Gervaise, no doubt Daly has hoisted her as a symbol. Ay, no
doubt the ship is the Minerva, after all, for there's something on the
head like a helmet."

"It never can be the Minerva," said the vice-admiral, positively, "for
_she_, I feel certain, is a frigate. Hand me the little book with a red
cover, Bunting; that near your hand; it has a list of the enemy's navy.
Here it is, '_la Minerve_, 32, _le capitaine de fregate, Mondon_. Built
in 1733, old and dull.' That settles the Minerva, for this list is the
last sent us by the admiralty."

"Then it must be the Pallas," rejoined Greenly, "for she wears a helmet,
too, and I am certain there is not only a cap to resemble a helmet, but
a Guernsey frock on the body to represent armour. Both Minerva and
Pallas, if I remember right, wore armour."

"This is coming nearer to the point,--hey! Greenly!" the vice-admiral
innocently chimed in; "let us look and see if the Pallas is a two-decker
or not. By George, there's no such name on the list. That's odd, now,
that the French should have one of these goddesses and not the other!"

"They never has any thing right, Sir Jarvy," Galleygo thrust in, by way
of commentary on the vice-admiral's and the captain's classical lore;
"and it's surprising to me that they should have any goddess at all,
seeing that they has so little respect for religion, in general."

Wycherly fidgeted, but respect for his superiors kept him silent. As for
Bunting, 'twas all the same to him, his father having been a purser in
the navy, and he himself educated altogether on board ship, and this,
too, a century since.

"It might not be amiss, Sir Gervaise," observed the captain, "to work
this rule backwards, and just look over the list until we find a
two-decked ship that _ought_ to have a woman figure-head, which will
greatly simplify the matter. I've known difficult problems solved in
that mode."

The idea struck Sir Gervaise as a good one, and he set about the
execution of the project in good earnest. Just as he came to _l'Hecate_,
64, an exclamation from Greenly caught his attention, and he inquired
its cause.

"Look for yourself, Sir Gervaise; unless my eyes are good for nothing,
Daly is running a kedge up alongside of his woman."

"What, a kedge?--Ay, that is intended for an anchor, and it means Hope.
Every body knows that Hope carries an anchor,--hey! Wychecombe? Upon my
word, Daly shows ingenuity. Look for the Hope, in that list,
Bunting,--you wi