Within a few yards of the wreck a schooner was anchored containing a guard of twenty men with a field piece and rocket, provided for precisely such danger as now drew near.

But on this night, of all others, the sentinels were dozing, for had they been vigilant they must have seen the little craft whose crew saw theirs and were on the _qui vive_ to board on the instant of discovery.
The good fortune encouraged all hands, and as the schooner and wreck melted into the darkness the launch swept around a bend in the river and caught the glimmer of the camp fires along the banks, partly extinguished by the falling rain.

Still creeping cautiously on, the outlines of the prodigious ram gradually assumed form in the gloom.

It looked as if the surprise would be complete, when a dog, more watchful than his masters, began barking.

He had discovered the approaching danger, and the startled sentinels challenged, but no reply was made.