is, sir, plain enough. Well, if she means fight, sir,
you mean business, I suppose?"

"Of course," said the doctor sternly; "and I am quite sure that we can
depend upon the Count's help."

"Ay, ay, sir; but it's a bad job the brig can't manoeuvre at all."

"But I should say," said the doctor, "that when these men see how firm
we are and well prepared, they will prove peaceable enough."

As it proved in a short time after colours had been hoisted, those of
the French brig being raised upon a spare spar, the stranger came
steadily on in the most peaceable way till the tide had carried her
within reasonable distance of the schooner's anchorage, when an order
rang out, an anchor was lowered with a splash, and as she swung slowly
round, a light boat was dropped from the davits, and a swarthy-looking
Spaniard, who seemed to be an officer if not the skipper of the
swift-looking raking craft, had himself rowed alongside the schooner. A
brief colloquy took place in which questions and answers freely passed,
Captain Chubb speaking out frankly as to the object of their mission
there, an avowal hardly necessary, for the appearance of the brig with
the newly-cut hole, and her position, told its own story.

The Spanish skipper, for so he proved to be, was just as free in his
announcements as soon as he found that the brig and schooner were
friendly vessels, and began to explain that he was on a trading
expedition, that there was a king of the country up there, a great black
chief, who had a large town, and that he came from time to time with
stores to barter, which he always did with great advantage, going away
afterwards pretty well laden with palm-oil and sundries, which the
blacks always had waiting for his annual visit, these sundries
including, he said, with a meaning laugh, ostrich feathers, choice dye
woods, ivory, and a little gold.

He spoke strongly accented but very fair English, and made no scruple
about coming on board the schooner and examining her critically as he
talked.

"I thought at first, captain, that you had found out my private trading
port and were going to be a rival;" whereupon the doctor began chatting
freely with him and asking questions about the natural products of the
place; and Rodd listened eagerly, drinking in the replies made by the
Spanish captain as soon as he thoroughly realised the object of the
schooner's visit and the bearing of the doctor's questions.

He soon became eagerly commu