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practice in which this weapon was fired as the boat was rowed out stern-foremost. Then the exercise was done once more but firing grape shot with a half charge of powder, the enemy being represented by a few empty barrels. In the final phase the exercises were repeated at night, sentries ashore being told to report any sounds that they heard. “This must all be done in
silence,”
Delancey insisted. “Our lives may depend upon it!” He and Moncrieff were hard to please but the point was reached when even they were satisfied. Delancey found then that he was even beginning to gain confidence as a leader. Convincing his men that the work was vital he had forgotten to wonder what they were thinking of him. Moncrieff was a tower of strength on every occasion, quick to learn, confident and level-headed, always firm and never angry. Delancey was supremely fortunate, he realised, in his military colleague. He was lucky again in having an independent command. Had there been a more senior officer present, and one with a poor opinion of Delancey, he might have gone to pieces before the night of the actual landing. As things were he became more resolute every day Because Moncrieff believed in him he was beginning to believe in himself. He had also established his authority over Burrows, the master’s mate, Rankin the boatswain and Warren the midshipman. For the first time in his life he felt that he was really in command.
    On the evening of the 7th the last preparations were completed, arms inspected and stores checked. Delancey then told his men what they had to do. “Our task is to land Major Moncrieff at a small French harbour called La Gravelle. The place should be in the hands of French loyalists who are our friends and who expect us. We shall not be fired upon if all goes well. But we can’t be quite sure of that. When our boats go in, therefore, our guns will be ready to cover their withdrawal and we ourselves will be armed and ready to defend ourselves. Don’t shoot without orders, though. Our plan is to do what we have to do in silence and be gone again before daylight.” All hands were now given a double rum issue and then, after dark, the capstan was manned and the orders given to heave away. As soon as the anchor was a-peak Delancey called out, “Hoist the mainsail!” The men toiled on the halyards and the great sail rose and filled. “Hoist the jib!” was the next order, followed by another to the topmen, “Let fall! Sheet home!” The topsail filled in its turn, the cutter answered the helm and headed out of the bay with the waves breaking over the rocks on either side. Alderney disappeared from sight in a matter of minutes and they were alone in the darkness. Under easy sail in a light breeze, the
Royalist,
towing the longboat, slid silently through the water. It was pitch dark and Delancey had the leadsman at work as soon as he had lost sight of Alderney Approaching the enemy coast he should have felt nervous but the mere complexity of his problem kept him from thinking of any but navigational dangers. He had about 23 miles to cover and he calculated that a westerly wind and flood tide would enable him to make his landfall at about two next morning. The breeze tended to die away before midnight but freshened later. Presently the lookout in the bows reported that he could see land. It was another half hour before Delancey could see anything himself, but the dark shape of the land looked as it should do and the water was shoaling gradually as might be expected. This was La Gravelle—he felt certain of it—and a deepening of the water showed that he was in the channel. “Breakwater ahead!” said the lookout quietly and Delancey gave orders to drop the anchor. This procedure was unavoidably noisy and would certainly be audible to anyone ashore who might be awake. So Delancey ordered the man with the lantern (concealed until now) to make the signal as