e to keep watch, while
you are sleeping."

"Ay, sir, I understand it all; Job's comfort that will be. As I do not
suppose you are to be coaxed out of the advantage you have obtained, we
have no choice but compliance. Give us some food and water in addition,
and, for God's sake! don't cast us adrift in this boat, so far
from land."

I gave Sennit an assurance that we would take care of him, and orders were
issued to comply with his wishes. We passed the sail into the boat, and
lowered a bread-bag, a kid full of beef and pork, and a breaker of fresh
water. I took all these precautions the more readily, as I did not know
but we might be compelled to cast the boat adrift, and one would not wish
to resort to such a step, without desiring to leave his crew the best
possible chance for their lives. I will do Marble the justice to say, he
was active in making these arrangements, though, had the question of
destroying the entire prize-crew presented itself, on one side, and that
of losing the ship on the other, he would not have hesitated about sinking
Great Britain itself, were it possible to achieve the last. I was more
human, and felt exceedingly relieved when I again found myself in command
of the Dawn, after an interregnum of less than ten hours, without a drop
of blood having been spilled.

As soon as everything required was passed into the boat, she was dropped
astern, nearly to the whole length of the studding-sail halyards. This
would make her tow more safely to both parties: to those in her, because
there was less risk of the ship's dragging her under; and to ourselves,
because it removed all danger of the Englishmen's returning our favour, by
effecting a surprise in their turn. At such a distance from the ship,
there would always be time for us to rally and defeat any attempt to get
alongside.

Chapter XV.

_Capt._ "And as for these whose ransome we have set,
It is our pleasure, one of them depart:--
Therefore come you with us, and let him go."

King Henry VI.

By such simple means, and without resistance, as it might be, did I
recover the possession of my ship, the Dawn. But, now that the good vessel
was in my power, it was by no means an easy thing to say what was to be
done with her. We were just on the verge of the ground occupied by the
channel cruisers, and it was preposterous to think of running the gauntlet
among so many craft, with the expectation of escaping. It is true, we
might