all when
they shall arrive. Is it not so?"

"Your orders shall have my best attention, monsieur," I replied; "and I
trust you will not have to wait long for the English. I have the honour
to wish you a very good day."

We raised our hats and bowed simultaneously; the little French captain
scrambled down out of the rigging; I sprang off the low rail on to the
deck; and we filled away upon our course once more, leaving the fire-
eating Frenchman with his topsail still to the mast, waiting for "the
accursed English."

Little Smellie and I enjoyed a good laugh over the _rencontre_, now that
it was past and we had escaped undetected; and we united in a cordial
hope that the gallant little skipper of "Le Narcisse" would have his
wish for a meeting with the English speedily gratified.

_He had_, as we subsequently found out, but the result could scarcely
have been satisfactory to him; for when next I saw Malta "Le Narcisse"
was in harbour there, a prize.

At six o'clock next morning we were fortunate enough to fall in with the
prize--a barque of about 800 tons, loaded with various products of the
East, forming, as Captain Alphonse Latour had truly remarked, a very
valuable cargo--she had been steering a course which threw her fairly
into our arms, so to speak; and, as the weather had moderated, and the
sea gone down a good deal we simply ran her on board, drove the
astonished French prize crew below, and took possession.

On instituting a search, we found that the astute skipper of "Le
Narcisse" had taken out the entire crew except the second mate and three
hands--whom he had left on board to assist in working the ship--so as to
prevent all possibility of a rising and a recapture. We transferred the
Frenchmen to the "Vigilant;" put eight of our own men on board, in
charge of young Smellie; and then made sail in company for Gibraltar.
As, however, the "Vigilant" sailed two feet to the barque's one, we had
run her completely out of sight by noon; and we could only hope that she
would reach the Rock in safety--which she luckily did, and we of the
"Vigilant" ultimately netted a good round sum in the shape of prize-
money on her account.

About three p.m. on the same day as that on which we took our prize, we
made another sail dead to windward, steering the same way as ourselves,
but rather edging down upon us. We must have sighted each other
simultaneously; for, while still examining him with my telescope, I saw
him b