“Lead the way then and show me where they are. We’ll make the schooner, and we’ll soon overhaul these Yankees.” Ethan signaled Longsword silently to stop pulling, and the dragoon obeyed. Running feet could be heard thudding dully upon the planking of the pier. “Did you hear that?” asked the boy. “I did, faith,” answered Longsword. “And he speaks the truth. Let them get out to the schooner and it’s all up with us. There’s a good breeze blowing and these clouds will not hang before the moon long. So wid the wind in their sails and floods of light to see by, we can’t escape them.” Ethan felt with his foot for the cutlasses and pistols that lay in the stern. “Could we prevent them gaining the schooner?” he asked. “All you want is encouragement,” declared Longsword, “and you’d face an army. No, Master Ethan, we couldn’t stop them. Ye know that I’m never anyways backward in a fight; but, faith, this would be mere folly, so it would.” There was a silence, during which they resumed pulling. At length Ethan dropped his oars and whirled about, facing the dragoon. “I have it!” he cried. “Ye have what?” “The solution. We’ll take the schooner!” “Boy, dear, are ye mad?” gasped the astonished Irishman. “Not a bit of it,” said the lad excitedly. “Listen. There were only about ten men in the vessel all told. There were four with Danvers and two upon the pier. That makes six, and leaves only four on the schooner.” Longsword drew in a long, deep breath and then said: “Good! But let’s look to the weapons before we begin.” They examined the pistols and found there were four of them; they were ready charged and primed; the cutlasses were of the short-bladed “hanger” type of the British navy. “Sure, what makes people turn out such weeney little blades?” said Longsword. “Faith, Master Ethan, these are not a man’s size at all, at all. I like a sword a good three feet long, and wid some weight in it, faix.” “I suppose you’ll have to do with what we can find here, old fire eater,” smiled Ethan. “These cutlasses are not so bad for close work. They are short, but remember the Romans conquered the world with a short sword.” “If they’d had long ones they’d done the job in half the time,” said Longsword. “Ready?” asked the boy. “Ready,” answered the dragoon. They headed for the schooner and began to pull swiftly, but softly. On shore all was silent, and darkness still hung pall-like over the water, though the heavy clouds were visibly thinning before the wind, and here and there a silver spot glimmered among them. The lights of the schooner became more and more distinct; and at length they were under her bow, clinging to the chains, and listening. The low murmur of voices came from the after part of the vessel, but forward all was still. “It’s going to be easy work,” said Ethan.