"
"Skipper may not come. He is busy," answered the seaman. "But I can
show thee. Thou wilt see all?"
"Yea, all."
Then the seaman very obligingly began to do as he was bid. There was
very little to see in the close quarters; but he, being loquacious, was
a long time in showing it, and more than half an hour had elapsed
before Richard Wood was thoroughly persuaded that there was nobody
secreted on board. And all this time, in his eagerness, he had not
noticed that the ship was moving. He now turned to the companionway.
"What motion is this?" he asked, turning pale. "Hath the ship gone
adrift from her moorings?"
"Nay," answered the seaman; "the ship is not gone adrift."
Laying fast hold on the rail, the spy managed to climb up to the deck.
He looked about him, but no row-boat was alongside. He then turned to
the skipper.
"Surely we be gone adrift from our moorings," he said.
"Nay," answered the skipper, calmly. "I did forbid thee to come aboard,
but thou wouldst come. Now are we under sail."
CHAPTER XX
The priest of the parish at Oundle had Hugo and Humphrey up and off
betimes the next morning, as he had said.
Pages:
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247