d into the cabin.

"Vell, you are, _bon garcon_, one merry fellow," he said, laughing.
"You make good use of my violin."

"I am fond of music, and play when I can," I answered in an indifferent
tone; "but I'm tired now, and intend to go to sleep."

"Well, but I have come to take you on deck to play to my people," said
he. "They are pleased with you, and it will be better for you if you
do."

"What! you ask me to play for the amusement of the men who have been
ill-treating my shipmates, and murdering them, for what I know to the
contrary," I answered, indignantly. "No! I played for my own
amusement, and do not intend to play any more."

"Your shipmates attacked us first; and besides, my little man, we have
not murdered them, or done them much harm either, except depriving them
of your company, and of a few muskets and pistols," he answered. "Take
my advice: be as obliging as you can; they will be civil to you in
return."

"Well, monsieur, I believe you are right," I replied. "If they really
have not hurt my brother officer and our men, I will fiddle for them as
long as they like."

Saying this, I followed him on deck, where I seated myself on the
companion-hatch; and as I played away, in spite of the tumbling of the
little vessel in the heavy sea running, all the Frenchmen, including
Monsieur Didot, kept skipping, and jumping, and whirling about, hugging
each other like bears, and shouting with glee at having saved their
cargo from the clutches of the revenue people. We were standing,
close-hauled, towards the French coast. I looked anxiously for the
wherry, for I thought Hanks would have followed; but she was nowhere in
sight. One of the Englishmen was at the helm, and the other two were
forward. They were sulky brutes, and seemed much more bitter against me
than were the Frenchmen. Whenever I ceased playing, the skipper gave me
a hint to go on again; and there sat I, one of His Majesty's officers,
scraping away on an old Cremona for the amusement of a set of smugglers
and outlaws. The scene struck me as so ludicrous that I burst into a
loud fit of laughter till the tears began to stream down my cheeks. I
fiddled all the faster, till the delight of the Frenchmen knew no
bounds; and as a proof of their regard, some of them came up and
actually almost hugged the breath out of my body, calling me a brave
_garcon_, a jolly _garcon_ and an ornament to my country. This fun
continued till we made the land