vely;
but the saddened melancholy of Ghita's voice, as she occasionally
hazarded a remark of her own, or answered one of his questions, sounded
sweeter in his ears than the music of the ship's bands that was now
wafted to them across the water.

As the evening advanced the land-breeze increased, and the Proserpine
gradually gained upon the boat. When the latter was about two-thirds of
the distance across the bay, the frigate caught the stronger current
that came down athwart the campagna, between Vesuvius and the mountains
behind Castel-a-Mare, when she drove ahead fast. Her sails, as seamen
express it, were all asleep; or swelled outward without collapsing; and
her rate of sailing was between five and six miles in the hour. This
brought them up with the boat hand-over-hand, as it is called; and
Ghita, at Raoul's request, put the helm aside, in order that they might
get out of the way of the huge body that was approaching. It would seem
that there was some design on the part of the ship in coming so near,
for she made a sheer toward the yawl in a way to frighten the timid
helmswoman and to induce her to relinquish her hold of the tiller.

"Fear nothing," called out Griffin, in Italian--"we intend to offer you
a tow. Stand by and catch the line--Heave!"

A small rope was thrown; and, falling directly across Ithuel's head,
that person could do no less than seize it. With all his detestation of
the English in general, and of this vessel in particular, the
man-of-all-work had the labor-saving propensity of his countrymen; and
it struck him as a good thing to make a "king's ship" aid an enemy's
privateer by accepting the offer. As he used the line with proper
dexterity, the yawl was soon towing on the quarter of the frigate; Raoul
taking the helm and giving the boat the sheer necessary to prevent her
dragging in alongside. This was a change so sudden and so totally
unexpected that Ghita murmured her disapprobation, lest it should lead
to a discovery of the true character of her companions.

"Fear nothing, dearest," answered Raoul, "they cannot suspect us; and we
may learn something useful by being here. At all events, le Feu-Follet
is safe from their designs, just at this moment."

"Are you boatmen of Capri?" called out Griffin, who stood on the
taffrail of the ship, with Cuffe and the two Italians near by; the first
dictating the questions his lieutenant put.

"S'nore, si," answered Raoul, adopting the patois of the c