"What does that boat mean?" he said sharply.

"Don't know. Can't say," the officer replied. "Perhaps a man-o'-war's boat coming to meet us for the despatches."

Hilary was not satisfied, but he said nothing. He merely resumed his walk to and fro.

"Now then, bosun," he said, "have your men up ready. It will be down sails directly."

"Not yet awhile, Mr Leigh," said the officer. "The _Kestrel_ does not fly--she crawls."

"Waters," said Hilary as he pa.s.sed out of his companion's sight, "make no sign, but lay a bar or two and some pikes about handy for use if wanted, and give the men a hint to be ready if there's anything wrong.

Quietly, mind."

Billy Waters nodded, and as Hilary walked back to where the officer was standing he became aware that the gunner had taken his hint, but it was all done so quietly that it did not catch the officer's attention.

"That boat means to board us," said Hilary, as their proximity to the land sheltered them from the wind and their progress became slow.

"Offer to pilot us, perhaps," said the officer. "No; it is as I said."

"Ahoy, there! Heave-to!" shouted the officer in command of the boat.

"What boat's that?" cried Hilary.

"The _Royal Mary's_. Have you despatches on board?"

"My orders were to deliver my despatches myself at a certain address,"

thought Hilary; "this may be a trick."

"On special business," cried Hilary back.

"Nonsense, Mr Leigh!" cried the a.s.sumed Lieutenant Anderson.

"Heave-to, sir. I order you! Hi, my lads there, down with the sails."

"No sails don't go down for no orders like that," growled the boatswain; but by skilful management the boat was already alongside and the bowman had caught the bulwark with his hook.

"Keep back!" cried Hilary sharply.

"Are you mad?" cried the man by his side, now throwing off his cloak, and with it his disguise, for he caught Hilary by the collar and presented a pistol at his head. "Quick, there, up with you!"

Hilary struck up the pistol, but the next instant he received a heavy blow on the forehead and staggered back as, to his horror, the crew of the boat, well-armed and headed by Sir Henry Norland, leaped aboard and drove back the two or three of the crew who were near.

"At last!" cried Sir Henry to the false lieutenant. "I thought you would never come, Hartland. Have you the papers?"

"Yes, all right," said the gentleman addressed, "and all's right.

Here."

He had thrust his hand into his breast when there was a shout and a cheer as the stout crew of the _Kestrel_, headed by the gunner and armed with pikes and capstan-bars, charged down upon them.

There was a shot or two. Hilary was knocked down by his own men as he had struggled up; the false lieutenant was driven headlong down the companion hatch, and in less than a minute Sir Henry Norland and his men were, with two exceptions, who lay stunned upon the deck, driven over the side, to get to their boat as best they could. Then as Hilary once more gained his feet the a.s.sailing boat was a quarter of a mile astern.

"The treacherous scoundrel!" cried Hilary. "Oh, my lads, my lads, you've saved the cutter. But tell me, did that fellow get away?"

"What! him as I hit down the hatchway for hysting your honour?" said Tom Tully. "He's down below."

Hilary and a couple of men ran to the hatchway, to find the false lieutenant lying below by the cabin door, with one arm broken, and his head so injured that he lay insensible, with the end of a packet of papers standing out of his breast.

Hilary seized them at once, and then, as a light broke in upon his breast, he ran to the locker, opened it and the despatch-box, and longed to open the papers he held.

But they were close in to the port, and, resolving to deliver the despatches, he left the false lieutenant well guarded, leaped into one of the boats, and was rowed ash.o.r.e to the consul, to whom he told his tale.

"It has been a trick," said that gentleman; "there is no such street in the town as that on the despatch, and no such officer known."

"What should you do?" cried Hilary. Then, without waiting to be answered, he cried, "I know," and, hurrying back to his boat, he was soon on board, and with the sails once more spread he was on his way back to Portsmouth with the despatches, and three prisoners in the hold.

Before he had gone many miles he became aware of a swift schooner sailing across his track; and though, of course, he could not recognise her, he had a strong suspicion that it was the one that had nearly run them down.

CHAPTER FORTY FOUR.

A GOOD FIGHT FOR IT.

Before long he found that it evidently meant to intercept him, and he had the deck cleared for action and the men at quarters.

"They want the despatches they tricked me into carrying," cried Hilary; "but they go overboard if I am beaten."

To secure this he placed them in the despatch-box, in company with a couple of heavy shot, and placed all ready to heave overboard should matters go wrong.

He knew what was his duty in such a case, though; and that was to run for Portsmouth with the papers, fighting only on the defensive; and this, to the great disappointment of his men, he kept to.

The schooner commenced the aggressive by sending a shot in front of the cutter's bows, as an order to heave-to, but the cutter kept on, and the next shot went through her mainsail.

"Now, Billy Waters," said Hilary, "train the long gun aft, and fire as fast as you can; send every shot, mind, at her masts and yards; she is twice as big as we are, and full of men."

"But we'd lick 'em, sir," said the gunner. "Let's get alongside and board her."

"No," said Hilary sternly; "we must make Portsmouth before night."

Then the long gun began to speak, and Hilary kept up a steady running fight, hour after hour, but in spite of his efforts to escape, the schooner hung closely at his heels, gradually creeping up, and doing so much mischief that at last the young commander began to feel that before long it would be a case of repelling boarders, and he placed the despatch-box ready to throw over the side.

Closer and closer came on the schooner, and man after man went down; but still Billy Waters, aided by the boatswain, kept firing with more or less success from the long gun, till at last the time came when the schooner's crew were firing with small arms as well, and Hilary knew that in another minute they would be grappled and the enemy on board.

He paused with the despatch-box in his hand, ready to sink it, while Billy Waters was taking careful aim with the long gun. Then there was the puff of smoke, the bellowing roar, and apparently no result, when all at once there was a loud crack, a splash, and the cutter's crew cheered like mad, for the schooner's mainmast went over the side with its press of sail, and the foremast, that had been wounded before, followed, leaving the swift vessel a helpless wreck upon the water.

She would have been easy of capture now, but under the circ.u.mstances Hilary's duty was to risk no severe fight in boarding her, but to continue his course, and this he did, pa.s.sing a gunboat going in search of him, the despatches he had left behind having gone by another boat.

Answering the hail, Hilary communicated with the commander, who in another hour had captured the schooner, and the next morning she was brought into Portsmouth harbour with her crew.

Meantime Hilary had reached Portsmouth and been rowed ash.o.r.e, where he went straight to the admiral's house. Captain Charteris was with the admiral, and both looked very stern as he told his tale.