The news, that the Osprey had the cannon from the brigantine on board, came like a thunderbolt upon the negroes.  The prospect of a fight with the men who had so easily captured the brigantine was unpleasant enough, but that they were also to encounter cannon was altogether too much for them, and a general shout of “Don’t fire; we go back!” rose from the boats.

For a minute or two they lay motionless, afraid even to dip an oar in the water lest it should bring down a storm upon them, but as the Osprey glided slowly away the rearmost boat began to turn round, the others followed her example, and they were soon rowing back even more rapidly than they had come.

“You can cast off that boat, Hawkins, as soon as we are out into the bay,” Frank said, and then went down below.

“Our troubles are all over at last, dear, and we can have a quiet talk,” he said.  “As I expected, the negroes lost heart as soon as they came near, and the threat of a round of grape from the guns finally settled them.  They are off for home, and we shall hear no more of them.  Now you had best be off to bed at once.  You have had a terrible day of it, and it is just two o’clock.

“Ah! that is right,” he broke off, as the steward entered carrying a tray with tea things.  “I had forgotten all about that necessity.  You had better call Anna in; she must want a cup too, poor girl.”

“Yes, I should like a cup of tea,” Bertha said, as she sat down to the tray, “but I really don’t feel so tired as you would think.”

“You will feel it all the more afterwards, I am afraid,” Frank replied.  “The excitement has kept you up.”

“Yes, we felt dreadfully tired, didn’t we, Anna, before we gave up?  But the two hours’ row in the boat, and all this excitement here, have made me almost forget it.  It seems to me now quite impossible that it can be only about nine hours since you rushed out so suddenly with your men.  It seems to me quite far off; further than many things do that happened a week ago.  And please to remember that your advice to go to bed is quite as seasonable in your case as in mine.”

When he had seen them leave the saloon, Frank went on deck for a last look round.

“I don’t think that there is a chance of anything happening before morning, Hawkins, but you will, of course, keep a sharp lookout and let me know.”

“I will look out, sir.  I have sent the four hands who were with you down to their berths, as soon as the niggers turned back.  Lechmere has turned in, too.”

“Is the wind freshening at all?”

“Not yet, sir.  I don’t suppose that we shall get more than we have now till day begins to break.  Still, we are crawling on and shall be out in the bay in another quarter of an hour.”

When Frank got up at sunrise he found that the yacht was just rounding the point of the bay.  He looked behind.  No boat was in view.

“Nothing moving, I see,” he said as the first mate, who was in charge, came up.