An hour passed.

The schooner and the brig were now within about four miles of the nearest point of the island, and still there were no signs of the English ship.

Presently he heard voices behind him, and two French sailors came up.

Ralph was now free to return, but he thought he had better wait until the brig and schooner reached a point where they would be hidden by the island from the sight of any-one who might be watching on the hill six miles away.
In another half-hour they had reached this point.

No signs had been seen of the frigate, and Ralph felt sure that she must have been anchored in some bay whose headland prevented her seeing the approaching craft; for had she noticed them she would assuredly have set out to intercept them before they reached the island, which lay almost dead to windward of them.