t; and when at last all hope had been given up,
the whole of the officers were invited to dine with the skipper.

At sunset we wore round and stood away to the southward.

The conversation round the captain's mahogany that night was naturally
upon one topic only, namely, how to get hold of the frigate.

Captain Annesley listened with exemplary patience to all that was said;
and, at last, when every possible suggestion, practicable and
impracticable, had been made, he said,--

"Thank you, gentlemen, one and all, for your very valuable suggestions,
none of which, however--if I may be excused for saying so--strike me as
being so simple as the one I have myself thought upon. It is this. I
propose returning during the night to a spot near where the French
frigate lies--I marked it particularly to-day, while we were lying off
and on--and sending a boat's crew ashore about an hour before daybreak
to-morrow morning, to see what can be done with that battery. They
will, of course, be kept upon the tiptoe of expectation all night to-
night, anticipating an attempt to cut the frigate out, or something of
that sort. Toward morning, however, hearing nothing of us, and being
fatigued moreover by their night's watch, they will relax their
vigilance; and then I think perhaps something may be achieved in the
nature of a surprise. I say a _surprise_, because, whatever is done, I
should like done without giving the frigate the alarm. The battery once
in our possession, be it only for five minutes, those heavy guns, of
which I so much dislike the look, may be spiked; and _then_ we shall
have nothing to do but run into the bay, lay the frigate alongside, and
help ourselves. Now, what do you think of my plan?"

"Capital! Excellent! The very thing!" was the verdict, and everybody
applauded to the echo, as of course in duty bound to do. But, apart
from that, it really was an excellent proposal, and far better than any
of the previous suggestions.

"Very well, then," resumed the skipper. "Now as to details. The
surprise and silencing of that battery is, as you must all see, a matter
of the last importance, and will need a cool and steady hand as leader
of the expedition. I cannot spare many men, as we are short of our
complement already; and I have an idea that the French craft, ill-
disposed as she seems to come out to us, will make a gallant defence
when we go in to her. For the same reason, I can ill spare any of my
offic