rchant of Venice_.

At eleven o'clock that night we four--the Princess, Marc'antonio,
Stephanu, and I--hoisted sail and stood away from the north shore of
Giraglia, carrying a fair wind with us. Our boat had been very
cunningly chosen for us by Marc'antonio out of the small flotilla
which my father had hired at Cape Corso for the assault. She was
undecked, measured some eighteen feet over-all, and carried a
fair-sized lateen sail; but her great merit for our purpose, lay in
her looks. The inhabitants of Cape Corso (as the reader knows) have
neither the patriotism nor the prejudices of their fellow-islanders;
and this (however her owner had come by her) was a boat of Genoese
build. So Marc'antonio had assured me; and my own observation
confirmed it next day, as we neared the coast off Porto Fino.

We had laid this course of set purpose, intending to work up to the
great harbour coastwise from the southward and enter it boldly,
passing ourselves off for a crew from Porto Fino with a catch of fish
for market. The others had discarded all that was Corsican in their
dress, and the Princess had ransacked the quarters of the late
garrison on Giraglia to rig us out in odds and ends of Genoese
costume. For the rest we trusted to fortune; but an hour before
starting I had sought out my Uncle Gervase and made him privy to the
plot. He protested, to be sure; but acquiesced in the end with a wry
face when I told him that the Princess and I were determined.

This understood, at once my excellent and most practical uncle turned
to business. Within ten minutes it was agreed between us that the
_Gauntlet_ should sail back with General Paoli and anchor under the
batteries of Isola Rossa to await our return. She was to wait there
one month exactly. If within that time we did not return, he was to
conclude either that our enterprise had come to grief or that we had
re-shaped our designs and without respect to the _Gauntlet's_
movements. In any event, at the end of one calendar month he might
count himself free to weigh anchor for England. We next discussed
the Queen. My uncle opined, but could not say with certainty, that
the General had it in mind to offer her protection and an honourable
retirement on her own estates above the Taravo. I bade him tell her
that, if she could wean herself from Corsica to follow her daughter,
our house of Constantine would be proud to lodge her--I hoped, for
the remainder of her days--for ce