lled, and Probert
had his leg taken off by an eighteen pound shot. We clapped on a
tourniquet, but he had a very narrow escape of bleeding to death.
Fortunately it was off Ushant and, the wind being favourable, we
got into Portsmouth on the following morning; and the doctors think
that they will pull him round.

"You have grown a good bit, since I saw you last."

"Not much, I am afraid," Bob replied dolefully, for his height was
rather a sore point with him. "I get wider, but I don't think I
have grown half an inch, since I came here."

"And how goes on the Spanish?"

"First rate. I can get on in it almost as well as in English."

"So you are in for some more fighting!"

"So they say," Bob replied, "but I don't think I am likely to have
as close a shave, of a Spanish prison, as I had of a French one
coming out here."

"No; we had a narrow squeak of it, that time."

"Was war declared when you came away?"

"No; the negotiations were broken off, and everyone knew that war
was certain, and that the proclamation might be issued at any hour.
I have not had a very fast run, and expected to have learned the
news when I got here; but you are sure to hear it, in a day or two.
That was why I came here. Freights were short for, with the ports
of France and Spain both closed, there was little enough doing; so
the owners agreed to let me drop trading and make straight for
Gibraltar, so as to be ready to put out as soon as we get the
declaration of war.

"There ought to be some first-rate pickings, along the coast. It
isn't, here, as it is with France; where they have learned to be
precious cautious, and where one daren't risk running in close to
their coast on the chance of picking up a prize, for the waters
swarm with their privateers. The Spaniards are a very slow set, and
there is not much fear of their fitting out many privateers, for
months to come; and the coasters will be a long time before they
wake up to the fact that Spain is at war with us, and will go
lumbering along from port to port, without the least fear of being
captured. So it is a rare chance of making prize money.

"If you like a cruise, I shall be very happy to take you with me. I
have seen you under fire, you know, and know that you are to be
depended upon."

"I should like to go, above all things," Bob said; "but I don't
know what my sister would say. I must get at her husband, first. If
I can get him on my side, I think I shall be able to mana