sly.

The Frenchmen had counted without their host.

"We'll float her, my hearties!" cried Wright. "All hands ashore in
the small boats. Tie hawsers to her stern and pull her off!"

This they did, while the French captain, far back in the brush, saw it
and fairly boiled with disappointment and rage.

"Zees Wright," he blustered. "One cannot outweet heem."

So the privateer was towed into the harbor of Leghorn, where all the
English merchants cried:

"Good! Good! Now we have a true man to fight our battles! Huzzah for
Fortunatus Wright!"

The French were furious, while at the island of Malta (where were
numerous French, Spanish, Austrian and English traders) the feeling
grew intense. Here the Austrians sided with the English and several
duels were fought by angry officers, as crafty Fortunatus Wright
continued to send in his prizes.

Finally the French merchants forwarded a missive to Marseilles, in
France, which ran:

"Can the French be further humiliated by this corsair--this
robber--Fortunatus Wright? Let our people fit out a privateer
sufficiently large to cope with him, and let her defeat and cripple
this fellow. Make haste, for he is doing much damage!"

An answer came back.

"Before a month is gone, Monsieur Wright will no more harass your
privateers. What we have determined to do, we shall do!"

Word of this was brought to Captain Fortunatus Wright and he only
smiled broadly. "There'll be another ship to bring into Malta, care
of F. Wright, Esq.," said he. "And it will be labelled Collect on
Delivery."

Not three weeks later the French vessel came jauntily into the harbor
of Malta. The captain was a man of considerable repute as a seaman and
fighter, and he was warmly received by the French. They invited him to
many dinners.

"Voila!" said they. "Here is the fellow to do the tr-e-e-k. Tenez!
There will soon be one b-e-eg mince pie we-eth Captain Wright eenside.
Ha! Ha!"

It is never well to count your chickens before they hatch or to pat a
man upon the back before he has won a victory.

Eagerly the French captain cruised outside, continually upon the watch
for slippery Skipper Wright. His vessel was superior to the _Fame_ in
numbers of both guns and men. He was sure of victory. "If only the
hated Englishman would appear!" he grumbled.

Meanwhile the excitement and expectation at Malta became intense.
Finally it was noised abroad that the terrible privateer had been
sighted about five miles