can say is that you are very welcome on board--and glad I am
to see you so much recovered this morning."

"A night's rest has worked wonders--yesterday evening I felt very much
unlike myself, but I am now strong and well as usual." The stranger
took two or three turns on deck to verify his assertion; again stopping,
in an off-hand style he inquired how long the ship had been out, what
weather had been met with, and where she was bound for--though,
curiously enough, he did not offer to give any account of himself,
apparently intending to let the captain put any questions to him on the
subject he might think fit. Norah, not being destitute of the curiosity
natural to her sex, was longing to learn who the stranger was--yet she
did not like to ask him herself. She waited, hoping that her father
would do so. She could at length restrain herself no longer.

"Had you been long in the water, sir?" she inquired.

"Five or six hours, I believe, more or less," he answered, smiling.
"By-the-by, I must apologise for not having before given an account of
myself. To the best of my belief, I am the only survivor of the gallant
fellows who manned the _Dragon_ privateer, of which I had the honour to
be first officer. She carried sixteen guns and a crew of 110 hands, all
told."

"A privateer!" exclaimed Captain Tracy. "What flag did you sail under?
Has England again gone to war? We had heard nothing of it before we
left Port Royal."

"Oh, that is not surprising--it is scarcely six weeks since England
declared war against France," replied the stranger. "We knew what was
in the wind, and sailed from Bristol, to which port the _Dragon_
belonged, immediately the news reached us, in search of French
homeward-bound ships, hoping to get hold of them before they had heard
of the breaking out of war. We had, as you may judge, a quick run to
the southward, having on our way made three captures, and by having to
send prize crews away in them our strength was considerably diminished.
Still our captain, Simon Avery--you may have heard of him, sir--was not
the man to give up while there was a chance of falling in with other
vessels. Short-handed as we were, we had to keep watch and watch; and
yesterday morning, while the watch below were asleep, and most of the
hands on deck much in the same state, the ship was struck by a squall,
and before sheet or brace could be let go, over she went and began to
fill. I had just time, with three o