"As
though English sailors could not move without Frenchmen to help
them!"
"Some of them took pilots aboard; indeed they were sent to them,
and had no choice. But I must not get confused, and confuse you,
Corinne. I'll just tell you what we did ourselves.
"We heard a great talk going on on board one of the transport boats
called the Goodwill, which was almost in the van of the fleet, I
suppose because the old sailing master, Killick, was so good a
seaman; and so they had sent a pilot out to her, and he was
jabbering away at a great rate--"
"Just like all the Frenchies!" cut in Paul; "calling out that he
would never have acted pilot to an English ship except under
compulsion, and declaring that it was a dismal tale the survivors
would take to their own country--that Canada should be the grave of
the whole army, and the St. Lawrence should bury beneath its waves
nine-tenths of the British ships, and that the walls of Quebec
should be lined with English scalps!"
"The wretch!" cried Corinne. "I wonder the sailors did not throw
him overboard to find his own grave!"
"I verily believe they would have done so, had it not been for
strict orders from the Admiral that the pilots were to be well
treated," answered Arthur. "Our English Admirals and officers are
all like that: they will never have any advantage taken of helpless
prisoners.
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