me, that the brig doesn't escape us; for though I have
got the information to put Sir Samuel Hood on his guard, the French may
obtain it also, and act accordingly."

While we were speaking, Mr Saunders came in to say the boat was ready,
and the cable hove short; but that, as it was still a stark calm, there
was no chance at present of the brig getting under weigh.

"You must go in the boat, Finnahan, and make sure that we watch the
right brig. As we can't see her from the ship, we may be following the
wrong vessel," said the captain.

Though I would much rather have turned in and gone to sleep, I of course
obeyed orders.

Mr Harvey, the third lieutenant, was in charge of the boat, and as I
stepped into her, I found that Larry Harrigan formed one of the crew.
They pulled away under my directions, and soon gained sight of the brig.

"It's mighty hard that we can't jump aboard and take her," I heard Larry
say to the stroke oar, behind whom he was sitting. "I'd be after
getting back my fiddle, at all events, if we could."

"It's agen' the law of nations," answered the man; "though I should like
to punish the rascal Hoolan for murdering poor Ben Nash and Tim Logan."

"Silence, men," said Mr Harvey; "we must not let the people on board
the brig find out that we are watching them. They'll probably take us
for a guard-boat, but if they hear our English voices, they'll know who
we are."

We kept under the shade of one of the neighbouring vessels. All was
quiet on board the brig. There were no signs of her being about to trip
her anchor. I wondered whether Dubois had put Hoolan and the rest in
irons when he discovered how they had behaved. I could scarcely suppose
that they would have contrived to seize him and his boat's crew when
they returned on board; yet such was possible, and would have been
retributive justice on him for having taken the brig from us. Still I
should have been very sorry indeed to hear that he and La Touche had met
with any injury.

We waited and waited, till it appeared that we were not likely to wait
to any purpose.

At last Larry, who seemed to have forgotten the order he had received to
keep silence, suddenly exclaimed--

"Couldn't we go aboard just to axe the Frenchmen to give me back my
fiddle. That wouldn't be agen' the law of nations, would it, Mr
Terence?"

"Silence there," said Mr Harvey, scarcely able to restrain his
laughter. "I ordered you men not to speak."

"Shure I