The gale was rapidly increasing, and the management of the helm required his undivided attention; nevertheless his mind was busy with anxious thoughts and plans of escape.  He thought with horror of a French prison, for there were old shipmates of his who had been captured years before, and who were pining in exile still.  The bare idea of being separated indefinitely, perhaps for ever, from Minnie, was so terrible, that for a moment he meditated an attack, single-handed, on the crew; but the muzzle of a pistol on each side of him induced him to pause and reflect!  Reflection, however, only brought him again to the verge of despair.  Then he thought of running up to Leith, and so take the Frenchmen prisoners; but this idea was at once discarded, for it was impossible to pass up to Leith Roads without seeing the Bell Rock light, and the Frenchmen kept a sharp lookout.  Then he resolved to run the vessel ashore and wreck her, but the thought of his comrades down below induced him to give that plan up.

Under the influence of these thoughts he became inattentive, and steered rather wildly once or twice.

“Stiddy.  Ha! you tink of how you escape?”

“Yes, I do,” said Ruby, doggedly.

“Good, and have you see how?”

“No,” replied Ruby, “I tell you candidly that I can see no way of escape.”

“Ver good, sare; mind your helm.”

At that moment a bright star of the first magnitude rose on the horizon, right ahead of them.

“Ha! dat is a star,” said the Frenchman, after a few moments’ observation of it.

“Stars don’t go out,” replied Ruby, as the light in question disappeared.

“It is de light’ouse den?”

“I don’t know,” said Ruby, “but we shall soon see.”

Just then a thought flashed into Ruby’s mind.  His heart beat quick, his eye dilated, and his lip was tightly compressed as it came and went.  Almost at the same moment another star rose right ahead of them.  It was of a deep red colour; and Ruby’s heart beat high again, for he was now certain that it was the revolving light of the Bell Rock, which shows a white and red light alternately every two minutes.

“Voila! that must be him now,” exclaimed the Frenchman, pointing to the light, and looking enquiringly at Ruby.

“I have told you,” said the latter, “that I never saw the light before.  I believe it to be the Bell Rock Light; but it would be as well to run close and see.  I think I could tell the very stones of the tower, even in a dark night.  Anyhow, I know the rock itself too well to mistake it.”

“Be there plenty watter?”

“Ay; on the east side, close to the rock, there is enough water to float the biggest ship in your navy.”

“Good; we shall go close.”