But most of all he thought of his mother, of how she must have grieved for him as dead, and of the joy there would be at their reunion.  The hours therefore passed quickly, and he could scarcely believe it to be two o’clock when he suddenly saw the light of a fire far way toward the end of the island.  A glance at the stars showed him that the time was correct.  He rose to his feet, and taking the lantern held it aloft, then he lowered it behind a bush and twice raised it again.  He knew exactly the direction in which the harbor lay, and no sooner had he put down the lantern for the third time than three flashes of light followed in close succession.

He knew that everything would be prepared in the afternoon for the start.  Orders had been issued before he left that the oars of the boats were to be muffled, that the chains at the entrance of the channel were to be removed, and the ships got in a position, with shortened cables, for a start.  He could picture to himself, as he stood there gazing into the darkness, that the men would be already in the boats awaiting his signal, and as soon as it was seen they would begin to tow the vessels out of the harbor.

During the daytime the frigate cruised backward and forward under easy sail some two miles off the entrance; but the sailors believed that at night she came very much closer to the shore, the lookout with night-glasses having reported that she had been seen once or twice within a quarter of a mile of the entrance to the channel.

Half an hour passed without any sign that the frigate was aware that the ships were leaving the harbor; then Ralph heard the sound of a distant musket-shot, followed by several others, and had no doubt that one of the frigate’s boats on watch near the channel had discovered them.

A few minutes later there was a flash some distance out at sea, followed after an interval by the deep boom of a gun; then came a broadside, followed by a steady fire of heavy guns.  These were evidently fired on board the frigate, no answering sounds from the French ships meeting his ear.  He could see by the direction of the flashes that the frigate was under way.  The firing continued for two hours, becoming more and more distant, and then it ceased altogether.

When the sun rose he saw the frigate some twenty miles away.  There was a smaller craft two or three miles further off, and two others were visible ten or twelve miles further away to the west.  Two of the privateers had evidently made their escape, and the third seemed to be leaving her pursuer behind, for the wind was exceedingly light.  Some miles nearer to the island than the frigate a schooner was visible.  She was heading for the two vessels that had gone toward the west, but as these were fully fifteen miles to windward her chance of overtaking them appeared to be slight.  Ralph waited an hour, and then proceeded at a leisurely pace toward the spot where he was to meet Jacques.  He was but five minutes at the spot agreed upon when he saw him coming through the trees.