side, apparently of the same
description and weight as our own--long 18-pounders, and there was what
looked suspiciously like a long 32-pounder on her forecastle. She was
flying French colours, but she certainly looked at least as much like an
English as she did like a French ship.

The boat dashed alongside us in true man-o'-war style; our side was duly
manned, and presently there entered through the gangway a man dressed in
the uniform of a lieutenant in the French navy. He was of medium height
and rather square built; his skin was tanned to a deep mahogany colour;
his hair and bushy beard were jet black, as also were his piercing,
restless eyes; and though rather a handsome man, his features wore a
fierce and repellent expression, which, however, passed away as soon as
he began to speak.

"Bon jour, m'sieu," he began, raising his uniform cap and bowing to Mr
Austin, who met him at the gangway. "What chip dis is, eh?"

"This, sir, is His Britannic Majesty's sloop _Daphne_. What brig is
that?"

"That, sair, is the Franch brigue of war _Vestale_; and I am Jules Le
Breton, her first leeftant, at your serveece. Are you le capitaine of
this vaisseau?"

"No, sir; I am the first lieutenant, and my name is Austin," with a bow.
"Captain Vernon is in his cabin. Do you wish to see him?"

At that moment the skipper made his appearance from below, and stepping
forward, the French lieutenant was presented to him with all due
formality by Mr Austin.

It being my watch on deck I was promenading fore and aft just to leeward
of the group, and consequently overheard pretty nearly everything that
passed. The _Vestale_, it appeared from Monsieur Le Breton's statement,
had just returned to the coast from a fruitless chase half across the
Atlantic after a large barque which had managed to slip out of the Congo
and dodge past them some three weeks previously, and she was now about
to look in there once more in the hope of meeting with better fortune.
And, judging from the course we were steering that we had just left the
river, Monsieur Le Breton had, "by order of Capitane Dubosc, ventured
upon the liberte" of boarding us in order to ascertain the latest news.

The skipper of course mentioned our exploring expedition of the previous
day, assured him of the total absence of all ships from the river, and
finally invited him into the cabin to take wine with him.

They were below fully half an hour, and when they returned to th