see us, for
I hear them bearing over our way."

Sure enough, from the swashing of water and glimmer of lights in the
fog, it could be seen that the great lumbering men-of-war were closing
in upon the privateer. But the Frenchmen had a human eel to capture
and he was equal to the occasion.

"Bring up a couple of casks from below!" cried Captain Walker. They
were soon on deck.

"Now put a lantern in one and lash them together," he continued.
"We'll alter our course and skip, while the Frenchies will follow this
light."

The ruse worked magnificently, and, when morning dawned and the bright
sun burned off the fog, the French men-of-war found themselves
hovering around a couple of old casks with a lantern tied to the top;
while Captain Walker in the _King George_ was scudding along the
French coast, many miles away. At which the French captain remarked,

"Sapristi! L'oiseau s'est envole." (Egad! The bird has flown!)

Not long after this "The Royal Family of Privateers" took some
valuable prizes, and, having chased a small, French merchantman into
the bay of Safia, in Morocco, Captain Walker determined to capture her
at night, by sending a party against her in the long-boats. A second
lieutenant was put in charge of this venture, and, at dark three
tenders, crowded with armed seamen and propelled by muffled oars,
started after the prize. As they neared the merchantman a hail came
through the blackness:

"Qui est la?" (Who is there?)

No answer was made to this, but the boats kept straight on.

_Crash! Bang!_

A gun roared in the faces of the privateers, and shots came falling
around them like hail-stones,--but still they kept on.

Again _Crash! Crash! Crash!_

The Frenchmen were plying their guns right willingly, but the English
sailors could not be stopped, and they neared the vessel under
vigorous sweeps of the oars. The lieutenant in command was badly
wounded, and was forced to lie in the bottom of his boat, but--in a
few moments--the tenders were alongside the merchantman, and the
sailors, with a wild yell, were clambering to her deck. There was a
fierce hand-to-hand struggle, but nothing would gainsay the rush of
the British tars. In twenty minutes the fight was all over and the
vessel was towed out of the bay, in triumph, next morning. As she was
a smart, little craft she was turned into a privateer in place of the
_Prince Frederick_ (which had run aground) and was christened the
_Prince George_.

Th