all, are my officers asleep, that we are
sailing up and down here month after month without doing anything?
Here, Mr Murray, what are you thinking about, sir?"

The lad started, for his chief had suddenly fired his question at him
like a shot.

"Well, sir, why don't you answer my question?"

"I beg your pardon, sir," replied Murray now. "I was thinking."

"Yes, sir, you were thinking," cried the captain passionately. "I know
you were thinking, and saying to yourself that you had a most
unreasonable captain."

Murray was silent, and the first lieutenant and the other midshipman,
after exchanging a glance, fixed their eyes upon the monotonous shore.

"Do you hear me, sir?" thundered the captain, as if he were speaking to
the lookout at the mast-head instead of the lad close to him. "That was
what you were thinking, was it not? Come: the truth."

He bent forward to gaze straight into the boy's eyes as if determined to
get an answer.

"Yes, sir," said the lad desperately, "something of that sort;" and then
to himself, "Oh, murder! I'm in for it now!"

"Yes, I knew you were, Mr Murray," cried the captain. "Thank you. I
like my junior officers to speak out truthfully and well. Makes us
place confidence in them, Mr Anderson, eh?"

"Yes, sir," growled the chief officer, "but it isn't always pleasant."

"Quite right, Mr Anderson, and it sounds like confounded impudence,
too. But we're wasting time, and it is valuable. I'm going to have
that schooner found. The sea's as smooth as an inland lake, so man and
lower down the cutters. You take the first cutter, Mr Anderson, Munday
the second. Row or sail to north and south as the wind serves, and I'll
stand out a bit to see that you don't start the game so that it escapes.
You young gentlemen had better go with the boats."

Murray glanced at the old officer, and to the question in his eyes there
came a nod by way of answer.

"You always have the luck, Franky," grumbled Roberts, as soon as they
were alone.

"Nonsense! You have as good a chance as I have of finding the
schooner."

"What, with prosy old Munday! Why, he'll most likely go to sleep."

"So much the better for you. You can take command of the boat and
discover the schooner's hiding-place."

"Of course. Board her, capture the Spanish--"

"Or Yankee," said Murray.

"Captain!" snapped out Roberts. "Oh yes, I know. Bother! I do get so
tired of all this."

Tired or no, the young man se