ptain," replied the oldest of them, with a courteous salute, "you
have paid us every attention; you have been extremely active in saving
our lives, and we return you our sincere thanks."

"Yes, indeed," replied a young and handsome man who stood next him, "Mr
Elrington has saved us from the toils of our enemies; but now that we
are in no fear from that quarter, I must tell him that we have hardly
had a mouthful of food for twenty-four hours, and if he wishes to save
our lives a second time, it will be by ordering a good breakfast to be
prepared for us."

"Campbell speaks the truth, my dear Sir," said the one who had first
spoken. "We have lately gained the knowledge of what it is to hunger
and thirst; and we all join in his request."

"You shall not wait long," I replied; "I will be up again in a moment or
two." I went down into the cabin, and, ordering my servant to put on
the table a large piece of pressed Hamburg beef; a cold pie of various
flesh and fowl combined, some bread and cheese, and some bottles of
brandy and usquebaugh, I then went up again, and requested them all to
descend. Hungry they certainly were, and it was incredible the quantity
that they devoured. I should have imagined that they had not been fed
for a week and I thought that if they were to consume at that rate, my
stock would never last out, and the sooner they were landed the better.
As soon as they left off eating, and had finished two bottles of
usquebaugh, I said to them, "Gentlemen, my orders are to land you at any
port of France that you should prefer. Have you made up your minds as
to which it shall be, for it will be necessary that we shape a course
according to your decision?"

"Mr Elrington, on that point we would wish to advise with you. I
hardly need say that our object is to escape, and that falling in with
and being captured by a ship of war, and there are many out in pursuit
of us and other unfortunate adherents to the house of Stuart, would be
extremely disagreeable, as our heads and our bodies would certainly part
company, if we were taken. Now, which port do you think we should be
most likely to reach with least chance of interruption?"

"I think," I replied, "as you pay me the compliment to ask my opinion,
that it would be better to run down the Bay of Biscay, and then put in
the port of Bordeaux, or any other, where you could be landed in safety;
and my reason is this: the Channel is full of cruisers looking after