ad arrived with orders from Sir Sidney Smith for them to
rejoin him.

"You have done exceedingly well," the latter said in his letter. "The
pashas both of Smyrna and Rhodes have written to me expressing their
admiration at the work that you have accomplished, and indeed your
report of the number of pirate vessels taken or destroyed speaks for
itself."

They were not sorry at the receipt of the order. During the past month
they had only made two or three captures, and these were craft of small
size, and they were well content to give up their independent life, and
return to regular duty. A week later they made out the _Tigre_ lying off
the Damietta mouth of the Nile. The man-of-war signalled to them to
anchor near her. As soon as they did so Wilkinson went on board.

"I am glad to see you back, Mr. Wilkinson," Sir Sidney said cordially.
"You have fully justified my confidence in your energy and discretion.
The pashas write to me saying that piracy seems to be completely
suppressed, and that it is two months since either of them received a
complaint of a vessel being chased or missing. Therefore, as I wanted
you here, where we have not half enough ships for the work, I thought it
as well to recall you. Your craft seems," he went on, as he surveyed the
_Tigress_ through his glass, "a good deal lower in the water than she
was?"

"Yes, sir, she is down nearly two feet and a half. I reported to you
that we gained a considerable amount of booty at Astropalaia, and of
course we have added gradually to that, but never had anything like so
good a haul. The hold up to the level of the main deck is full."

"Full of what, Mr. Wilkinson?"

"Miscellaneous cargo, sir--dried fruit, Manchester goods, and Eastern
goods of all sorts. I have not taken an exact inventory of them, sir,
for we were generally pressed for time, and I thought that the things
were less likely to be damaged if I did not open the bales. I really do
not know exactly what we have got, but there is certainly a good deal of
silk and a quantity of embroidered things."

"That sounds well, anyhow," Sir Sidney said, smiling, "but I am afraid
that it will not turn out so well for you personally as it ought to do.
You see the craft herself was a prize of the _Tigre_, and her officers
and crew are still borne on our books; therefore, although you were
detached on altogether independent work, you still rank as a tender of
the _Tigre_, and we all share with you, and inde