e old _Tonans_
again."

"I don't believe you," said Poole, laughing. "You're having ten times
as much fun and excitement out here. I say," he added, with a sniff, "I
can smell something good."

And strangely enough the next minute the Camel came smiling up to them.

"I say, laddies," he said, "joost come for'ard as far as the galley. I
don't ask ye to come in, for, ma wud, she is hot! But just come and
take a sniff as ye gang by. There's a dinner cooking as would have
satisfied the Don. I thot he meant to stay, but, puir chiel, I suppose
he dinna ken what's good."

CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT.

A NIGHT'S EXCITEMENT.

Every one seemed bent on celebrating that day as a festival. The fight
was a victory, and all were rejoicing in a noisy holiday, while for some
hours the crew of the schooner had their turn.

Not all, for after a few words with the skipper, the two lads went aloft
with the binocular to keep a sharp look-out seaward, and more especially
at the two headlands at the entrance to the bay, which they watched in
the full expectation of seeing the grim grey nose of the gunboat peering
round, prior to her showing her whole length and her swarthy plume of
smoke.

Arrangements had been made below as well, and the schooner was swinging
to a big buoy--head to sea, the sails ready for running up or dropping
down from her thin yards.

"A nice land wind," the skipper had said, "and if she came it would not
be long before we were on equal terms with her."

"But it won't last," said Burgess gruffly. "It'll either drop to a dead
calm at sundown, or swing round and be dead ahead."

"Well, I don't mind the last," replied the captain, "but a dead calm
would be dangerous, and sets me thinking whether it wouldn't be better
to be off at once."

"Well, that depends on you," said the mate. "If it was me I should stop
till night and chance it. But where do you mean to go? Right away
home?"

"I don't know yet," was the reply. "For some reasons I should like to
stop and see Don Ramon right out of his difficulties. Besides, I have a
little business to transact with him that may take days. No, I shan't
go off yet. I may stay here for months, working for Don Ramon. It all
depends."

"Very well," said the mate coolly, as if it did not matter in the
slightest degree to him so long as he was at sea.

From time to time the skipper in his walk up and down the deck paused to
look up inquiringly, but always to be