"No," said Fitz, and without heeding a faint rustling sound such as might have been made by some wild creature, or an enemy stealing up to listen to their words, he went on: "I was thinking that this is what we ought to do--I mean your father and the Don--steal off at once without making a sound, all of us, English and Spaniards too, down to that timber-wharf." "But suppose the enemy have got scouts out there?" "I don't believe they have. After that last thrashing they drew off ever so far, and that President is doing nothing but wait for the coming of his reinforcements." "That sounds right, Mr Poole, sir," said the carpenter. "Well, it's likely," said Poole, and the faint rustling went on unheard. "But what then?" "Whistle up the boat. The men would know your signal." "Yes?" "Load her up till the water's above the streak, and let her drop down with the stream. I noticed that it ran pretty fast. Land the men at the mouth; leave them to signal for the schooner to come within reach-- they could do that with the lantern, or a bit of fire on the shore, if they didn't hear the captain's pipe--and while they are doing that, four men with oars row back as hard as ever they could go, to fetch another boat-load." "Boat-load?" said Poole. "Why, it would take about four journeys, if not more." "Very likely," said Fitz. "But there would be hours to do it in." "And what then?" "Get everybody on board the schooner and make sail for the north. Get into Velova Bay, and you could take the town with ease." "And what about the gunboat?" said Poole. "Ah! That's the awkward point in my plan. But the gunboat is not obliged to be there, and even if she were you could take the town if you managed to get there in the dark; and once you've got the town you could hold it, even if she knocked the fort to pieces." "Hum!" grunted the carpenter. "It'd be a tight fit getting everybody here on board our schooner." "Nonsense!" said Fitz. "I could get a hundred men on board easily; and besides, we should all be saved." "And besides, we should all be saved," said Poole, half aloud. "Yes, that's true. It does seem possible, after all, for there would be no defenders hardly left at Velova, and we could fit up a defence of some kind to keep off the enemy when they found we had gone and old Villarayo came raging back; and that wouldn't be for another two days. Yes, there's something in it, if we could dodge the gunboat again." "Humph!" grunted the carpenter once more. "No; there's a hole in your saucepan, and all the soup is tumbling out. The enemy is bound to have some fellows on the watch, and likely enough not a hundred yards from here, and they would soon find out that we were evacuating the place, come and take us at a disadvantage, and perhaps shoot the poor fellows crowded up in the boat. Oh no, my lad; it won't do at all." "Humph!" grunted the carpenter again.