He saw from the exultation in the faces of the
Frenchmen that they considered their position was impregnable, and he
shuddered at the thought of the terrible carnage that would ensue if
the boats of the English vessels should try to force an entrance. The
following morning a lookout on the cliffs reported that two boats had
left the ships and were rowing toward the shore. On reaching the foot
of the cliffs they rowed along abreast at a distance of thirty or
forty yards of the shores. They stopped rowing at the mouth of the
entrance, and were suddenly hailed by the captain of the schooner, who
was standing on the cliff above.
"If you try to enter," he said, "you will be destroyed at once. We
don't want to harm you if you will leave us alone; but we have guns
enough to blow a whole fleet out of water, and will use them if we are
driven to it."
"Thank you for your warning," a voice shouted back from the boats, and
then an order was given, and they rowed back to the ships.
"Well, have you found the place, Lieutenant Pearson?" the captain of
the frigate asked as the young lieutenant stepped on deck.
"Yes, sir, we have found it. It is just where the boat turned and came
out again."
"I can see no signs of it now," the captain said, examining the shore
with his telescope.
"No, sir; you wouldn't until you were within a hundred yards of it.
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