FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   >>  
and next minute the sound of the horse's feet was heard in the distance, as the boat skimmed swiftly out to sea under the powerful impulse of its stalwart crew. A few minutes later and, as the Moor had prophesied, pistol-shots were heard on shore. From the sound they appeared to come from a short distance in the interior of the land, but musket-shots were also heard among them, and from the flashes on the beach it became evident that the Moor had not succeeded in turning all their pursuers off the scent--a fact which was further illustrated by the skipping of a musket ball close past the boat. Just then it struck George Foster that Peter the Great and his wife were seated beside him. "Hallo, Peter!" he exclaimed; "how are you and Angelica to get on shore?" "We's not goin' on shore at all, Geo'ge." "What do you mean, Peter?" "I means what I says. De fact is, Geo'ge, dat I's come to de conclusion dat I couldn't lib widout you. Angelica's ob de same opinion, so we's made up our minds, wid massa's purmission, to go wid you to ole England. We's all goin' togidder, Geo'ge. Ain't dat jolly?" "But how can we ever get to England in a small boat like this?" asked the middy, in much anxiety, for in the hurry and excitement of the start the difficulty had not occurred to him. "No fear about that, sir," answered Brown, who pulled the bow oar; "we ain't such fools as to make the voyage in a cockle-shell like this! The boat b'longs to a privateer as is owned by a friend o' mine, an' the wessel's lyin' off an' on waitin' for us." "There she goes!" said one of the sailors. "Look out!" As he spoke a large schooner loomed up against the dark sky, and was hailed. A gruff voice replied. Another moment the sails flapped, and the boat was towing alongside. Our middy was first to leap on deck--and not without a purpose in view, for he was thus in a position to hand up the passengers. "Do you forgive me, Hester?" he whispered humbly, as he stooped to grasp her little hand. "I forgive you!" she whispered timidly, as she passed him, and was led by her father into the vessel's cabin. That night two of the swiftest of the piratical war-vessels were seen to warp out from the Mole, and put to sea, but long before the land breeze filled their peaked sails the privateer was cleaving her way, homeward bound, through the dark waters of the Mediterranean. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN. THE LAST. "Geo'ge, your mudder
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   >>  



Top keywords:

forgive

 

whispered

 

England

 
distance
 
Angelica
 

privateer

 
musket
 

Another

 

cockle

 

friend


replied
 

waitin

 

wessel

 

flapped

 

voyage

 
moment
 

towing

 

sailors

 

hailed

 
schooner

loomed

 
breeze
 

filled

 

piratical

 

swiftest

 

vessels

 

peaked

 
cleaving
 

SEVENTEEN

 

mudder


CHAPTER

 

Mediterranean

 

homeward

 

waters

 

position

 

passengers

 

purpose

 

Hester

 

humbly

 

father


vessel

 

passed

 

stooped

 

timidly

 

alongside

 

pursuers

 
illustrated
 

turning

 

succeeded

 

flashes