There was no longer need for silence, and our tongues wagged merrily at the thought of our escape.  The galliot was, like all Dutch craft, of great beam, with bluff bows and an ugly square stern.  She would, we had little doubt, prove a good sea boat, but sluggish in a light wind.  As it was, the steady breeze was just strong enough to make her lively, and it was with satisfaction that we saw the dim outline of the low-lying coast get fainter and fainter.