omething to eat. Two or three of the
men, following his example, had gone below, with the same object in
view. Dick, who was standing on the lugger's forecastle, with his eye
turned towards the cutter, suddenly saw a flash, though there was no
report. This was immediately followed by shouts and oaths.

"Starboard!" he cried out to the man at the helm; "there's something
going wrong on board the cutter."

The lugger was just then feeling the breeze, and forging ahead. This
brought her bows close to the cutter's side. Dick could see that a
struggle was going on around the main hatchway, up which a number of
figures were forcing themselves. His cries brought the lugger's men
forward. To lash the two vessels together was the work of a moment, and
then he, with five of his shipmates, leaped down on the cutter's deck.
Their arrival turned the scales in favour of the crew, who, surprised by
a sudden uprising of the French prisoners, were struggling hard to keep
them down, several having incautiously unbuckled their cutlasses while
engaged in repairing the rigging. Lieutenant Mason and Lord Reginald
were aft, at supper. So sudden and silent had been the rising, that
they had only just before reached the scene of action when the lugger
ran alongside. "Thank you, Voules; you came in the nick of time," cried
Lieutenant Mason, when the Frenchmen were forced below.

Voules made no reply. He had been busily engaged in the lugger's cabin,
and was not aware of what had taken place until all was over.

"It was this here lad, sir, who did it," exclaimed the seaman who had
received the blow aimed at Dick's shoulders; "he see'd what was
happening. If it hadn't been for him, no one else would have found it
out."

"Thank you, Richard Hargrave; that is the second time to-day you have
rendered me good service," said Lieutenant Mason.

"Richard Hargrave!" said Lord Reginald; "he is the last person I should
have thought likely to do anything worthy of praise."

"Depend upon it, your lordship will find there is something in that lad,
if he has the opportunity of proving it," observed Lieutenant Mason.

No lives had been lost in the outbreak. Order was quickly restored, the
lashings cast off, and the lugger's crew returning to her, the two
vessels pursued their course as before. The Frenchmen now saw that all
hope of escape was gone, and quietly submitted to their fate.

The night was sufficiently light to enable the cutter