"She is that, miss, but she"ll not fire, I hope; and we"ll slip by before she"s rubbed her eyes. There are the lights of Gravesend, and isn"t that something black ahead under the bank? You won"t go below, I s"pose, Miss Laura?"
"No, Captain Pardoe; I will stop here."
Suddenly the glare over the bows from the forward lamps died out, there was a sharp ring of the engineer"s bell, a sound of men in hot haste thrusting at the fires, and the vessel began to quiver and vibrate to the beat of vast engines working faster and faster.
There was a rush of wind on Frank"s face, the dark objects on the sh.o.r.e swiftly receded into the general blur, and the water foamed up at the bows and fell away in curling waves.
"Are all the lights out, Mr Webster?"
"Yes, sir; all but a light from a starboard port."
"It"s that swab of a pa.s.senger," growled the Captain; "I"ll have him tied to his bunk."
Frank, warned that he was guilty of some unpardonable indiscretion, crawled down from the top bunk, and had just reached the floor, when the handle turned, there was a quick step, a rustle, and the light was switched off, not before he had seen the dark eyes flashing in resentment.
"If you behave in this way, sir, I"ll not stand between you and discipline."
"Really, I did not know I was doing anything wrong."
"Shut the port-hole," she said sharply.
He turned to obey with a frown of protest, when, seemingly not a yard off, there flamed the lights of a ship"s cabin.
"Where are you coming to, you lubber?" shouted out a voice furiously.
There was a jar, an ugly tearing noise, and Frank and the young lady were thrown at each other.
"I beg your pardon, really," said Frank, as he loosened his hold of her waist; "but I could not help myself."
She stood back with a gasp. "Did you see that? Has she sunk?"
The reply came from the angry officer of the other vessel in a torrent of language rea.s.suring as to her safety, but venomously strong.
The lights of another ship flashed by; then the steamer darted into the narrow fairway between a fleet of vessels, big and little, the waves washing against them, and bringing up an angry swarm of men, whose shouts could be heard in a confused babble in the rear.
"What ship"s that?" hailed a man in powerful tones.
There was no answer, and Frank felt a hand on his arm.
"We are the Customs--where are your lights?" followed in a faint hail astern.
"Thank Heaven, we are past Gravesend. Now, sir, you may have your light again."
She pressed the b.u.t.ton, and the electric light shone over her l.u.s.trous hair, revealing a sparkle in her glorious eyes and a flush on her cheeks.
Frank looked at her, and forgot everything in amazement at her beauty.
"I dare say," she said, with a faint smile, "you are wondering who we are?"
"I don"t know," said he, "and I don"t care, so long as I"--he meant to add--"am with you," but he paused in time at the hint of a haughty surprise in her eyes.
She looked at him steadily a moment with a glance that implied some new interest, then, once more switching off the light, went out without a word, closing the door behind her.
He listened and heard her voice on deck, when he again framed his face in the port-hole.
The bow lights had been relit, and the ship had slackened something of her tremendous speed.
"I wish to Heaven," said the Captain, "those funnels would not draw so well. Just look at that shower of sparks; they"ll give notice of our coming."
"Why not slacken speed until you are close on the guardship?"
"That"ll give "em more time to prepare for us, but it"s the best thing to do."
Then followed a sharp signal to the engineer, and the speed was still further decreased.
"Mr Webster, was she damaged at all by that brush?"
"Just a dent, sir; but she"s all sound below."
"Douse the lights again. We"ll keep close in on the port tack. Keep your eye on the Kent sh.o.r.e, and tell the watch to be on the lookout for the guardship."
For some time the ship slipped along through the dark waters without another word being spoken.
"There"s the signal, sir," sang out a voice, breaking in on the silence.
A rocket mounted afar off.
"Ay, I see it. It"s as I feared. They"ve alarmed the guardship, and"ll be sending a boat to her. Suppose they catch us, madam, what yarn will you spin?"
"They must not catch us."
"They may open fire."
"Whether they fire or not, we must get through. Couldn"t we open fire, too?"
Captain Pardoe laughed.
"We must depend on our heels, Miss Laura. If it came to knocks, the guardship would blow us out of the water."
"How annoying!" was the truly feminine reply--a reply so inappropriate that even Frank smiled, while Captain Pardoe chuckled audibly.
"Understand, Captain," she continued imperiously, "I will not be captured, nor the ship, not if they have to blow it up."
"Ah, see that?"
A shaft of light shot into the sky, then dropped to the water and swept swiftly from right to left.
"It"s the search-light. The guardship is looking for us. Mr Webster, step down to the engineer and tell him we"ll want every pound of steam he can give us when I signal him. We must get twenty-seven knots out of her."