come out."

"D'ye think, sir, that they chaps was deceiving of us?" said Jack.
"They be up to all sorts of dodges."

"Oh, hang it, no; I hope not," answered Hanks, with considerable doubt,
notwithstanding, in his tone. "The Commander cross-questioned them a
great deal too close for them to deceive us. We shall see the right
craft by-and-by."

We were soon convinced, however, that the lugger in sight was a _chasse
maree_. She hauled her wind, and stood along shore. Had she observed
us she would probably have had no little suspicion of our business out
there.

After watching for the lugger to no purpose for three hours or more, the
moon rose out of the dark water, and gave us a wider range of vision.
Hour after hour passed away, and still she did not appear. We began at
last to be afraid either that the smugglers had deceived us, or that she
had slipped out and passed us unobserved. As our blockade might be
somewhat long, Hanks divided the crew into watches; he taking command of
one, and I of the other. When it was my turn to sleep, I rested as
soundly as I usually did in my own berth, though I dreamed that I had
caught sight of Myers, and that I was chasing him round and round the
world with a pair of ten-league boots on my legs. How he kept ahead of
me I could not tell. Hanks awoke me to take some breakfast, and then
let me go to sleep again, for I was so drowsy that I could not keep my
eyes open. While I was still more asleep than awake, I heard Jack's
voice exclaim--

"That's her, sir, I'll take my davy."

"Yes, that's her, and no mistake, this time," added Hanks.

I was on my feet in a moment, and looking towards the French coast, I
saw a lugger about two miles off, running down to us. All hands were on
the alert, and every preparation was made to ensure the success of our
enterprise. We hauled our wind, and steered a course so as to intercept
her, without, if possible, exciting the suspicion of the smugglers till
we were alongside. As the sea was perfectly smooth and the wind light,
we should have no difficulty in getting on board. Hanks, Jack, and I
alone showed ourselves; the rest were ordered to lie down in the bottom
of the boat. The lugger, we could see, was heavily laden, and her
general appearance betokened her to be French.

"Remember, my lads, we shall have to give and take some hard blows; but
sharp's the word, and she'll be ours before her people know what we are
after," exclaime