Adam lifted his gla.s.s.
"Yes, sir; she is the _Scout_, revenue cutter. But they will not trouble themselves with the lugger, for they know she has no cargo on board."
"But if we can get on board her," said Headland, "and send her in chase, she will have a better chance of overtaking the lugger than the fishing boat would have."
"Thank you, sir," exclaimed Adam. "I will let my crew know they are wanted, and when I have spoken a few words of comfort to my poor missus, who is ill in bed, I"ll be with you on board the _Nancy_."
Adam, sending off a lad to summon his men, directed him at the same time to beg that Mrs Brown would come down and stay with his missus, while the two officers rode to the Texford Arms to leave their horses. They then hurried to the quay, where Adam and most of his crew were collected. As soon as the remainder arrived they went on board the _Nancy_. She was quickly under weigh, and the wind being off-sh.o.r.e ran out of the harbour.
"Is your boat a fast one?" asked Captain Headland of Adam.
"Yes, sir; not a faster out of the Tex, but I am afraid she has little chance of overhauling the lugger."
"But if the wind falls light we may pull after her, and shall then have the advantage," observed Captain Headland.
"She has got long sweeps too, sir. But we will try it, and my lads will give way with a will. I can trust them for that."
"Ay, ay, no fear," answered the men, looking towards the smuggler as if they were eager to be alongside her and to rescue Jacob.
"I believe that our best course would be to get on board the cutter, and for her to go in chase of the lugger," said Harry; "though I do not think the smugglers would dare to oppose us if we could get up with them."
"Whether or not, we will try to get back our Jacob, and the lads would make good play with the boat"s stretchers in spite of the cutla.s.ses and pistols the villains have to fight with."
"They would scarcely venture to use them when they see two king"s officers in the boat," observed Headland.
"I am not so sure of that," said Adam. "But they have a bad cause and we have a good one to fight for. We will get the oars out, lads," he added, addressing his crew.
_The Nancy_ thus a.s.sisted made good way, for the wind being light and off-sh.o.r.e, as has been said, the water was perfectly smooth, and the oars helped her along. Still it became evident to Captain Headland that she was not likely to overhaul the lugger. He therefore agreed with Harry that it would be best to get on board the cutter if they could.
The cutter was, however, sailing away from them, apparently watching the movements of the lugger. Their hope was that the _Nancy_ might be seen, and that she might stand back to speak her.
The day was now drawing on, and Harry began to think of returning to Downside. Still they were unwilling to abandon all hopes of rescuing Jacob. They had no means of making a signal to draw the attention of the cutter, and if they could not get on board before dark, there was little prospect of their doing so at all.
The old fisherman sat in the stern-sheets, calm and apparently unmoved, though more eager than any one to overtake the craft on board which his only remaining son had been so barbarously carried off. Often he said to himself with the patriarch of old, "If I am bereaved of my children I am bereaved;" for he could not help seeing the little prospect there was of recovering his boy.
Already the sun had set behind the land, and the gloom of evening was stealing over the leaden ocean when the cutter was seen to haul her wind. Presently she came about and stood to the northward.
"We may still have a chance of overhauling her, sir," exclaimed Adam, his hopes reviving.
Headland and Harry thought so too, although both were unwilling to remain out longer than they could help.
"Julia will probably ride back to Texford by herself when she finds that we have not returned; or will remain at our cousins and send over to say that we have been detained," observed Harry, divining his friend"s thoughts.
"I fear that we shall cause the ladies much anxiety, as they will not know what has become of us," observed Headland.
"I am afraid so," said Harry; "but still I cannot bear that the young fisherman should be ill-treated without attempting to save him."
"G.o.d bless you, Mr Harry, for saying that," exclaimed Adam. "I pray we may get back our Jacob, for I know the tricks of those villains; and the _Lively_ has a fast pair of heels; there are few cutters can come up with her, and the _Scout_ is not one of those that can. Still something may happen to help us, though it will not be man"s doing. I can"t deceive myself, and I don"t want to deceive you."
Headland feared that the old man was right. At the same time, as long as Harry had any hopes of overtaking the lugger he determined to accompany him.
The cutter was now about a mile distant to the south-east, but it was a question whether the _Nancy_ could cut her off before she had run past to the north and darkness had come on.
The _Nancy"s_ flag was run up to the mast-head and hauled down again several times in the hopes of attracting her attention.
As they approached, even though it was dark, their voices might be heard on board the cutter, and her commander would probably heave to to ascertain what they wanted.
Some more anxious minutes went by. At length Adam thought they had got near enough to make themselves heard; for though the gloom of night had come on, the cutter"s phantom-like form could now be seen as she glided onwards over the smooth sea.
"Now, lads, I will give the word and we will shout together," cried Adam; and he and his crew, with Headland and Harry joining their voices, sent a loud shout across the ocean.
Directly afterwards the cutter was seen to haul up towards them.
"They have heard us! they have heard us!" he exclaimed. "Wait a bit, lads, we will give them another."
After the second shout the cutter was hove to, and the _Nancy_ was soon alongside.
"What is it you want, my men?" asked the commander, looking down into the boat.
Harry explained what had happened.
"I shall be glad to lay hands on the lugger, you may depend on that, for she has given me more trouble than any other craft on this coast," he answered. "We have two of our boats away, and are short handed, though we would tackle the fellow as we are. It would be better if some of your men would come on board, and if we can overtake the lugger, they will be able to identify the lad you are in search of."
"I will willingly accompany you," said Harry, who, knowing how anxious May was about Jacob, wished to do what he thought she would desire.
"If the captain will take charge of the _Nancy_, I will go also with two of my lads," said Adam. "I would take more, but must not leave the craft with fewer hands on board."
Headland was well pleased with the arrangement, and undertook to escort Julia back to Texford, if she had not already gone, when he arrived at Downside.
There was no time to consider the matter further, as not a moment was to be lost, or there would be no prospect of overtaking the lugger.
"I hope that you will be back to-morrow, Harry, and I will ride over to Hurlston to meet you," said Headland, as he stepped into the boat.
The cutter immediately kept away in the direction the lugger had last been seen, while the _Nancy_, hauling her wind, prepared to beat back to the sh.o.r.e.
CHAPTER THIRTY SIX.
SIR RALPH"S ARRIVAL.
The _Nancy_, close-hauled, stood for the sh.o.r.e.
"Two or three tacks will do it, sir, I hope," said Ned Brown, who, since Adam had been deprived of Ben"s services, had acted as his mate. "The _Nancy_ knows her way into the harbour."
"The oars will help her along though, I think," observed Headland.
The men got them out, and the _Nancy_ glided swiftly through the water.