Within a few minutes after leaving Marmaduke Hall I arrived at the Ferry-House alone, having stationed Pierre in a dark court-yard across the street. I looked in through the door and saw the four sailors huddled close together around one of the tables. They talked in careful whispers with their heads close together as men are wont to do when they are engaged in underhand business. From time to time they glanced uneasily about the room, as if they thought that someone should be watching. When I came near them, they seemed to suspect my presence in the first breath. I tried to draw them into conversation, but succeeded no better than if I had spoken in a foreign tongue. One after another of them, as he could find an opportunity, managed to slip away to some other part of the room; soon I was sitting quite lonely and deserted at the table where I had joined them. They, however, had their heads close together again and were in conversation in another part of the room. I made a feint at yawning, put my feet on the table, folded my hands, and in five minutes, for all they knew, I was fast asleep. In reality, I was listening with both my ears and squinting through my half shut eyes to see what they were doing.

127They took care at first that I should not hear a word of what they said; but by degrees, thinking, I suppose, that I was asleep, they grew more careless in their speech. For all that, I could learn only that they were to keep an appointment somewhere at nine o’clock that night. They glanced often and so anxiously at the clock that I knew the meeting must be of considerable importance. Before long they ceased talking altogether; then they fell to dozing in their chairs.

When I saw that they were not likely to notice my absence, I left the room. I walked along Garden Street towards the new Dutch church for the distance of fifty yards; then I crossed to the shadow side of the thoroughfare and retraced my steps. Opposite the Ferry-House is a narrow alley that leads into a court-yard. It was in this passage, dark as pitch, that I had stationed Pierre. I turned in when I reached the entrance along which I groped my way with one hand on the wall and the other raised to shield my face.

“St,” I said cautiously. Pierre answered with the same signal. I took two more steps in the dark, and then my outstretched hand touched him.

“Pierre,” I said. “They are in there, but I cannot make them say a word. Go quickly and rouse the rattle-watch. These fellows must be taken up. I’ll make some sort of disturbance against your coming back to color the arrest with. As soon as the watchmen have started, run as fast as your legs 128will carry you and let me know that they are on the way.”

When Pierre set out along Broad Street, I returned to my seat in the ordinary where I intended to resume my watch till his return. My absence, I thought, had not been noticed by the sailors. I settled myself quietly, well satisfied with the way things were going. Nothing, however, was further from my intention than my proposal to arrest these men. In fact, I intended to outwit the rattle-watch, notwithstanding the fact that I had summoned it.

By the time Pierre returned all out of breath to announce the approach of the watch, the clock had crept round to half past eight. The officers of the watch, Pierre informed me, were not more than the space of two streets away. I rose instantly and approached the sailors.

“May I speak to you a moment?” I said in feigned excitement to him who seemed to be their leader. He arose, rather fearful, as if he shared my assumed alarm, and stepped with me towards the corner of the room. I said to him: “You come from the ship that anchored in the lower bay yesterday?”

“Who told you?” he blurted out. Then, seeing that he had made a mistake, he blundered still further in his attempt to contradict himself. “No, by God, we don’t!”

“I thought so,” I answered, for his manner said 129“Yes,” though his words said “No.” I continued: “Is it a free-trader?”

The fellow turned white, his lips quivered, and his hand sought the butt of his pistol.

“Softly, friend, you have no enemy to deal with,” I said. “I have been in the jolly trade myself. Look at this.”

I threw open my blouse part way and gave him a glimpse of one of the richly mounted pistols that Captain Tew had presented to me.

“Have you ever seen that name before?”

His eyes gleamed recognition as he read the buccaneer’s name engraved in big letters on the hilt. “Ay, we sighted him two days ago.”

“Quite true. Bound for Martinique. I thought you would know the name. Now will you trust me? You have been suspected and even now the city officers are almost here to arrest you and your companions.”

At that moment the shrill rattle of the watchman’s whistle sounded from the street outside. The person who blew it may have meant to give them some chance to escape, for the free-booters were prime favorites with all who were not strictly addicted to honorable practices. However good the guard’s intention might be, I was not willing to allow my new acquaintances to profit by it. I was bound to have for myself the credit of saving the buccaneers. Their gratitude might be of service to me.

130“Hurry,” I said. “We must barricade this corner of the room.”

Quick as thought I overturned two of the tables. All five of us began to pile up the other furniture. The landlord gaped in open-mouthed amazement at our proceeding. Whatever leniency may have been in the watchman’s mind at the moment he blew his warning whistle in the street, it all vanished as soon as he entered the room. For he and his men had no sooner crowded through the door than I hurled a heavy pewter tankard at the leader’s portly belly. It struck well and sent him sprawling on the floor.

“Quick,” I said to the pirates. “Follow me.”

The corner of the room that was enclose............