as it?" he said kindly, as he saw how thoroughly agitated the boy
was. "In trouble?"

"Yes, sir," cried Fitz.

"You don't mean to tell me you've done such a stupid school-boy act as
to desert your ship?"

"Oh, no, no, no!" cried Fitz excitedly; and out it all came, the captain
listening eagerly and questioning him wherever the boy hesitated, till
he had finished his adventurous tale.

"Well, this is something fresh, my lad," cried the American captain.
"But I reckon that the time will come when you'll think you've been in
luck. For you've done nothing wrong. You were regularly taken prisoner
while doing your duty, and your skipper can't blame you."

"Think not, sir?" cried Fitz, warming up in the gratitude he felt for
the captain's sympathy.

"Think not? Of course! If he does, and won't have you back, I'll find
you a berth on my ship, and be glad to have you. What do you say? Will
you come?"

Fitz looked at him searchingly, and shook his head.

"I am in the Queen's service, sir," he said.

"And a fine service too, my lad. But how has this skipper behaved to
you since you've been with him?"

"Oh, as if I had been his own son, sir," cried Fitz warmly; "and his boy
and I have been the best of friends."

"But I say, you've been a regular young filibuster all the time,
breaking the laws and helping in a revolution. Why, you've been
carrying on high jinks, and no mistake! But you don't mean to tell me
you want to stay with them?"

"Oh no, of course not. I want to rejoin the _Tonans_."

"Where do you say--in the Channel Service? Well, I can't take you
there."

"I thought, sir, that perhaps you would put me on board some English
cruiser," cried Fitz.

"And I will, of course. But it may be a month first."

"I don't mind that, sir," said Fitz, "so long as I can send a message
home, for they must think I'm--"

He broke down here, for he could bear no more.

What he had thought would be all joy proved to be pain, and as he was
turning away, it was with the knowledge that the American captain had
read him through and through, giving him a warm pressure of the hand,
and saying, just loud enough for him to hear--

"Directly I can get at the wires I'll send a message to New York,
telling our people to communicate with your Admiralty, that you are
alive and well."

The next minute the captain was talking with both the Reeds, and to
Fitz's great satisfaction he saw that they were chatting, evidentl