tion pretty clearly.

We had been occupied thus for nearly an hour, and had seen enough to
very nearly satisfy me upon the point in question, when, at no great
distance away, we heard a sound as of some one laying in an oar upon a
boat's thwart.

Curiosity at once urged us to ascertain, if possible, the source and
meaning of this sound, as we felt pretty confident it could proceed from
no boat belonging to the fleet, and we easily arrived at the logical
conclusion that it must therefore proceed from some boat belonging to
the enemy. Abandoning, therefore, our float to its fate, we loosened
our cutlasses in their sheaths, and our pistols in the belts which
supported them, and very cautiously paddled in the direction from whence
the sound appeared to proceed.

We had not gone very far when we heard the sound of voices speaking in a
low tone, apparently just inshore of us, and we accordingly turned the
boat's head in that direction.

As we proceeded, the sound of talking rapidly became more distinct, and
at length we were near enough to distinguish that the speakers, whoever
they were, ere conversing in French.

At this point we rested on our oars again, and peered eagerly into the
darkness in the endeavour to see something of our neighbours.

After perhaps a minute's intense gaze shoreward, Bobby leaned over, and
whispered,--

"There they are, right ahead, and close under our bows. It is a boat,
with two men in her, and as nearly as I can make out, they are leaning
over the side and hauling something into the boat."

I looked intently in the direction indicated, and at length succeeded in
making out the craft. There were, as Bob had said, two men in her; they
were leaning over the side, and as I watched, one of them raised his
arm, and I detected, just for a moment, the faint glitter of some object
just beneath it. At the same instant a voice said in French,--

"Here is another, and a fine fellow he is, too. He will make a splendid
dinner for the general to-morrow."

"Fishermen, by all that is lucky!" I exclaimed, in an excited whisper.
"Now, Bob, let's dash alongside and board the craft; a selection from
the rig of those two men will make exactly the rig I want."

"All right," returned Bob. "You're the skipper, give the word, and
we'll nab the Mossoos in a jiffy."

"Now!" said I.

We dashed our oars into the water, and in half a dozen strokes were
alongside the astonished fishermen.

As the two b