CHAPTER SIX.
HAUNTED BY THE SCRAW.
The weather interfered with the prosecution of the boys' adventure for a week, and during that time, what with wind and rain, they had nothing to tempt them to the cliff but the sight of a large French three-masted lugger or _chasse-maree_, which was driven by the gale and currents dangerously near the Crag: so near, in fact, that old Daygo and nearly every fisherman in the place hung about the cliffs in full expectation of seeing the unfortunate vessel strike upon one or other of the rocks and go to pieces, when all on board must have inevitably been drowned, the height of the sea making it madness to attempt to launch a boat.
But, to the relief of all, the swift vessel was so cleverly managed that she finally crept through an extremely dangerous passage, and then, catching a cross current, was borne right out to where she could weather the northern point of the island, and disappeared into the haze.
"There, young gentlemen," said old Daygo in a stentorian voice, "that's seamanship! But she'd no business to come so near the Crag in weather like this.

Wouldn't ha' like to be aboard o' she just now, would you ?" "No," said Vince; "nor you neither ?" "Hey?
Why, that's just what I've been a-wishing these two hours past, my lad.

I could ha' took her out o' danger long enough before; but them Frenchies don't know our island like I do.

Why, I feel sometimes as if I could smell where the rocks are, and I could steer a boat by touch, like, even if it was black as the inside of a tar-barrel in the middle of the night." It sounded like empty boasting, but the words were seriously received by the rough men around.
"Ay, ay," said one fat, heavy-looking fellow; "Joe Daygo knows.

I wouldn't ha' been aboard her fer no money." "Been thinking you'd eat no more byled lobster--eh, Jemmy Carnach ?" said Daygo, with a hoarse laugh; and the man gave him a surly look and sauntered away.
"I say," said Mike, as soon as the lads were alone; "old Joe is really a good sort of fellow after all.