Nor had I long to wait—­there came a touch on the line followed by a firmer pull, as if the party below tested its strength.  For a moment the cord wiggled about as if the man was working with his end to some purpose, then there followed three sharp jerks which I interpreted to mean to hoist away.  I promptly put my full strength to it, bracing both feet firmly against a heavy cross-piece of timber, evidently nailed there for that very purpose.  The rope ran over a small roller set close against the coaming, which I had failed to observe in my hasty search, so I found the strain less than expected, although a heavy weight was evidently attached to the other end.  But I uplifted this, for I was vain of my strength in those days, and the distance was not so great but that shortly his hands managed to grip hold upon the deck planks, and a moment later he stood beside me, complacent and debonair as ever, in the dense shadows of the galley.

“Sacre! ’tis a most scurvy trick we are playing on the Dons, friend Benteen,” he murmured smiling easily, while peering about him in the darkness.  “And now, what is the next act in this midnight melodrama, most cautious youth?”

“The keeping of a still tongue until we are both overboard,” I replied somewhat roughly.  “Follow me closely, and keep quiet about it, if you retain the slightest care for your life.”

It was not much of a trick, the rest of it, and within five minutes we were silently floating down the great river, through the darkness, seeking after some quiet landing-place below the fleet.

CHAPTER IX

THE BIRTH OF THE DEATH-DAWN

We durst not swim to the nearest landing, just beyond the bow of the big flag-ship we had so unceremoniously quitted, fearing our efforts to stem the current might attract the attention of some watcher on board.  So permitting myself to drift silently beneath the vessel’s stern, without the stir of a limb to disturb the water, I was soon well away from the great black shadow.  Without a word De Noyan followed.  Yet time was far too precious to permit long drifting, and at the earliest moment I dared the venture we turned aside, striking out boldly for the shore.

“We must move rapidly, Chevalier, to make up lost time,” I cautioned briefly, wading out, dripping, upon the bank.

“Are the streets patrolled by the Dons?”

“Ay! although not as thoroughly as when the Spaniards first landed.  We shall require to exercise caution.”

“Where do you take me?  There can be no safe hiding spot in New Orleans?”

“I know none.  We go to the rear of a long row of tobacco sheds near the North Gate.  A boat thoroughly stocked, with two oar men, awaits us.”

“I mind the place,” he said eagerly, “I outfitted there for hunting more than once.  It is best for me to lead, as I know well every inch of the path, and have grown interested in the play.”