I don't see anything, except that we are in a very awkward scrape,"
interposed the other. "It will be madness to attempt to make the
passage with such a handful as we have at present. If there came a
gale, or we fall in with a French or Spanish cruiser--" He paused,
unwilling to put his thoughts into words.

"'Twouldn't be pleasant, for sartain," observed Jennings.

"But, then, if we put back to England--for I know no hands are to be had
at Madeira, we should be quite as likely to encounter a storm, or a
Frenchman."

"A good deal more like," assented the quartermaster.

"And there would be the loss and delay, and the blame would be safe to
be laid on me," continued the captain, following out his own thoughts
rather than replying to his companion's observations. "No, we must go
on. But then, where are we to pick up any fresh hands?"

"We shall be off the Canaries this evening, cap'en," said Jennings.
"We've been running along at a spanking rate with this wind all night.
The peak's in sight even now."

"The Canaries are no good, Jennings. The Dons are at war with us, you
know. And though there are no ships of war in the harbour at Santa
Cruz, they'd fire upon us from the batteries if we attempted to hold
communication with the shore."

"They ain't always so particular, are they, sir?" asked the sailor.

"Perhaps not, Jennings. But the Dons here have never forgiven the
attack made on them seven or eight years ago, by Nelson."

"Well, sir, they might have forgiven that, seeing as they got the best
of it I was in that, sir--b'longed to the _Foxy_ and was one of Nelson's
boat's crew, and we got nothing out of the Dons but hard knocks and no
ha'pence that time."

"That's true. But you see Nelson has done them so much harm since, that
the damage they did him then seems very little comfort to them. No, we
mustn't attempt anything at the Canaries."

"Very good, sir. Then go on to the Cape Verdes. If this wind holds, we
shall soon be there, and the Cape Verdes don't belong to the Dons."

"No; to the Portuguese. Well, I believe that will be best. I have
received information that the French and Spanish fleets are off Cape
Trafalgar; and our fellows are likely to have a brush with them soon, if
they haven't had it already."

"Indeed, sir! Well, Admiral Nelson ain't likely to leave many of 'em to
follow us to the Cape. We're pretty safe from them, anyhow."

"You're right there, I expect, Jennings," said