ot a knife in my pocket; I'll present it to him, it will show
our good-will."

"That will be very much like purchasing kindness," answered Harry.

In a few minutes after this the boy again came near.

"Here, garcon," said David, pulling out his knife as he spoke, "take
this, you may find it very useful."

"Merci," said the boy, "thank you--much obliged."

"What! do you speak English?" asked David.

"Very little, but I know what you say."

"Oh, we're so glad of that," exclaimed the two boys in the same breath.

"What is your name?" asked David.

"Pierre Lamont," answered the French boy.

"We shall be friends," said David. "You don't hate the English, I hope,
like the captain?"

"Oh no, no," answered Pierre, "I love the English; my poor mother was
English, but she is dead, and so is my father, but he was French."

"Then have you no one to look after you?" exclaimed David, in a tone of
commiseration.

"No, I am all alone in the world, no one to care for me," said Pierre.

"Are you happy here on board this ship?" asked Harry.

"Oh no, no. Sometimes I am pretty well off; but often our cruel men
order me about, and beat me with the rope's-end if I do not do quickly
what they command."

"You see, Harry," said David, "there's one on board this ship worse off
than we are. We have some dear friends on shore, and though they don't
know what has become of us, we hope that they are are safe, and that we
shall get back to them some day."

"Do you know where we're going, Pierre?" asked Harry. "I wanted to look
at the compass; but I'm afraid of going aft, lest I should meet the
captain."

"You are right to keep away from him," answered Pierre. "If he knew
even that I spoke English he would treat me worse than he does. But you
ask where are we going. I believe that we're bound out to the West
Indies to take as many English merchant-vessels as we can find."

"I thought we were going in that direction," answered David.

"But, Pierre, do you think if any of the English vessels are defended,
that the captain will make us fight against our own countrymen?"

"Oh, you may depend on that," said Pierre. "That is, you will be
employed in bringing up powder from below."

"What! shall we be turned into powder-monkeys?" exclaimed Harry, in a
tone of indignation. "That will be too bad."

"Is that what you call the boys who bring up the powder?"

"Yes, but only the smallest among the ship's crew are employed in th