tive town during the progress of
the law-suit--in order to see his family and his friends, and there
became engaged to Mlle. Marie Blaize, who was as good as she was
pretty. But the sea sang a song which ran:

"For men must work and women must weep,
The home of a hero is on the deep."

which the stout sea-dog could not resist. So he left the charming
demoiselle without being married, and 'tis said that she wept
bitterly.

Now came his greatest exploit.

On October 7th, 1800, the hardy mariner--in command of the _Confiance_;
a new vessel with one hundred and thirty souls aboard--was cruising
off the Indian coast. He had a Letter of Marque this time, so all
would go well with him if he took a prize. The opportunity soon came.
A sail was sighted early that day, and Surcouf scanned her carefully
through his glass.

[Illustration: "SURCOUF SCANNED HER CAREFULLY THROUGH HIS GLASS."]

"She's a rich prize," said he. "An Indiaman. All hands on deck.
Make sail! Drinks all round for the men! Clear for action!"

He spoke this to himself, for he was aloft, and, climbing to the deck,
ordered everybody aft to listen to a speech. When they had collected
there, he said, with feeling:

"I suppose each one of you is more than equal to one Englishman? Very
good--be armed and ready for boarding--and, as it is going to be hot
work, I'll give you one hour for pillage. You can fight, and, behind
me, you should be invincible! Strike, and strike hard; and you will be
rich."

The _Kent_ had four hundred and thirty-seven souls aboard, says an old
chronicler, for she had picked up a great part of the crew of the
_Queen_: an East Indiaman which had been destroyed off the coast of
Brazil. Her Captain's name was Rivington and he was a fellow of heroic
courage.

As the _Confiance_ drew near, the crew of the Englishman gave her a
fair broadside and pumped gun after gun into her hull. But the
Frenchman held her fire, and bore in close, in order to grapple.
Hoarse shouts sounded above the roar of the guns and the splitting of
timber, as the two war-dogs closed for action. The crew of the _Kent_
were poorly armed and undisciplined: they had never fought together.
With Surcouf it was far different. His sailors were veterans--they had
boarded many a merchantman and privateer before--and, they were well
used to this gallant pastime. Besides, each had a boarding-axe, a
cutlass,--pistol and a dagger--to say nothing of a blunderbuss loaded