a place where we might safely venture to indulge in
a swim without fear of the sharks. Taking his word for it we plunged in
and swam off, until we found ourselves almost among the breakers, then
returned to the shore, dressed, and made our way back to the castle,
which we reached in good time for breakfast. That meal over we set out
for the workshop, Pedro--the servant who seemed to have been appointed
to wait upon us--informing us as we started that he had orders to have
luncheon ready for us by one o'clock. Arrived at the scene of our
labours we each selected a suitable block of wood, and whilst Courtenay
set to work upon a model of the _Hermione_, I, with greater ambition,
devoted all my energies to the hewing out of a line-of-battle ship.
Thus occupied the time passed swiftly away, and almost before we were
aware of it the commandant, who had looked in upon us to see how we were
progressing, announced that it was time for us to see about returning to
the castle. He walked back with us, chatting most affably all the way;
and on reaching our rooms we found a tailor awaiting us, by his orders,
to take our measures for a new outfit of rigging. The first instalment
of this, in the shape of a loose white nankin suit apiece, with shirt,
stockings, light shoes of tan-coloured leather, crimson silk sashes--to
serve instead of braces--and broad-brimmed cane-hat, all complete,
awaited us on our waking a couple of mornings later, much to our
gratification, as the idea grew upon us that the castle contained other
inmates besides the commandant, and we were anxious to avoid a rencontre
with these so long as we retained our ragged, scarecrow appearance.

We had been at work about a week; Courtenay had completed the hull of
his frigate, and was busy about her spars, whilst I was putting the
finishing touches to a figure-head for my seventy-four, when, about four
o'clock in the afternoon, our workshop suddenly became darkened to such
an extent that we could no longer see to work. Looking up and glancing
out of the window, we observed that, unnoticed by us, a heavy thunder-
storm had been gathering over the sea, and the clouds, setting
shoreward, were now hovering immediately overhead. That it was likely
to be a severe storm was manifest, the sky being blacker than I had ever
seen it before. We were debating upon the advisability of effecting an
immediate retreat to the castle, and taking our chance of reaching it
before the s