consolation to them if they ever hear that I've been
killed."

"Don't talk like that, young gentlemen. Look there. What do you say to
that?" exclaimed Reuben, pointing to the north-west, where standing
towards them, close-hauled, and evidently attracted by the firing, was a
large, ship, the beams of the rising sun shining brightly on her
wide-spread canvas.

"The enemy must see her, but fancy that she is French," observed Reuben.
"But they are greatly mistaken, let me tell them."

"Hurrah! they've found out that they're wrong, then," cried O'Grady.

As he spoke, down came the Frenchman's studden sails, and with a few
parting shots, which narrowly missed their mark, he hauled his wind, and
stood close-hauled towards the coast of France. He sailed badly before
the wind; he sailed worse close-hauled. The stranger, which soon proved
to be an English frigate, her ensign blowing out at her peak, came
rapidly up. The adventurers cheered as she passed, and received a cheer
in return. Those on board evidently understood the true state of the
case.

"Why, I do believe that is Devereux himself!" cried Paul, in a tone of
delight.

"Well, it is difficult to be certain of a person at such a distance; but
it is very like him," said O'Grady. "But, again, how could he be there?
He could not have made his escape from prison."

The sloop hove to in order to watch the chase, which was soon
terminated, for the frigate came up hand over hand with the slow-sailing
brig, which found to her cost that instead of catching a prize she had
caught a Tartar. The midshipmen consulted together whether it would be
wiser to continue their course for the Isle of Wight, or to get on board
the frigate. But as the Channel swarmed with the cruisers of the enemy,
they decided to do the latter; and accordingly, when they saw the
frigate returning with her prize, they stood towards her. They were
soon up to her, and, a boat being sent to them, as they stepped up her
side the first person they encountered was Devereux.

"Why, old fellows, where have you come from in that curious guise?" he
exclaimed, as he warmly wrung their hands.

"Oh, we ran away, and have been running ever since, barring some few
weeks we spent shut up in an old castle and a tumble-down tower,"
answered O'Grady.

"And the captain, and I, and a few others, were exchanged two weeks ago
for a lot of French midshipmen without any trouble whatever."

"As to that, now we are