id not suppose had been lost. We should do good service if we could
get away without being discovered, and send some of our cruisers to
watch in the neighbourhood."

I agreed with William; at the same time the idea of capturing the place
was very attractive. If we should make the attempt and succeed,
however, we should find liquor there, and the seamen would certainly get
drunk and mutinous. No object would be gained, either, unless we could
immediately send a vessel to sea, to give notice at the Mauritius of our
success and obtain assistance. Discussions on these points occupied us
till daylight, when we recommenced our journey to the tents. The news
we brought was so far satisfactory to our companions, that we were not
likely to be starved to death, and as peace would come some day or
other, we might then hope to make our escape. No one, however, seemed
at all desirous of attacking the French settlement; the risk was
considerable, the gain problematical. It was finally agreed that we
should remain quiet where we were, and only in case of extremity make
ourselves known to our foreign neighbours. The more energetic of the
party became, as may be supposed, very impatient of the inactive life we
were compelled to lead. We could do little else than fish all day, and
make expeditions in search of water. In this we were at last
successful; the spring was more than a mile away, and it became a
question whether we should move our camp there, the objection to our so
doing being that it was so much nearer the French settlement. The next
morning, on going near the spot where the captain and his companions had
erected their tent, I saw no one moving. I called to them. There was
no reply. I went to the tent. It was empty! It was supposed that they
had gone to the newly-discovered spring, but those who had gone to bring
water from it told us that they were not there. While we were wondering
what had become of the men, as William happened to be sweeping the
horizon with his telescope, he cried out that he saw a sail in the
offing. In a short time afterwards another was descried, her topsails
gradually rising out of the water. She was pronounced to be larger than
the first which had appeared.

"It is that scoundrel La Roche again!" exclaimed O'Carroll, after eyeing
the nearest stranger for some time. "I knew that it would not be long
before he would be back again, and there he comes with a big prize,
depend on it.