"All right, father," said the lad quietly, and he wrenched himself round and made the lenses of the binocular slowly travel along the horizon-line, as he rocked gently here and there with the action of the schooner riding swiftly over the long smooth swell; for there was a pleasant breeze, all possible sail was set, and they were rapidly diminishing the distance between them and Velova Bay. "See her?" said Fitz, as he noted that the skipper and his Spanish friend had walked together forward--Don Ramon's followers, who crowded the deck and sent up scores of tiny films of smoke from their cigarettes, politely making way and forming quite a lane for their leaders. They were idling, chattering, and laughing together, the very types of a party of idlers out on a sea-trip, and their rifles were leaning against the bulwarks here and there, lying about the deck, or stuck in sheaves together with their barrels appearing above the sides of the boats swinging from the davits. No one could have imagined from their careless indolent bearing that they were posing as patriots, men who a short time before had escaped from a deadly peril, and were now for aught they knew sailing straight away into one as great. They formed a strong contrast to the old men-of-war's men, who retained their well-drilled bearing as the crew of the schooner, eager, alert, and ready at any moment to spring to sheet and brace at the mate's orders when they went upon another tack. "No," replied Poole, after a long interval. "There's a shoal of fish out yonder, and something sprang out farther to the east and went in again with a splash, and there's a bad sign out yonder; cat's-paws on the surface." "You don't mean to say that it looks like a calm coming?" "Just like that," said Poole slowly, with the glass still at his eye. "Well?" rose from the deck, as the two chiefs came slowly back. "Nothing, father--not a sign," cried Poole. "Well, you needn't stop up there, my lad. Come down, and go up again in a quarter of an hour's time." Poole slipped the glass into the case slung from his left shoulder, laid hold of a rope, and looked at his companion, who did the same, and they slid down together and dropped upon the deck, to begin walking forward. "I shan't be sorry," said Poole quietly, "when all these fellows are ashore." "Nor I neither," replied Fitz, and then he turned his head sharply, for a familiar head was thrust out of the galley, where the stove was black and cold. "Weel, laddies," whispered the Camel, "I have had to put up the shutters and shut up shop, for I canna pretend to feed all this lot; but ah'm thenking ye'll feel a bit hungry now and then, and when ye do, joost go below into the cahbin when there's naebody looking, and open the little locker. I dinna mean to say another word, but--" He closed one ferrety-looking red eye, laid a finger alongside of his nose, showed his big teeth, and drew his head in again.