Waterbury evening Democrat., 1892-11-22

 steady her, the tide being at flow and the sea choppy, drew her stern to the ships side with a boat-hook.
 The four officers, who for the last five minutes had been ominously silent, and were looking very white about the gills, climbed up the gangway one after the other.
 "Aren't you coming, M. Roy?" asked Lacluse, who was the last to leave the smack.
 'In moment," I answered; but l told the boy in an undertone to cast the boat loose. He obeyed without a word; her head swung round, and then, drop ping the boat-hook, I seized the tiller and put the Fee before the wind.
 "Where are you going, M. Roy? Where are you going? Come back! Come back, or will fire!'' shouted La cluse, taking a marines musket and running aft.
 answered the threat-fol1owed the next moment by a harmless shot-by ordering the boy to hoist the jib; and, as he seemed to hesitate, I told him that if he did not obey on the instant would throw him overheard.
 The jib went up.
 I had little to fear from the Jemmapes' guns. She had no swivels aft, and as l kept the smack in line with the war ships stern she could not, without weighing and making sail, bring her broadside guns to bear on me.
 What did fear was being chased. The Jammapes' long-boat, under sail, and manned by dozen stout rowers, could easily overhaul the smack. Never Ie 3y, ' had good start. To lower the long boat, step the mast and get her fairly under way would be an affair of ten or fifteen minutes. Night was coming on, the wind still freshening, the sea get ting rougher every minute. In these circumstances the long-boat was not likely to chase me long; her crew would have to think about getting back-no easy task against a strong head-wind- and after sundown they would be just as likely to fall in with an English cruiser as to overhaul me. Capt. Cavaroc was not the man to expose an officer and boats crew to the risk of being lost or taken on the mere chance of re- capturing an escaped prisoner of war. He would rightly think the game was not worth the candle.
 hC dGGClupO WdS3 11O"0VcSS A1dOC b1U- CT delay which ascribed to Cavaroc's reluctance to comply with Lacluse' re- quest to sent a boat after me. And then what had anticipated happened. For awhile the boat gained on the smack; but when it became evident that she could not come up with me be- fore dark she put about, and saw her no more.
 falf 1-afhnT. for To0111Ca Ha had undoubtedly committed an error of judgment in not seeing me on board the Jemmapes before he left the smack; and when he gave Bonaparte an ac- count of my escape he would have to pass 8 very bad quarter of an hour-perhaps be placed under arrest; for the Little Corporal had no mercy on people who made mistakes.
 But, though I had escaped, was a long way from being out of danger. had intended to steer straight for the English coast, and recloned on making 1t by sunrise the following morning; but the wind, which had been blowing steadily sou'east by east, veered to nor'east by north. It was horribly cold, and I was thinly clad and drenched with spray; I was hungry, and we had no lOOuS It was 11OOu1SSS duO SGttE1cSSS and I had neither compass nor lantern. All could do was to double-reef the | lug sail, put my trust in Providence, and run before the wind.
 The boy, whose name I found was Alphonse, had almost lost all the little wit he ever possessed. He was stupid with cold and fear, talked about his mother, and prayed piteously to his patron saint. I reproached myself fol having made him the involuntary com panion of my voyage; but there was nothing else for it, and, as I told him again and again, I fully intended tc send him back to Boulogne on the first | opportunity. Alphonse, however, re fused to be comforted. He had quite l made up his mind that if the smack were not swamped during the night he | would perish of cold before morning. l I had not much fear of being swamped. The Fee was a splendid lit tie sea boat, quite capable of living through the gale. The fear was that we might be blown a long way out tc sea~the which, as we had neither fooC nor compass, would be decidedly un pleasant-or run down; the latter being the greater danger of the two, for w' were on the track of both outward an( homeward bound merchantmen, ant cruisers and privateers, both Englisl and French. I had no light of any de scription, and it was so dark that
 could see naught save the dim outline of the lug sail, the black heaving water
 and, now and then, the crest of a wav'
 as 1t broke over the bows. All m,
 faculties were on the stretch, watching
 the boat, peering into the night, ant
 listening for voices, or for whateve
 might warn me of the approach of 1
 passing ship.
 Alphonse lay huddled up at my feet
 covered with a piece of old sail clotl which he had found in some corner. Thus the night wore on. Never did long so fervently for daylight. Endu1 ance has it's limits, and I began to fee
 that could not hold out much longer was continually drenched with ice