"Then let's make haste," exclaimed Eve, giving her hand to Joan, while
she turned her head to take a farewell glance in the direction where it
was probable the vessel was now waiting. "Oh, Joan! what's that?" For a
fiery arrow had seemed to shoot along the darkness, and in quick
succession came another and another.

Joan did not answer, but she seemed to catch her breath, and, clutching
hold of Eve, she made a spring up on to the wall over which they had
before been looking. And now a succession of sharp cracks were heard,
then the tongues of fire darted through the air, and again all was
gloom.

"O Lord!" groaned Joan, "I hope 'tain't nothin's gone wrong with 'em."

In an instant Eve had scrambled up by her side: "What can it be? what
could go wrong, Joan?"

But Joan's whole attention seemed now centred on the opposite cliff,
from where, a little below Hard Head, after a few minutes' watching,
Eve saw a blue light burning: this was answered by another lower down,
then a rocket was sent up, at sight of which Joan clasped her hands and
cried, "Awn, 'tis they! 'tis they! Lord save 'em! Lord help 'em! They
cursed hounds have surely played 'em false."

"What! not taken them, Joan?"

"They won't be taken," she said fiercely. "Do you think, unless 'twas
over their dead bodies, they'd ever let king's men stand masters on the
Lottery's deck?"