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It would have been bad indeed had he been then suspected and made a prisoner, the same as had been the case with Tom. With them both in the old prison-hulk, escape would have been difficult, in fact well-nigh impossible, but with Dick free to work from the outside, it was different.
By the admiral's orders an armed boat's crew was at once despatched to the Aurora, the prisoners were released from their bonds, passed into the man-o'-war's boat, and in little more than an hour from their arrival in the Sound safely lodged on board a prison-hulk. So far, so good.
They removed the bonds of one man who could release the others and cast off the fastenings; then, with Amos and a picked crew of pupils in the boat's vitals, they went ahead and dropped the prison-hulk back to the full length of the chain, while the furious curses of the prisoners troubled the air.
The boat, after conveying the Frenchmen to the prison-hulk, duly returned to the admiral's ship; but, instead of the crew at once passing out of her, they were ordered to remain where they were, the lieutenant in charge alone going on deck and holding a short conference with the captain, after which he re-entered the boat, and she proceeded once more alongside the Aurora.
It was so dark, however, that he could not see the redcoat, and feeling that the coast was reasonably clear, Dick climbed on up, and over the rail, and a moment later stood on the deck. So far all was well. He had escaped from the British encampment, had reached the prison-hulk, and was on board. Now to overpower the sentinel and rescue the prisoners.
Also, that he had not been out much during the winter, his old enemy the gout having attacked him so pertinaciously that he had been confined to the house for weeks at a time, moored "stem and stern" before the library fire, like a prison-hulk in Portsmouth Harbour!
And with this understanding the agent undertook to do his best to find me at least forty thoroughly good men. This important matter put in train, I hastened back on board the schooner, and soon had the satisfaction of seeing Renouf and his scoundrel crew passed over the side into the boats that were to convey them to the prison-hulk.
Some perished with cold and hunger at Valley Forge; some died of fever in the horrible Old Sugar-house; some rotted alive in the Jersey prison-hulk; some lie buried under the gloomy walls of Dartmoor; and some there were whose fate was never known. It was the custom, formerly, to hold all meetings for the transaction of public business in the sanctuary.
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