He sprang up at once and seized an oar.

“Out oars!” he cried.  “Boys, if ever you pulled hard in your lives, do so now.  It’s the press-gang!”

Before those few words were uttered the two men had seized the oars, for they knew well what the press-gang meant, and all three pulled with such vigour that the boat shot over the smooth sea with double speed.  But they had no chance in a heavy fishing boat against the picked crew of the light gig.  If the wind had been a little stronger they might have escaped, but the wind had decreased, and the small boat overhauled them yard by yard.

Seeing that they had no chance, Ruby said, between his set teeth: 

“Will ye fight, boys?”

“I will,” cried Davy Spink sternly, for Davy had a wife and little daughter on shore, who depended entirely on his exertions for their livelihood, so he had a strong objection to go and fight in the wars of his country.

“What’s the use?” muttered Big Swankie, with a savage scowl.  He, too, had a strong disinclination to serve in the Royal Navy, being a lazy man, and not overburdened with courage.  “They’ve got eight men of a crew, wi’ pistols an’ cutlashes.”

“Well, it’s all up with us,” cried Ruby, in a tone of sulky anger, as he tossed his oar overboard, and, folding his arms on his breast, sat sternly eyeing the gig as it approached.

Suddenly a beam of hope shot into his heart.  A few words will explain the cause thereof.

About the time the works at the Bell Rock were in progress, the war with France and the Northern Powers was at its height, and the demand for men was so great that orders were issued for the establishment of an impress service at Dundee, Arbroath, and Aberdeen.  It became therefore necessary to have some protection for the men engaged in the works.  As the impress officers were extremely rigid in the execution of their duty, it was resolved to have the seamen carefully identified, and, therefore, besides being described in the usual manner in the protection-bills granted by the Admiralty, each man had a ticket given to him descriptive of his person, to which was attached a silver medal emblematical of the lighthouse service.

That very week Ruby had received one of the protection-medals and tickets of the Bell Rock, a circumstance which he had forgotten at the moment.  It was now in his pocket, and might perhaps save him.

When the boat ranged up alongside, Ruby recognized in the officer at the helm the youth who had already given him so much annoyance.  The officer also recognized Ruby, and, with a glance of surprise and pleasure, exclaimed: 

“What! have I bagged you at last, my slippery young lion?”

Ruby smiled as he replied, “Not quite yet, my persevering young jackall.” (He was sorely tempted to transpose the word into jackass, but he wisely restrained himself.) “I’m not so easily caught as you think.”