Corporal, let drive at
'em."

The Corporal earned his dollar. The shot went through the side of the
felucca, on board of which all was presently confusion; in a few
minutes it was apparent she was sinking. The other, abandoning the
chase, went to the assistance of her consort, lifting the crew out,
some of whom were evidently hurt.

"A blessed shot!" cried my grandfather, giving the lucky Corporal a
bit of gold; "but I'm glad they're picking up the crew."

The cutter instantly stood in for the harbour, and half an hour
afterwards the Major bade his young friend and Juana welcome to
Gibraltar.

Carlota was beside herself with joy at seeing the wanderers safe. She
first cast herself upon Juana, and cried over her; then embraced the
Ensign, who made no scruple of kissing her; lastly, threw herself
tenderly upon the Major, who gazed over her head as it lay on his
shoulder with a dismayed expression, moving his arms uneasily, as if
he didn't know what he was expected to do with them. Every moment it
was becoming clearer to him that he was a compromised man, no longer
his own property. On his way through the streets that morning he had
passed a knot of officers, one of whom he overheard describing "Old
Flinders" as "a sly old boy," for that he "had run away with a
devilish handsome Spaniard--who would have thought it?" "Ay, who
indeed!" groaned the Major, internally. But the seal was put to his
doom by the Colonel, who, when he went to report himself, slapped him
on the shoulder, and congratulated him on his happiness. "Fine woman,
I hear, Flinders--didn't give you credit for such spirit--hope you'll
be happy together." The Major, muttering an inarticulate denial,
hastily retreated, and from that moment surrendered himself to his
fate an unresisting victim.

About dusk that night, Owen came to him.

"By heavens!" the Ensign began, throwing himself into a chair, "I'm
the most unlucky scoundrel! Nothing goes right with me. I promised
myself that this should be my wedding-night--and here I am, as
forlorn a bachelor as ever."

"What has gone wrong?" inquired my grandfather, removing his pipe from
his mouth.

"I pressed her with all my eloquence," said Owen; "reminded her of her
promise to marry me the day we should arrive here--of the necessity of
caring for her reputation, after leaving her father's house and coming
here under my protection" (here my grandfather winced;) "talked, in
fact, like an angel who had been b