This was done, and they watched and waited in silence, keeping well out of sight behind the shrubby growth, from the knowledge that the mouth of the river was certain to be carefully scanned by those on board the gunboat with their gla.s.ses.

"Looks to me," observed Poole, "as if they mean to tire us out."

"Oh yes, sir, that's it," said Chips. "I wish I had brought my tools with me."

"Why?" said Poole, who was glad to break the monotony of their watch by a chat with the men.

"Oh, it's as well to make the most use of your time, sir. Looks to me as if the Don Captain had taken a lease of that pitch and meant to stay; and under the suck.u.mstances I couldn't do better than land here and get up to that sort of shelf yonder. Beautiful situation too, freehold if you held tight. Raither lonely perhaps, but with my axe and these 'ere three stoopids to help me, I could knock the skipper up a nice eligible marine villa, as they calls it, where we could all live comfortable for a year or two; and you young gents could have nice little gardens of your own. Then I could make you a little harbour where you could keep your boat and go fishing and shooting and having a high old time. I don't think you'd get such a chance again."

"And what about the schooner?" said Fitz, laughing.

"Oh, we should have to dismantle her, and work up the stuff, bulkheads and such-like, to line the new house. I've got an idea that I could work in all the hatches and tarpaulins for a roof; for though you get plenty of sunshine out here, my word, when it do rain, it do! What do you say, sir?"

"Nothing," said Poole. "It won't do, Chips."

"Well, no, sir; I thought it wouldn't when I first began to speak."

"Try again."

"Don't think I have got any more stuff, sir. But lookye here; why don't the skipper take us all down in the boats when it's dark, and let us board the enemy and take her? We could, couldn't we, messmates?"

"Yes, of course," came in a growl.

"There, sir! You 'ear?"

"Yes, I hear," said Poole, "and I dare say we could, but only at the expense of half the lads killed and wounded; and that would be paying too dear. Now, look here, my lad; here's an idea rather in your way.

Couldn't we make a plan to scuttle and sink the gunboat where she lies?

What do you say to that?"

"Can't be did, sir. I could creep alongside the schooner and do it to her; but that there gunboat's got heavy steel plates right round her, going ever so deep, and they'd be rather too much for my tools. They'd spoil every auger I've got. The skipper hasn't got a torpedo aboard, has he? One of them new 'uns that you winds up and sets a-going with a little screw-propeller somewheres astern, and a head full of nitro-- what-d'ye-call-it, which goes off when it hits?"

"No," said Poole, as he lay back gazing at the gunboat through his half-closed eyes, and in imagination saw the little thread-like appearance formed by the disturbed water as a fish-torpedo ploughed its way along; "we didn't bring anything of the kind."

"No, sir; I thought you wouldn't. But what about a big bag of powder stuck alongside her rudder? You see, you might tie the bag up with a bit of spun-yarn rubbed with wet powder, and leave a long end hanging down as far as the boat in which you rowed out."

"And set a light to it?" said Fitz.

"That's right, sir. You see," cried Chips, "and it would go fizzling and sparkling till we rowed right away out of reach, and up she'd go, bang."

"And while you were striking matches to light the touch-string, the enemy would be shooting at you or dropping cold shot or pig-ballast into us to sink the boat," said Poole.

"Bah!" said Fitz. "They keep such a strict watch that they would never let a row-boat come near."

"No, sir," said Chips; "that's just what I think. Them Spaniels aren't very clever, but they all seem to have got eyes in their heads. Now, this 'ere's a better idee. Say you are the skipper, and you says to half-a-dozen of us, 'Now, my lads, them there Span'ls is making themselves a regular noosance with that there big gun. Don't you think you could take the gig to-night, drop down under their bows, hook on by the fore-chains, and then swarm up on the quiet like, catch hold of the big gun, carry her to the side, and drop her over into deep water!'"

"Ha! ha! Capital!" cried Fitz. "Splendid! Yes, I don't believe she weighs more than two or three tons. Why, Poole, we ought to go to-night. They wouldn't be able to get her up again without a lighter and divers from New York. But it's a capital idea."

"Don't you mind what he says," growled the carpenter. "He's a-quizzing on us, my lads. Well, I gives that up. That job would be a bit too stiff."

"Yes," said Poole, laughing. "Try again."

"I dunno what they wants a great clumsy lumbering thing like that aboard a ship for. Bower-anchors is bad enough, banging against your craft; but you can lower them down to the bottom when your ship gets tired, and give her a bit of a rest."

"Yes," said one of the other sailors; "you'll have to think of something better than that, Shavings."

