rs later he gave the necessary orders to
his first lieutenant; after which he troubled himself very little about
the frigate he commanded. Lyon, on the other hand, sat down to a very
frugal meal alone as soon as he found himself again in his sloop; first
ordering certain old sails to be got on deck and to be mended for the
eighth or ninth time.

With the Proserpine it was different Her capstan-bars flew round, and
one anchor was actually catted by the time her captain appeared on deck.
The other soon followed, the three topsails fell, were sheeted home and
hoisted, and sail was set after sail, until the ship went steadily past
the low promontory of Ana Capri a cloud of canvas. Her head was to the
westward, inclining a little north; and had there been any one to the
southward to watch her movements, as there was not, so far as the eye
could see, it would have been supposed that she was standing over toward
the coast of Sardinia, most probably with an intention of passing by the
Straits of Bonifacio, between that island and Corsica. The wind being
nearly east, and it blowing a good breeze, the progress of the ship was
such as promised to fulfil all the expectations of her commander.

As the sun set and darkness diffused itself over the Mediterranean, the
lighter steering-sails were taken in and the Proserpine brought the wind
abeam, standing south. One of the last things visible from the decks,
besides the mountains of the islands and of the main, the curling smoke
of Vesuvius, the blue void above and the bluer sea below, was the speck
of the Terpsichore, as that ship followed, as near as might be, in her
wake; Sir Frederick and his friends still at table, but with a vigilant
and industrious first lieutenant on deck, who was sufficient in himself
for all that was required of the vessel in any emergency. The latter had
his orders, and he executed them with a precision and attention that
promised to leave nothing to be wished for. On the other hand, the
people of the Ringdove were kept at work mending old sails until the
hour to "knock off work" arrived; then the ship unmoored. At the proper
time the remaining anchor was lifted, and the sloop went through the
pass between Capri and Campanella, as directed, when Lyon sent for the
first lieutenant to join him in his cabin.

"Look you here, McBean," said Lyon, pointing to the chart which lay on
the table; "Captain Cuffe has just run down off Piane, and will find
himself well