Part 35 (1/2)

The lookout on board instantly sang out, ”Starboard har-r-r-d-! beacon ahead!” and Ruby looked up in surprise, just as the _Smeaton_ emerged like a phantom-s.h.i.+p out of the fog. Her sails fluttered as she came up to the wind, and the crew were seen hurrying to and fro in much alarm.

Mr Stevenson himself stood on the quarterdeck of the little vessel, and waved his hand to a.s.sure those on the beacon that they had sheered off in time, and were safe.

This incident tended to strengthen the engineer in his opinion that the two large bells which were being cast for the lighthouse, to be rung by the machinery of the revolving light, would be of great utility in foggy weather.

While the _Smeaton_ was turning away, as if with a graceful bow to the men on the rock, Ruby shouted:

”There are letters here for you, sir.”

The mate of the vessel called out at once, ”Send them off in the sh.o.r.e-boat; we'll lay-to.”

No time was to be lost, for if the _Smeaton_ should get involved in the fog it might be very difficult to find her; so Ruby at once ran for the letters, and, hailing the sh.o.r.e-boat which lay quite close at hand, jumped into it and pushed off.

They boarded the _Smeaton_ without difficulty and delivered the letters.

Instead of returning to the beacon, however, Ruby was ordered to hold himself in readiness to go to Arbroath in the sh.o.r.e-boat with a letter from Mr Stevenson to the superintendent of the workyard.

”You can go up and see your friends in the town, if you choose,” said the engineer, ”but be sure to return by tomorrow's forenoon tide. We cannot dispense with your services longer than a few hours, my lad, so I shall expect you to make no unnecessary delay.”

”You may depend upon me, sir,” said Ruby, touching his cap, as he turned away and leaped into the boat.

A light breeze was now blowing, so that the sails could be used. In less than a quarter of an hour sloop and beacon were lost in the fog, and Ruby steered for the harbour of Arbroath, overjoyed at this unexpected and happy turn of events, which gave him an opportunity of solving the mystery of the letters, and of once more seeing the sweet face of Minnie Gray.

But an incident occurred which delayed these desirable ends, and utterly changed the current of Ruby's fortunes for a time.

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX.

A SUDDEN AND TREMENDOUS CHANGE IN RUBY'S FORTUNES.

What a variety of appropriate aphorisms there are to express the great truths of human experience! ”There is many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip” is one of them. Undoubtedly there is. So is there ”many a miss of a sweet little kiss.” ”The course of true love,” also, ”never did run smooth.” Certainly not. Why should it? If it did we should doubt whether the love were true. Our own private belief is that the course of true love is always uncommonly rough, but collective human wisdom has seen fit to put the idea in the negative form. So let it stand.

Ruby had occasion to reflect on these things that day, but the reflection afforded him no comfort whatever.

The cause of his inconsolable state of mind is easily explained.

The boat had proceeded about halfway to Arbroath when they heard the sound of oars, and in a few seconds a s.h.i.+p's gig rowed out of the fog towards them. Instead of pa.s.sing them the gig was steered straight for the boat, and Ruby saw that it was full of men-of-war's men.

He sprang up at once and seized an oar.

”Out oars!” he cried. ”Boys, if ever you pulled hard in your lives, do so now. It's the press-gang!”

Before those few words were uttered the two men had seized the oars, for they knew well what the press-gang meant, and all three pulled with such vigour that the boat shot over the smooth sea with double speed. But they had no chance in a heavy fis.h.i.+ng boat against the picked crew of the light gig. If the wind had been a little stronger they might have escaped, but the wind had decreased, and the small boat overhauled them yard by yard.

Seeing that they had no chance, Ruby said, between his set teeth:

”Will ye fight, boys?”

”_I_ will,” cried Davy Spink sternly, for Davy had a wife and little daughter on sh.o.r.e, who depended entirely on his exertions for their livelihood, so he had a strong objection to go and fight in the wars of his country.