Doubledick looked conscious; Tonkin and his fishers exchanged glances, and thought of the cargo in the hold of the _Isaac and Jacob_. "We can do it, sir," cried Dick suddenly. "She must pass beneath that big rock at the head of the Beal. It doesn’t stand steady, and a good push would hurl it over into the fairway. Let the vessel come in, and then block up the channel; she’d be caught then." "A capital notion," said the Vicar. "Off with you, Dick; take two or three men with you. Have a care not to throw yourself over too." Dick hurried off with a few of the younger men. When they arrived at the landward end of the Beal, the privateer was slowly threading her course through the fairway towards the jetty, a man in the chains sounding busily. She crept in, and had come within a hundred yards of the jetty when Dick and his companions reached the boulder. They heard the rattle of her anchor; she swung broadside to the village, and the spectators on shore saw a formidable row of guns grinning from her portholes. Dick and his companions set their shoulders to the rock. The door of the inn meanwhile had opened, and Delarousse appeared, holding aloft a musket, to which a white cloth was attached as a flag of truce. "I vill speak viz you," he said, pointing to the Squire, whom he recognised. "Shall I parley with the rascal?" asked the Squire of Mr. Carlyon. "Yes. We wish to avoid bloodshed, but it must be unconditional surrender, Trevanion." The Squire stepped towards the inn, meeting Delarousse half-way. "You speak French, monsieur?" said the latter courteously. "Not a word, sir," replied the Squire. "Ah! C’est dommage! I speak English, bad, monsieur. I make a meestake: I demand pardon. I not know ze house vas to you; pardon ze meestake, monsieur." "We’ll say no more about that, sir," said the Squire. "I am willing to believe you had no wish to attack me. But this is an act of war, sir. You must at once set your prisoner free, and surrender, every one of you." "Ah, no, monsieur," returned the Frenchman with a smile. "I haf to say your demand is ridicule. I make vun sign: bah! ze shot from my vessel zey strike ze village all to pieces. Voyez! Ze boats come now for me. You stop me? No." The Squire turned and looked in the direction of Delarousse’s outstretched hand. Two boats had been lowered from the deck of the privateer, and, filled with men armed to the teeth, were now pulling for the jetty. It was clear that under the vessel’s broadside no attempt to check this fresh invasion could be successful. "You see?" continued the Frenchman, who had watched the expression on the Squire’s face. "I not quarrel viz ze people here; mon Dieu, no! Zey are my friends; viz zem I haf excellent affairs, zey profit us both. Ze man zat injure me, I haf him. Vat avantage of resistance? None. Zen I depart: all is finish vizout—vizout combat sanguinaire."