A Gentleman-at-arms

as soon as the boats were hoisted aboard, the anchors were weighed, and the ships stood away towards the west of the island. This put Captain Q in a fury. He commanded the men to make all s

Tortuga and Hispaniola. It had come into his mind that the Spaniards had perchance sailed away merely to land on the southern shore of the island, with the intent to march

mingo, without doubt," said Hilary, "to bri

we before they ca

d, and many's the time they have come to grief for no other reason than their habit of procrastination. We will m

his work until the next low tide, when the water in the cavern, having now a free outlet, flowed away. We built a dam to prevent its return, and then, by dint of toiling steadily, some resting while the others worked, we contrived in two days to grave out a dock wherein the vessel might ride. The work was done with great quietness, for the enemy's galleon was anchored but a few miles away, and 'twas very necessary that no sound should provoke them to com

pine stem they had prepared. The mast itself was but roughly finished. It was not stripped of its bark: the time would not serve for niceties; Hilary indeed doubted whether, with the utmost expedition, we should have

, and others rigging the spars, the rest hastened to the woods and worked with might and main to fashion a canoe of cedar. Though we employed every minute of daylight, the men taking turns to rest in the hot hours, '

cried Hilary. Then in French he asked Captain Q,

nd fight them," cried

he treasure, and though I am as ready as any man to fight when there is somewhat to be gained by fighting, I hold that in our present ca

present we could scarce run out of sight of the Spaniards before dawn. 'Tis full moon: we should be discerned from a great way off; and when they see us they can run us down. Furthermore, the guns on our galleon are light metal, and we have no great store of powder and ball, so that we are i

question, had gotten himself away, so that we were left to converse at our pleasure. I well knew that, by dint of my arti

at is left for us to do? If we cannot fight three Spanish ships on the high sea, assuredly we cannot fi

en as Tom says: the don Spaniards outnumber us, and with all the will in the world we can scarce hold out against them. But might we

ting, and while we still prate these vessels are sailing ever neare

e saw with great delight the San Felipe float upright on her keel. The most of us got aboard her; the rest tow

sign was to round the island and come with the wind down upon the galleon at her anchorage off the south coast. We hoped in the night-time we might

e safe at the north-eastern corner of the island. We rounded the eastern side, sailing large, and turned into the channel betwixt Hispaniola and Tortuga even as the moon rose upon our right hand. A black

s: 'twould mayhap ruin our scheme if we were espied too soon by the Spaniards, wherefore he said we had best avail ourselves of the shadows where we could. Hilary and I stood at the helm beside the master, and we were troubled when we felt the keel graze a sandbank. At the fall of night th

cross to Hispaniola on rafts or canoes. Doubtless, also, they would have their guns ready loaded and their matches kindled; and maybe the vessel was riding on a spring cabl

-luck if she should slip her cable and stand away to meet the ga

rness until, as we fetched about a low spit of land, we came to a straight reach of the channel, and beheld the enemy half-a-mile distant. Since secrecy was no longer to be maintained, Hilary bade the master to steer full into the broad path of the moonlight, so that we might be disti

As soon, therefore, as we came within hailing distance, Hilary commanded Richard

Majesty of Spain," came the answer to his

ased by corsairs," cried Ba

send a boat. Are the c

ptain Q, who was reclining below the level of our bul

injured, and we will l

ventura, and there was enough way on our vessel to bring her alongside. We had come within a cable length of the

we shall be foul of

informed us) cursed our damaged helm very heartily, it being answerable, as he supposed, for this imminent risk of fouling. But in truth our helm wa

upon the Bonaventura's deck. Captain Q was the first to board, and the Spaniards cried out in amazement when they saw his tall red figure springing towards th

were no fire-arms used; steel clashed on steel, and many shrewd knocks were given and taken. But, saving in point of numbers, the odds were all against the hapless Spaniards. The very look of Captain Q, his strange garb, his war-lit countenance, had some part in daunting them, and a

UR ONSET TOOK THE

ard, and I asked Hilary whether we should not pursue them, believing that their

all in with the vessels and tell them their tale, w

m," said Tom Hawke. "See, th

overboard and waded waist-deep towards the shore. Not all of them came safe to it. On a sudden we heard a blood