ever
will give you pleasure, S'nore."

"Neighbor Vito Viti," put in the vice-governatore, "it may be well to
remember that this matter is not to be recorded as you would put on file
the confessions of a thief; it may be better to let the honest boatman
tell his story in his own way."

"Aye, now the vecchy has set to work, I hope we shall get the worth of
our ducat," observed Cuffe, in English.

"S'nori," rejoined Raoul, "it shall be just as your eccellenzi say. The
lugger you speak of was off the island last evening, steering toward
Ischia; which place she must have reached in the course of the night, as
there was a good land-wind from the twenty-third to the fifth hour."

"This agrees with our account as to the time and place," said Griffin;
"but not at all as to the direction the corsair was steering. We hear
she was rather rounding the southern cape for the Gulf of Salerno."

Raoul started, and gave thanks mentally that he had come on board, as
this statement showed that his enemies had received only too accurate
information of his recent movements. He had hopes, however, of being
able yet to change their intentions and of putting them on a
wrong scent.

"S'nori," he said, "I should like to know who it is that mistakes
southeast for northwest. None of our pilots or boatmen, I should think,
could ever make so great a blunder. S'nore, you are an officer and
understand such things; and I will just ask you if Ischia does not lie
northwest of Capri?"

"Of that fact there can be no manner of doubt," returned Griffin; "it is
equally true that the Gulf of Salerno lies southeast of both--"

"There, now!" interrupted Raoul, with a well-acted assumption of vulgar
triumph; "I knew your eccellenza, when you came to look into it, would
see the folly of saying that a vessel which was standing from Capri
toward Ischia was going on any other course than northwest!"

"But this is not the question, amico. We all understand the bearings of
these islands, which are the bearings of the whole coast down here-away;
but the question is, which way the lugger was steering?"

"I thought I had said, eccellenza, that she was heading across toward
Ischia," answered Raoul, with an air of obtuse innocence.

"If you do, you give an account exactly different from that which has
been sent to the admiral by the good bishop of your own island. May I
never eat another of his own quails if I think _he_ would deceive us;
and it is not easy to s