extravagances, till I ordered him to be quiet lest the French soldiers
should put a sudden stop to the exhibition of his feelings.

The frigates approached till they had got just within long gunshot range
of the fort, when after some time a boat put off from one of them and
approached the fort, bearing a flag of truce. That was, at all events,
pleasant. There was a chance of a battle being avoided, yet the
commandant had so loudly sworn that nothing should make him yield to the
English that I was afraid he might be obstinate and insist on holding
out. We were on the point of hurrying down to meet the boat, when a
sergeant with a guard stopped us and told us politely enough that we
must stay where we were, or that Jack and I must go back to prison.

"We must obey orders," observed Van Deck. "The fact is, that the
commandant is aware that you are acquainted with the weak points of the
fort, that the gun-carriages are rotten, and many of the guns are
themselves honeycombed or dismounted."

We were conducted out of the way when the officer with the flag of truce
entered the fort. Looking from the ramparts, however, we could see the
boat and the people in her through Van Deck's glass, and a young middy
was amusing himself, so it appeared to me, by daring some little Dutch,
or rather native boys to come off and fight him, which they seemed in no
way disposed to do, for whenever he held up his fists they ran off at a
great rate. Of one thing I was very sure, that if the French commandant
did not yield with a good grace he would be very soon compelled to do
so. That squadron of frigates had not come merely to give a civil
message and to sail away again. We walked up and down, impatiently
waiting to hear what was to be done.

At length, after an hour's delay, the officer who had brought the
message--Captain Warren, of the _President_--issued from the
commandant's house with his coxswain bearing a flag under his arm. Down
came the tricolour of France, and up went the glorious flag of England.
Jack was beside himself on seeing this, and I could scarcely refrain
from joining in his "Hurra! hurra!" as I hurried forward to meet the
English captain, whose acquaintance I had made at the Mauritius. The
French commandant intimated, on this, that I was at liberty; but as I
felt it would be ungrateful to leave my friend Van Deck abruptly, I
resolved to remain on shore for the present with him.

In a very short time the mari