For at that moment a light flashed out and shimmered on the sea, sank, rose, and became brilliant, shining forth so that they could see that the three men down upon the shore had lit a pile of some inflammable material, beyond which, floating easily upon the surface of the sea and apparently close inshore, was a boat--the boat that was to bear them safely away. They were sheltered by the trees, and besides, too far off to be seen by the men, whose acts, however, were plain enough to them, as one of them was seen to wade out to the boat, get hold of her mooring rope, and drag her ashore. "The murtherin' villains!" muttered Dinny. "They're takkin' out the shtores. Look at that now! There's the barl o' wather and the bishkit, and now there's the sail. What'll I do intoirely? My heart's bruk wid 'em." "Hush, my lad! You'll be heard," whispered Humphrey. "Is there no other boat we can get?" "Divil a wan, sor, and if we shtay here we shall be tuk. What'll we do now?" "Make a bold fight for it, and take them by surprise." "Wid a woman as wan of our min, sor! Sure an' it would be a mad thrick. Wan of us would be sure to go down, you or me, even if we bate the divils. Look at 'em, the fire's going down, and they're coming back!" Humphrey gave an angry stamp, for in her agony of dread Mistress Greenheys gave herself a wrest from his arm, and hurried back. "What's that?" whispered Dinny. "Mistress Greenheys." "What? gone back, sor? Whisht! darlin'. Stop!" If the woman heard his words they only added to her alarm, for she hurried on, apparently as well acquainted with the way back as Dinny, who immediately started in pursuit. "What are you going to do?" whispered Humphrey. "Do, sor! Go afther her." "No, no; we must escape now we've got so far." "Shure an' we will, sor; but to go forward's to go into prishn for you and to be dancing on nothing for me. Come on, sor. Let's catch up to me poor freckened darlin', and then tak' to the woods." They hurried back in pursuit of their companion, but fear had made her fleet of foot, and in spite of their efforts they did not overtake her. "She'll have gone back to her quarthers," said Dinny dismally. "Shall we go back to ours?" "No!" cried Humphrey imperiously. "Good heavens, man! our absence has been found out before now. Let's take to the woods or hide in one of the ruins till we can get away." "Shure an' ye're roight, sor. They've been afther ye, av coorse, and I've been missed and can't show meself now widout being thrated as a thraitor. Will ye thrust to me, and I'll find a place!" "Trust you? yes," said Humphrey; "but what do you propose doing?" "Doing, sor? Hoiding till we can find a chansh of getting away." "Where will you hide?" "Ye said ye'd thrust me, sor," whispered Dinny. "Come on." CHAPTER THIRTY THREE. ON THE QUI VIVE.