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Updated: June 25, 2025
"If we do we must manage to get out somehow or other, as we did before," answered Bill; "but even if they do come up with us, that's no reason why we should be taken. We must try and beat them off, and the captain and Mr Saltwell are the men to do it. They are only four to our two ships, for the lieutenant in charge of the prize will fight his guns as well as we do ours."
He was a little puzzled at first at dinner, but by seeing what others did he soon got over the slight difficulty he had to encounter. Next day Mr Saltwell called him up as he was walking the quarter-deck. "I have been making inquiries as to what can be done for your friend Pierre Turgot," he said.
A second attempt to reach the hold was equally unsuccessful. The entire absence of heat, however, convinced them that the fire could not be in that part of the ship, but that the smoke found its way through the bulkheads. They were returning on deck, when a cry was raised that the fire was down forward. "I alone will go!" said Mr Saltwell. "Not a life must be risked without necessity.
Mr Saltwell lent him books, and he read during every spare moment, to make amends for his want of early education. When he came on shore, Mrs Crofton assisted him, and as she knew French very well, helped him to study it with a grammar and dictionary, which he found very easy, as he already understood so much of the language, and he was able to practise speaking with Pierre.
Raby, wisely, had not told him his suspicions of Paolo and, of course, he was ignorant of the events which had occurred in the island after he had been carried off, or he would certainly have been even less at his ease than he endeavoured to make himself. "What do you make her out to be?" he inquired of Mr Saltwell, who had just descended from aloft, with his spy-glass over his shoulder.
"He is in very great danger; but I can give no decided opinion as yet. He has expressed a wish to see you, and has begged me to call you." "Poor, poor fellow, I'll go below instantly," cried Saltwell, hurrying down, and auguring the worst from the doctor's tone. He found Linton stretched out in his narrow berth, lighted by the sickly glare of a small lamp fastened against the bulkhead.
Saltwell had too much anxiety on his mind to allow him to turn in to take any rest, and for the greater part of the night he had walked the deck while he beat the brig up towards the island. He became still more anxious, as the morning approached, at the non-appearance of the boats, and was continually hailing the look-outs to keep their eyes and ears open to catch any sign of their coming.
The arrangements had scarcely been concluded, when a loud flap of the canvas against the masts gave indication of the cessation of the breeze. Still, however, the brig had considerable way through the water. Linton was looking through his glass at the vessel ahead. "She still seems to have the breeze," he observed to Saltwell. "I hope the fellow is not going to carry it off with him."
As the Menager was a large ship, she required a good many people to man her, thus leaving the Foxhound with a greatly diminished crew. It took upwards of an hour before the prisoners with their bags and other personal property were removed to the Foxhound. Captain Waring and Lieutenant Saltwell turned their eyes pretty often towards the harbour. No ships were seen coming out of it.
"And I, on my part, must not lose a moment in thanking you, Mr Saltwell, and the officers and ship's company, for the zeal and perseverance you have exhibited on this very trying occasion," returned Captain Fleetwood, putting out his hand and pressing that of his first lieutenant, warmly.
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