town one day several weeks before. But no one had fallen in with them,
or had heard anything about them since that date. I was still
prosecuting my inquiries, when the British fleet, under Sir Home Popham,
on its way, as I learned, to make an attack on the Dutch at the Cape of
Good Hope, sailed into the harbour.

"Fortunately for me, I was an old messmate of the Admiral's, and he was
interested in my story. Moreover, I knew the Cape well, as was the
case, I found, with very few of the officers of the squadron. Sir Home
offered me the command of the _Celaeno_, a fine frigate, the captain of
which had died suddenly. I, of course, gladly accepted it, and was
enabled to render some service."

"Ah, you were present at the taking of the Cape," said Mr De Walden.
"Did the Dutch offer a determined resistance?"

"No," said Captain Wilmore. "I suppose the experience of the last
campaign disheartened them. But certainly it was a very hollow affair.
Governor Jansens seemed to me to have given it up as a bad job from the
first. There was hardly enough resistance to make it any fight at all.
But something did happen to me, nevertheless, in Simon's Bay which was
exciting enough."

"What was that, sir?" asked Ernest. "You did not encounter the
_Hooghly_, I suppose?"

"Ah, but I did though," said Captain Wilmore, "the _Hooghly_ herself, as
large as life. The scoundrels had knocked away her figure-head, and
painted her, name and all, anew; but I knew her in a moment, as well as
I know my own face. We hailed her, and the moment they saw me on the
quarter-deck, they cut their cable, and tried to run for it. But we
were just entering the harbour, prepared for action, and sent such a
broadside into her as knocked all the mischief out of her in a jiffey.
O'Hara was killed, and White mortally wounded, and as for Andy Duncan,
he was run up to the yardarm and hanged the next morning. The others
were put into irons, and received various sentences. Some had seven
dozen. Others were simply dismissed and sent home."

"Did you learn on board the _Hooghly_ what had befallen us?" asked
Warley.

"Yes, my lad, to my great satisfaction I did. One of the sailors came
to me on the morning of Duncan's execution, and told me all that had
happened, so far that is, as he knew it. But he could tell me nothing,
of course, as to what had become of you after your escape from the ship.
All he knew was that you had appeared suddenly on deck