One of the sailors had a wound in the cheek, the ball
in its passage carrying off part of the ear.
One of the men sitting in the bow had a broken arm,
but only one of the others was seriously hurt.
Frank went on deck again as soon as his shoulder was
bandaged and his left arm strapped tightly to his
side.
“I suppose that she is still gaining on us,
Hawkins?”
“Yes, she is dropping us. I reckon she
has gone fast, sir, fully half a knot, though we have
got all sail set.”
“There is one comfort,” Frank said.
“The coast from here as far as the Bec is so
precipitous, that they won’t have a chance of
putting the boat ashore until they get past that point,
and by the time they are there daylight will have
broken.”
The stars were bright, and with the aid of a night
glass the brigantine was kept in sight; the sailors
relieving each other at the masthead every half hour.
Frank would have stayed on deck all night, had not
George Lechmere persuaded him to go below.
“Look here, Major,” he said. “It
is like enough that we may have a stiff bit of fighting
tomorrow. Now we know that those fellows have
guns, though they may be but two or three pounders,
and it is clear that it is not going to be altogether
such a one-sided job as we looked for. You have
had a long day already, sir. You have got an
ugly wound, and if you don’t lie down and keep
yourself quiet, you won’t be fit to do your
share in any fighting tomorrow; and I reckon that
you would like to be in the front of this skirmish.
You know in India wounds inflamed very soon if one
did not keep quiet with them, and I expect that it
is just the same here.
“It is not as if you could do any good on deck.
The men are just as anxious to catch that brigantine
as you are. They were hot enough before, but
now that one of their mates has been killed, and five
or six wounded, I believe that they would go round
the world rather than let her slip through their hands.
I shall be up and down all night, Major, and the captain
and both mates will be up, too, and I promise that
we will let you know if there is anything to tell
you.”
“Well, I will lie down, George, but I know that
I shall get no sleep. Still, perhaps, it will
be better for me to keep my arm quite quiet.”
He was already without his coat, for that had been
cut from the neck down to the wrist, to enable George
to get at the wound. He kicked off his light
canvas shoes, and George helped him to lie down in
his berth.
“You will be sure to let me know if she changes
her course or anything?”
“I promise you that I will come straight down,
Major.”
Three quarters of an hour later, George stole noiselessly
down and peeped into the stateroom. He had turned
down the swinging lamp before he went up, but there
was enough light to enable him to see that his master
had fallen off to sleep. He took the news up to
Hawkins, who at once gave orders that no noise whatever
was to be made. The men still moved about the
deck, but all went barefooted.
