of the island. Their appearance was hailed by the natives with every
manifestation of pleasure, and a number of young men escorted them to
the house of the principal head man, where they offered a simple repast
of fish and fruit, and small drams of arrack served in coconut shells.

Leaving Private Watts to amuse himself with the villagers, who
apparently took much interest in his uniform and accoutrements,
Francis Channing set out for a walk. The path led along through the
sweet-smelling tropical forest at about a cable's length from the shore,
and then suddenly emerged upon a little cove, the beach of which was
strewn with wreckage; spars, hempen cables, and other ship's gear
covering the sand at high-water mark. Several rudely constructed rafts
of wreckage, timber, and bamboo, were moored a little distance off, and
Channing at once surmised that the spot was used as a landing-place by
the wreckers working at the sunken privateer.

As he stood looking about him, uncertain whether to go on or turn back,
a man approached him from a house that stood at the furthest point of
the bay, and saluted him politely in French.

"I presume, sir," he said, as he bowed and extended his hand to the
Englishman, "that you are one of the officers from the English frigate
anchored at Tyar. I have heard that peace has been declared between our
two nations, and I rejoice."

Channing made a suitable reply, and gazed with interest at the stranger,
who was a handsome man of less than twenty-five years of age, dressed
in a rough suit of blue jean, and wearing a wide-rimmed hat of plaited
straw. His face was tanned a rich brown by the Eastern sun; and rough
and coarse as was his attire, his address and manner showed him to be a
man of education and refinement.

He seemed somewhat discomposed when Channing, in a very natural manner,
asked him the name of his ship, and answered--

"_L'Aigle Noir_, Monsieur, and my name is Armand Le Mescam."

"I have heard her name mentioned by our master," said the Marine
officer, with a smile. "He has had the honour of serving in many
engagements against your country's ships in these seas, in which our
ships have not always secured a victory."

The Frenchman bowed and smiled, and then, feeling no doubt that he could
do so with safety to himself, and that even if the cause of his presence
on the island were known to the _Tritons_ people that he would suffer no
molestation, invited Channing to walk to his h