The boat in which the eager lads and equally eager girl were afloat was drifting about not very far distant from the Point of Orleans, where were an English outpost and some English shipping, although the main part of the fleet was some distance further on.  The watchers expected that the ghostly ships, gliding upon their silent way, would pass this first shipping in silence and under cover of the darkness, and only begin to glow and fire when close to the larger part of the hostile fleet.  Yet as they watched the oncoming vessels through the murk of the night, they saw small tongues of flame beginning to flicker through the gloom, and run up the masts and sails like live things; and all in a moment came a smothered roar and a bright flashing flame which, for the few seconds it lasted, showed the whole fire fleet stealing onwards, and the boats by which the crews of them were making good their escape.

“They have fired them too soon!” cried Colin, in great excitement.  “I know they were not to have done it till they had passed the Point and got well into the south channel, where all the shipping lies.”

“Hurrah!” cried Peter, waving his cap; “did we not say that the Frenchies would make a mess of it?  They may be good for something on land; but at sea—­”

There was no hearing the end of the sentence; for with a roar like that of a volcano in eruption one of the ships burst into a mass of flames, whilst the rest became lighted up by the glare, and were soon adding to the conflagration—­the fire racing up their masts and rigging, and showing them against the black waters like vessels of lambent flame.

“How beautiful, yet how terrible!” cried Corinne, as she gazed with fascinated eyes.  “But look—­look—­look—­look how the water is torn up with the shower of lead that falls from them!  Are they not like fiery dragons spouting out sheets of fire?  Oh, and listen how they hiss and roar!  Are they not like live things?  Oh, it is the most terrible thing I have ever seen.  How glad I am that they are not running amongst the English ships!  They are beautiful, terrible creatures; but I think they are doing no hurt to anything.”

“And look yonder!” cried Peter, pointing landwards in great excitement; “see those long red lines drawn up on shore!  Those are our English soldiers, all ready to receive the foe should they seek to land under cover of this noise and smoke and confusion.  As though our British grenadiers would be scared by false fire like yon fireworks!”

“And see, see again!” yelled Paul, still more excited—­“see our sailors getting to their boats!  They are going to row out and grapple those flaming monsters.  See if it be not so.  They are drifting down a little too near our few ships.  You will see now for yourself, Corinne, the stuff of which our mariners are made!”

“Oh surely, surely they will not go near those terrible vessels!” cried Corinne.

“Yes, but they will,” cried Arthur, watching their movements keenly; “oh, would I were with them to help!  See, see! they are getting their grappling irons into the boats.  That means they are going to grapple these blazing ships, and tow them somewhere out of harm’s way.  Hurrah for England and England’s sailors!  Now you will see what our answer will be to these fiery messengers.”