Sir John Boswell climbed up on to the fishing boat, which was a craft of some fifteen tons burden.  She was entirely deserted, but the sail still hung from the yard, and a fire was burning on a stone hearth, raised on some logs of wood in the centre of the deck.

“Look for something to stave in a plank, Tresham.”

Gervaise leapt down into the hold.  There were some nets and spare sails lying there, but nothing that would answer the purpose.  He examined the planks.  The boat was very strongly and roughly built.

“There is nothing here, Sir John, that will do, and nothing short of a heavy sledge hammer would suffice to smash one of these planks.”

“There are a lot of them coming down the hill, Tresham.  We have not many minutes to spare, but we must disable the craft.  They will soon be after us again; they have run her hard and fast here, but when they all come back they will soon get her off.  Let us try one of these sweeps.”

He lifted one of the heavy oars, and holding it upright he and Gervaise together tried to drive the handle through the bottom.  Again and again they raised it and drove it down; but the plank was too strong, and too securely fastened to the timbers.

“We must give it up,” the knight said, with a sigh.  “Fortune has befriended us so far, Tresham, but she has deserted us at last.  Another three minutes, and we shall have thirty or forty of them upon us.”

At this moment the lad’s eye fell upon the fire.

“We shall manage yet,” he exclaimed, and, seizing a blazing brand, he jumped below and set fire to the sails stowed there; they were as dry as tinder, and the flame shot up at once.

“That is good, Tresham,” the knight said; “but they will put it out before it has caught the boat.”

“Not before it has burnt the sails,” Gervaise replied.  “Now for this one,” and he applied the brand to the lower edge of the great sail.  Without a word Sir John seized another brand, and fired the sail on the other side of the deck.  The flames flashed up, and a wild yell of rage and alarm broke from the pirates, who were now rushing down towards the beach.

“Now to the boat, Tresham; we have no time to lose if we would avoid being pounded with stones.”

They dropped over the stern into the boat.  The galley slaves dipped their oars into the water, and she shot away just as the foremost of the pirates reached the edge of the water.  A few stones were thrown; but the pirates were so anxious about the craft, by which alone they could escape from the island, that the majority at once climbed on board.

At a word from the knight, the slaves stopped rowing a hundred yards from the shore.  The sail was already consumed, and the yard and the upper part of the mast were in flames.  A dense smoke was rising from the hold, and the pirates were throwing buckets of water down into it.  In a few minutes the smoke decreased.