news of your being, with Mr Smellie,
missing. I fear, gentlemen, your friends at home will suffer a great
deal of, happily unnecessary, sorrow at the news which I felt it my duty
to send home; but that can all be repaired by your personally
despatching to them the agreeable intelligence of your both being still
in the land of the living. But what of your hurts? Are they too
serious to be attended to in my cabin? They are not? I am glad to hear
that. Then follow me, both of you, please; for I long to hear where you
have been, what doing all this time, and how you happened to turn up so
opportunely here to-night I will send for Burnett to bring his tools
into my cabin; and you can satisfy my curiosity whilst he is doing the
needful for you. Will you join us, Austin? I'll be bound your ears are
tingling to hear what has befallen these wandering knights."

Thereupon we filed down below in the skipper's wake--I for one being
most heartily thankful to find myself where I could once more sit down
and rest my aching limbs. The skipper's steward brought out some wine
and glasses, and then at Burnett's request--that individual having
promptly turned up--went away to get ready some warm water.

"I think," said our genial medico, turning to me, "_you_ look in most
urgent need of my services, so I will begin with you, young gentleman,
if you please. Now whereabouts are your hurts?"

I told him, and he straightway began to cut away the sleeve of my coat
and shirt, preparatory to more serious operations; whilst Smellie,
drawing his chair up to the table, helped himself to a glass of wine,
and then said:

"Before I begin my story, sir, will you permit me to ask what was the
ultimate result of that most disastrous expedition against the slavers?
I am naturally anxious to know, of course, seeing that upon my shoulders
rests the odium of our failure."

Captain Vernon stared hard at the second lieutenant for a minute, and
then said:

"My dear Smellie, what in the world are you talking about? Disaster!
Odium! Why, man, the expedition was a _success_, not a failure. I
admit that there was, most unfortunately, a very serious loss of life
among the unhappy slaves; but we took the brigantine and afterwards
raised the schooner, with a loss to ourselves of only four killed--now
that you two have turned up. It was a most dashing affair, and
admirably conducted, when we take into consideration the elaborate
preparations which h