was again manned, and the captain of
the lugger, accompanied by his privy-counsellor and myself, went on board
the Dawn. Here, a very cursory examination satisfied my visiters of the
truth of my story.

I confess, I expected some commendation from a French man, when he heard
the ready manner in which we had got our vessel out of the hands of the
Philistines. No such thing; an expressive '_bon_' had escaped Mons.
Gallois, once or twice, it is true; but it was apparent he was looking
much sharper for some pretext to make us a prize himself, than for reasons
to commend our conduct. Each new aspect of the affair was closely scanned,
and a new conference with the adviser was held, apart.

"Sair," said Mons. Gallois, "I have mosh regret, but your sheep is _bon_
prize. You have been _prisonnier_ to ze English, ze enemy of la France,
and you shall not capture yourself. L'Amerique is not at war--is neutral,
as you shall say, and ze Americains cannot make ze prize. I considair your
ship, monsieur, as in ze hand of ze English, and shall capture him. _Mes
regrets sont vifs, mais, que voulez vous_? Ze corsair most do his devoir,
ze same as ze sheep _national_. I shall send you to Brest, vere, if you be
not sold _par un decret_, I shall be too happy to restore _votre
batiment--Allons_!"

Here was a _denouement_ to the affair, with a vengeance! I _was_ to be
captured, because I _had_ been captured. "Once a corporal, always a
corporal." As the English had taken me, the French would take me. A prize
to-day, you must be a prize to-morrow. I have always thought the case of
the Dawn was the first of the long series of wrongs that were subsequently
committed on American commerce, in virtue of this same principle, a little
expanded and more effectually carried out, perhaps, and which, in the end
terminated by blockading all Europe, and interdicting the high seas,
on paper.

I knew the uselessness of remonstrating with a rapacious privateersman.
"Let him send me in," I thought to myself, at first; "it is just where I
wish to go; once in, the minister must get me clear. The fellow will only
be the dupe of his own covetousness, and I shall profit by it, in the
degree that he will be a loser!"

I presume Mons. Gallois entertained a very different view of the matter,
for he manifested great alacrity in throwing a crew of no less than
seventeen souls, big and little, on board us. I watched these operations
in silence, as did Neb and Diogenes