"Ay, but that was a fine idea, my lad, if the gun had been a bit lighter. The Span'ls would have been so flabbergasted when they heard the splash, that we should have had lots of time to get away. Now, let me see; let me see. What we wants is a big hole in that gunboat's bottom, so that they would be obliged to take to their boats. What do you say to this? I've got a bottle of stain aboard as I used to do over the wood at the top of the locker in the skipper's cabin, and made it look like hoggermy. Now, suppose I undressed a bit, say to my flannel-shirt, tied an old red comforter that I've got round my waist, to keep my trowges up, and then touches my hands and arms and phiz over with some of that stain. Then I swims off to the gunboat, asks civil like for the Don skipper, and says I'm a Spanish AB and a volunteer come on the job."

"And what then?" said Fitz, laughing.

"Ah, you may laugh, sir. But you can't expect a common sailor like me, who's a bit handy with his hammer and saw, to be up to all the dodges of an educated young gent like you as has sarved his time aboard the _Bry-tannia_ in Dartmouth Harbour. But of course there's a 'what then'

to all I said. I shouldn't want to dress myself up like a play-hactor in a penny show, with a red pocket-hankerchy tied to a mop-stick, big boots, and a petticut instead of trowges, pretending he's a black pirate, with a blood-red flag, one of your penny plain and twopence coloured kind, you know. I did lots of them when I was a young 'un, and had a box of paints. Not me. There's a 'what then' to all this 'ere, a sting to it, same as there is in a wopse's tail."

"Let's have it then," said Fitz. "I want to hear what you'd do when Don Cousin there shakes hands with you and says, 'You're the very man I've been waiting for all through this voyage.'"

"Yes, sir; that's it. You've got it to rights. That's just what he says, only it'd be in his Spanish liquorice lingo; and then the very first time I takes my trick at the wheel I looks out for one of them ugly sharp-pinted rocks like a fang just sticking out of the water, runs the gunboat right a-top of it, makes a big hole in her bottom; down she goes, great gun and all, and there you are. Now, Mr Poole, sir, what have you got to say to that?"

"Nothing," said Poole. "It's too big for me. When do you mean to start?"

"Well, I haven't quite made up my mind as to that yet, sir," said Chips quietly. "There's the skipper's consent to get, and the painting to do; and then I aren't quite sure about that there red comforter. I am afraid it's in my old chest, the one that's at home, and I shouldn't look so Span'l-like without a bit of colour. But it's a good idea, isn't it, sir, although Mr Fitz don't seem to think much of it? What do you make of them now on board the gunboat?"

"There's somebody on the bridge, and he's got a gla.s.s, and I saw the light flash off the lens just now."

"Then they must be a-watching of us, sir, taking stock of the place. I shouldn't wonder if we had a visit from them soon after dark, to try and take us by surprise."

"Well, they won't do that," said Poole. "We shall keep too good a watch; but I shouldn't wonder if they tried." The time glided by, and the sun began to sink, to disappear quite early to the watchers, shut in by high cliffs; and as soon as it was out of sight the boat was dragged up stream, well hidden behind the overhanging boughs that dipped their tips to the edge of the river, till the first bend had been pa.s.sed, when the men took to their oars and pulled hard till the schooner was reached.

There was scarcely anything to report, the only thing that took the skipper's attention being Fitz's statement that he had seen somebody on the gunboat's bridge using a gla.s.s, and this was sufficient to start the skipper making preparations for the night, for after a short consultation with Burgess, they came to the conclusion that they would be attacked before long; and about an hour after darkness had set in, a whisper from one of the watch told that he had heard the faint creakings of oars on rowlocks.

A minute later a faint spark lit up what appeared to be a scale hanging from its chains and being lowered down from the schooner's side into the water; but as it touched the surface it grew and grew, and went gliding down the stream, developing as it went into a tin dish containing some combustible which grew brighter and brighter as it went on, till it flashed out into a dazzling blue light which lit up the sides of the cliffs and glistened like moonlight in the water, till at about a hundred yards from the schooner's stern it threw up into clear relief the shapes of three boats crowded with men, the spray thrown up by their oars glittering in the blue flare, and then ceasing.

For all at once a few softly-uttered words were heard upon the schooner's deck, followed by a bright flash, and the roar of a volley echoed like thunder from the cliff-sides, for the skipper's preparations had been well made, so that about a score of rifle-bullets were sent whizzing and hissing over the enemy's heads, while those who looked on over the schooner's bulwarks saw the blue light begin to sink and grow pale as it went on down stream, throwing up the boats in less bold relief as they too went down towards the mouth in company with their illuminator.

Five minutes later all was dark and still again.

"Showed them we were pretty well prepared for them," said Poole, at last.

"Yes," replied Fitz. "Think they'll come again?"

"No," said the skipper, who was standing by in the darkness. "We shall keep watch, of course, but I don't think we shall see any more of them to-night. There, you two go below and sleep as hard as ever you can.

I'll have you roused if anything occurs."

"Honour bright, father?"

"Yes, and extra polished too," replied the skipper.

"Come on, then, Burnett," whispered Poole, gripping his companion by the arm. "I don't think that I ever felt so sleepy in my life."