
may think now, you'll find one of these days that what I tell you is
right."

CHAPTER TWELVE.

The frigate did not remain long at Guernsey, but, with the rest of the
squadron, put to sea. She soon separated from them, and stood down
Channel to extend her cruise to the distance of a couple of hundred
leagues or so to the westward of Cape Clear.

As usual, she was very successful and picked up several prizes. Among
the prizes were three large merchantmen and two privateers. The latter,
especially, required a considerable number of men to take them home.
Captain Garland was unwilling thus to weaken his crew, and yet the
prizes were too valuable to abandon. These vessels had just been
despatched when a brig was descried from the masthead. Chase was given.
She was a fast vessel and well handled, but before night she was come
up with. When her Captain saw that he had no longer any hope of escape,
he, like a wise man, hove to and hauled down his colours.

She proved to be _La Sybille_, a French letter of marque, carrying eight
guns, twenty-five men, and bound