aid such
an enterprise; and his crew was strong enough, as well as sufficiently
trained, to promise success.

On such an expedient, even, was he ruminating, as Ithuel, in obedience
to an order given through the trumpet, brought his prize alongside, and
secured her to the lugger. The men who had accompanied the American were
now dismissed to their morning's meal, while Raoul invited their leader
to share his frugal repast where he sat. As the two broke their fasts,
questions were put and answered, concerning what had occurred during the
hour or two the parties had been separated. Raoul's tale was soon told;
and then he learned with concern that the crew of the felucca had taken
to their boat, and escaped to the landing of the Scaricatojo, on
finding that the capture of their vessel was inevitable. This proved
that the character of the wreck was known, and left but little hope that
their situation would not be reported to the English in the course of
the morning.

CHAPTER XXVII.

--"But now lead on;
In me is no delay; with thee to go,
Is to stay here: with thee here to stay,
Is to go hence unwilling; thou to me
Art all things under heaven, all places thou."

MILTON.

The intelligence communicated by Ithuel essentially altered Raoul's
views of his actual situation. An active man might go from the
Marinella, at the foot of the Scaricatojo, or the place where the crew
of the felucca had landed, to the Marina Grande of Sorrento in an hour.
At the latter beach boats were always to be found, and two hours more
would carry the messenger, by water, to the ships off Capri, even in a
calm. The first of these important hours had now elapsed some time; and
he could not doubt that vigorous aims were already employed in pulling
across the few leagues of water that separated the island from the
shores of Sorrento. The day was calm, it is true, and it would be
impossible to move the ships; but two frigates and a heavy sloop-of-war
might send such a force against him in boats as, in his present
situation, would render resistance next to hopeless.

Raoul ceased eating, and, standing on the taffrail, he cast anxious
looks around him. His sturdy followers, ignorant of all the dangers by
which they were environed, were consuming their morning's meal with the
characteristic indifference to danger that marks the ordinary conduct of
seamen. Even Ithuel, usually so sensitive on the subject of English
po