“Oh, yes! we shall be all safe now.  We will be on the beach when they come in.  When they see that we are alone and unarmed there’s no chance of their firing.  We can go up occasionally to the cliffs and watch for them.”

It was not until the following evening that the frigate was seen approaching the island.

“She will take another four or five hours to work in,” Jacques said, “and they are not likely to try to land till to-morrow morning.  All their boats and half their men are away in the schooner.  I should think she would be back to-morrow morning.  Either she caught them before it got dark last night—­which I don’t think likely—­or they will have given her the slip in the night.  In that case she might look about for another day and then make sail to rejoin.”

As Jacques predicted the schooner was seen by daylight eight or ten miles away.

“We may as well hoist a white flag, Jacques.  The captain of the frigate will be savage that all the privateers have escaped him, but it may put him into a good temper if he takes possession here before the schooner arrives.”

Ralph ran down to the storehouse, got hold of a sheet and an oar, and a white flag was soon hoisted on the top of the cliff.  Five minutes later two gigs were seen rowing off from the frigate.  Ralph and Jacques took their places on the battery.  When the boats reached the mouth of the narrow entrance the order was given for the men to lay on their oars.  Ralph shouted at the top of his voice: 

“You can come on, sir!  We are the only two here!”

The order was given to row on, and Ralph and his companion at once went down to meet them at the end of the harbor.  The captain himself was in the stern of his own gig, while a young lieutenant held the lines in the other boat.

“Who are you? the captain asked, as he stepped ashore on the little wharf.  You are English by your speech.”

“I am English, sir.  I was on board a fishing boat in the channel when we were run down by one of those privateers in the dark.  I believe the fisherman with me was drowned, but I clung to the bobstay and was got on board.  She was on her way out here and had no opportunity of landing me.  She only arrived here two days before you came up.”

“You are not a fisherman?” the captain said abruptly.

“No, sir; my mother is living at Dover, and I was at school there.  I lost my father, who was an architect, some years ago.”

“And who is this who is with you?”

“He is a sailor in the brig I came out in, and has been extremely kind to me during the voyage, and kept the others from persecuting me.”

“How is it he is left behind?” the captain asked.

“He was round the other side of the island watching the schooner,” Ralph replied, “and the others sailed away without him;” for Ralph had agreed with Jacques that it was better to say nothing about the signalling.