nk your uncle, by this time, was much
of my way of thinking, though he's a round number of years younger than
I am."

"I'm not so sure of that," said I. "My uncle thinks a good deal of
gaining honour, and I believe he'd rather take an enemy's frigate after
a hard-fought action, than capture a Spanish galleon without a blow."

"Well, it's the proper spirit," said Hanks, with a sigh. "The revenue
service don't nourish it much, though. Take my advice; get out of it as
soon as you can; or," he continued with much feeling, "it will spoil you
otherwise, depend on it."

We continued walking the deck for some time longer. We then sat down to
rest, watching the coast, from which we were about three miles distant.

Jack was at the helm, and the rest of our people were giving a hand to
the sheets, as the wind had veered a little to the westward.

The smugglers were seemingly fast asleep, with the exception of the
skipper, who had lighted a cigar to console himself under his mishap.

CHAPTER TEN.

THE TABLES TURNED--CONSOLE MYSELF WITH THE FIDDLE--SET THE FRENCHMEN
DANCING--CAPTAIN DIDOT--MY PLACE OF IMPRISONMENT--ESCAPE--GREATER
DANGER--FRIGHTEN MY FRIENDS.

Everything was going on as tranquilly as possible. Hanks was sweeping
the horizon with his glass, looking out for the cutter, when suddenly,
without the slightest warning, I saw the sentry's pistol knocked out of
his fist, and he himself hove headlong into the sea. Away flew the
skipper's cigar, and up he jumped as lively as a cricket, and, with two
of his men, threw himself upon Hanks, who, taken unawares (his eyes
engaged in his telescope), was bundled overboard. I tried to catch him
by the leg, but his old blue trousers tore in my grasp, and a big
Frenchman dealt me such a blow on the head that I was for an instant
stunned.

When I came to my senses, I saw the wherry dropping astern, and the
Frenchmen, with pump-handles and boat-hooks, striking at the poor
fellows they had hove overboard, with the foul intent of drowning them.
I observed that somebody was in the wherry, for her sails were being
hoisted, and I was bolting aft for the purpose of jumping into the water
and swimming to her, when the skipper caught me by the arm. "Stay, my
little fellow," he exclaimed; "we don't want to hurt you, and don't want
witnesses to this work. You must go with us."

While he was speaking, some of the smugglers had got hold of the muskets
which our people had brou