own and some one
bellowed for the _sacre_ captain.

'"Here I am!" I says. "I don't suppose it makes any odds to you thieves,
but this is the United States brig _Berthe Aurette_."

'"My aunt!" the man says, laughing. "Why is she named that?"

'"Who's speaking?" I said. 'Twas too dark to see, but I thought I knew
the voice.

'"Enseigne de Vaisseau Estephe L'Estrange," he sings out, and then I was
sure.

'"Oh!" I says. "It's all in the family, I suppose, but you _have_ done a
fine day's work, Stephen."

'He whips out the binnacle-light and holds it to my face. He was young
L'Estrange, my full cousin, that I hadn't seen since the night the smack
sank off Telscombe Tye--six years ago.

'"Whew!" he says. "That's why she was named for Aunt Berthe, is it?
What's your share in her, Pharaoh?"

'"Only half owner, but the cargo's mine."

'"That's bad," he says. "I'll do what I can, but you shouldn't have
fought us."

'"Steve," I says, "you aren't ever going to report our little fall-out
as a fight! Why, a Revenue cutter 'ud laugh at it!"

'"So'd I if I wasn't in the Republican Navy," he says. "But two of our
men are dead, d'ye see, and I'm afraid I'll have to take you to the
Prize Court at Le Havre."

'"Will they condemn my 'baccy?" I asks.

'"To the last ounce. But I was thinking more of the ship. She'd make a
sweet little craft for the Navy if the Prize Court 'ud let me have her,"
he says.

'Then I knew there was no hope. I don't blame him--a man must consider
his own interests--but nigh every dollar I had was in ship or cargo, and
Steve kept on saying, "You shouldn't have fought us."

'Well, then, the lugger took us to Le Havre, and that being the one time
we _did_ want a British ship to rescue us, why o' course we never saw
one. My cousin spoke his best for us at the Prize Court. He owned he'd
no right to rush alongside in the face o' the United States flag, but we
couldn't get over those two men killed, d'ye see, and the Court
condemned both ship and cargo. They was kind enough not to make us
prisoners--only beggars--and young L'Estrange was given the _Berthe
Aurette_ to re-arm into the French Navy.

'"I'll take you round to Boulogne," he says. "Mother and the rest'll be
glad to see you, and you can slip over to Newhaven with Uncle Aurette.
Or you can ship with me, like most o' your men, and have a turn at King
George's loose trade. There's plenty pickings," he says.

'Crazy as I was, I couldn't help lau