ut not
until the Captain's little force had been thoroughly beaten and put to
flight, with plenty of cuts and bruises amongst them, Nic's left arm
hanging down nearly helpless.

"But never mind, Nic," said the Captain, rubbing his bruised hand as he
spoke. "I knocked one of the rascals down, and they got no fish; and I
don't believe they'll come again."

But they did, the very next night, and cleared the pool once more, for
the watchers were all abed; and in the morning the Captain was frantic
in his declarations of what he would do.

To Nic's great delight, just when his father was at his worst, and, as
his old body-servant said, "working himself into a fantigue about a bit
o' fish," there was a diversion.

Nic was sitting at breakfast, getting tired of having salmon at every
meal--by the ears, not by the mouth--when suddenly there was the dull
thud of a big gun out at sea, and Captain Revel brought his fist down
upon the table with a bang like an echo of the report.

"Lawrence!" he cried excitedly. "Here, Nic, ring the bell, and tell
Solly to go and hoist the flag."

The bell was rung, and a maid appeared.

"Where's Solly?" cried the Captain angrily.

"Plee, sir, he's gone running up to the cliff to hoist the flag," said
the girl nervously.

"Humph! that will do," said the Captain, and the maid gladly beat a
retreat.--"Not a bad bit of discipline that, Nic. Wonder what brings
Lawrence here! Ring that bell again, boy, and order them to reset the
breakfast-table. He'll be here in half-an-hour, hungry. He always was
a hungry chap."

The maid appeared, received her orders, and was about to go, when she
was arrested.

"Here, Mary, what is there that can be cooked for Captain Lawrence's
breakfast?"

"The gardener has just brought in a salmon he found speared and left by
the river, sir."

The Captain turned purple with rage.

"Don't you ever dare to say salmon to me again, woman!" he roared.

"No, sir; cert'n'y not, sir," faltered the frightened girl, turning
wonderingly to Nic, her eyes seeming to say, "Please, sir, is master
going mad?"

"Yes; tell the cook to fry some salmon cutlets," continued the Captain;
and then apologetically to his son: "Lawrence likes fish."

As the maid backed out of the room the Captain rose from the table.

"Come along, my boy," he said; "we'll finish our breakfast with him."

Nic followed his father into the hall, and then through the garden and
up to the edge of