navigation,
I never forgot.

Towards sunset that afternoon, when we were entering the Bay of Biscay,
the lookout man on the foretopsail yard hailed the deck.

"Sail in sight, sir!" he sang out loudly. "She's on our port bow, sir."

"All right," answered the officer of the watch, Mr Jellaby, who was up
on the poop and I below on the quarter-deck at the time; and then,
turning to the yeoman of signals, he cried, "Signalman, a vessel's in
sight on our port bow, go and look at her and see what she is."

"Ay, ay, sir," replied the seaman, putting his telescope to his eye;
when, scanning in the direction pointed out to him, he soon made out the
ship. "She appears like a strange man-of-war, sir."

"Very well," said Mr Jellaby. "Watch her till you can make her out
perfectly."

In another minute or two, the signalman made the result of his second
scrutiny known.

"She's a French man-of-war and is making for Brest, I think, sir."

"Ah!" exclaimed "Joe," having a look at her, too, with his binocular.
"Hoist the ensign!"

This was done; but, the stranger made no sign, until, gradually
approaching each other all the while, she was about three miles off,
when she displayed the gallant tricolour flag of France.

"Signalman," sang out Mr Jellaby on seeing this, "Dip the colours!"

Our ensign was thereupon raised and lowered from the peak three times in
succession, according to the usual nautical etiquette observed on such
occasions, the other ship returning the compliment in like fashion; and
we were just passing each other, she crossing our bows and sailing away
right before the wind on our starboard beam, when, all of a sudden, she
brought up, backing her maintopsail and firing a gun at the same time to
attract our attention.

"By Jove, she wants to speak us; something must be up!" said the
commander who had come on deck in the meanwhile. "Go below, Vernon, and
tell the cap'en at once."

CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

"MAN OVERBOARD!"

"Confound those mounseers," I heard Mr Stormcock say to the master as I
came out from Captain Farmer's cabin. "I wonder what they want to stop
us for now, just as we were getting clear of Ushant? It's sure to bring
us bad luck!"

"By jingo, it is a nuisance bringing us up like this," chorused Mr
Quadrant, a fellow-grumbler of the same kidney. "We might have carried
on as we were standing, if those blessed Parlyvoos, had only let us
alone; while now, when we do make a start again, th