, and that the Captain had taken them with him.
The other Frenchmen appeared to be very angry at what their countrymen
had done, and did their best to ingratiate themselves with Mr Nott.
The difficulty was now to know how to steer. The midshipman's knowledge
of navigation was put to a severe test. While the sky was clear, either
by night or by day, it was tolerably easy to steer more or less to the
eastward; but whether they should hit the chops of the Channel or run on
shore on the coast of Ireland or France, or the Scilly Islands, it was
impossible to say.

"We must do our best, sir, and trust in Providence," observed Paul
Pringle to the young officer. "Only there's one thing I'd do--I'd
rather steer to the nor'ard than the south'ard of our course, so as to
avoid the chance of running ashore on the Frenchman's coast. Of all the
places I should hate most it would be a French prison."

True Blue was certainly not of a suspicious disposition, but he could
not help watching the Frenchmen. He whispered his ideas also to Harry
and Tim Fid, who agreed to keep a watchful eye on the prisoners. Little
did the Frenchmen think how narrowly all their proceedings were noted.
Fid soon remarked that when either of the Frenchmen was at the helm, one
of the others was constantly going to a chest in the forepeak and
looking steadily into it. His curiosity was therefore aroused to
ascertain what it was they went to look at. He reflected how he could
discover this without being seen.

Some of the crew slept in the bunks or standing bed-places arranged
along the sides of the vessel, but others in hammocks. The hammocks
were, however, not sent up on deck every day as they are on board of a
man-of-war. One of these hung over the Frenchmen's chests, and into it
Tim stowed himself away, making the lower surface smooth with the
blankets, so that the form of his body should not be observed. A slight
slit in the canvas enabled him to breathe and to look down below him.
Poor Fid had to watch a considerable time, however, and felt sadly
cramped and almost stifled without being the wiser for all the trouble
he had taken. The Frenchmen were there; but first Tom Marline came
below, and then Hartland, and then the black; and the Frenchmen sat on
the lockers cutting out beef bones into various shapes and polishing
them.

At last all but one man went on deck, and then he jumped up, and
instantly going to the chest opened it; and then Tim