me quietly there
will be no occasion to send for their assistance."

"This is confounded tyranny," cried Jack. "Well may they call him King
Tom."

"Yes," replied Atkins, "and he governs here _in rey absoluto_--so come
along."

Jack and Gascoigne, having no choice, walked up to the government-house,
where they found Sir Thomas in the veranda, which commanded a view of
the harbour and offing.

"Come here, young gentlemen," said the Governor, in a severe tone; "do
you see that vessel about two miles clear of the port? Don Silvio is in
it, going back to Sicily under a guard. And now remember what I say as
a maxim through life. Fight with gentlemen, if you must fight, but not
with villains and murderers. By _consenting_ to fight with a
_blackguard_, you as much disparage your cloth and compromise your own
characters, as by refusing to give satisfaction to a _gentleman_.
There, go away, for I'm angry with you, and don't let me see you till
dinner-time."

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE.

IN WHICH OUR HERO SEES A LITTLE MORE SERVICE, AND IS BETTER EMPLOYED
THAN IN FIGHTING DON SILVIO.

But before they met the Governor at his table, a sloop-of-war arrived
from the fleet with despatches from the Commander-in-Chief. Those to
Captain Wilson required him to make all possible haste in fitting, and
then to proceed and cruise off Corsica, to fall in with a Russian
frigate which was on that coast; if not there, to obtain intelligence,
and to follow her wherever she might be.

All was now bustle and activity on board of the _Aurora_. Captain
Wilson, with our hero and Gascoigne, quitted the Governor's house and
repaired on board, where they remained day and night. On the third day
the _Aurora_ was complete and ready for sea, and about noon sailed out
of Valette harbour.

In a week the _Aurora_ had gained the coast of Corsica, and there was no
need of sending look-out men to the mast-head, for one of the officers
or midshipmen was there from daylight to dark. She ran up the coast to
the northward without seeing the object of her pursuit, or obtaining any
intelligence.

Calms and light airs detained them for a few days, when a northerly
breeze enabled them to run down the eastern side of the island. It was
on the eighteenth day after they had quitted Malta that a large vessel
was seen ahead about eighteen miles off. The men were then at
breakfast.

"A frigate, Captain Wilson, I'm sure of it," said Mr Hawkins the
chaplai