the fish--the soles they had seen--well cooked and
appetising; but the boys could not eat, in spite of the easy banter with
which the captain kept on addressing them, and the fish gave way to
cutlets and vegetables.

"Ah, I see," said their captor at last: "you vill not eat, and I know ze
reason. _Ma foi_, and it is too late to make ze _amende_ you call him.
You bose mean to eat ze grand krebs you 'ave catch and 'ave give him to
ze men. _Helas_! it is, as you say, a pity. Now you forget him, and
eat ze cotelette. To-morrow you not like ze dinner vis ze crew, and,"
he added, with a grin, "you may bose be vairy sick--_malade-de-mer_,
eh?"

He helped them both liberally, but they could not eat; and soon after
they followed their host on deck, to find that the hatches were off, and
the bales all carefully stacked below, while the emptied boat had
disappeared and another was on the way, Vince paying great heed to the
manner in which she glided up to the lugger just about amidships.

By the time it was dusk five heavy loads had been brought on board, and
the hatches were then replaced, the boats all but one being hoisted to
the davits, the other left swinging by its painter from a ring-bolt
astern; and from the number of men aboard the boys judged that no one
was left at the caves. They noticed too that, contrary to custom, no
light was hoisted anywhere about the vessel, and that, though there were
lanthorns in the men's cabin forward, and in the captain's aft, no gleam
shone forth to play upon the water.

No one seemed to pay any heed to the prisoners, who went from place to
place to gaze now up at the darkening rocks, with the stars above them
beginning to twinkle faintly here and there, now down at the black
waters, which, as the night deepened, began to reflect the bright points
of light from the heavens. But soon after, to take their attention a
little from their cares, they began to notice that the dark depths below
them were alive with light--little specks, that looked like myriads of
stars in motion, rising from below the vessel's keel, coming rapidly
towards the surface and then gliding rapidly away. Every now and then
there was a flash of light, just as if a pale greenish-golden flame had
darted through the water from below; and, after noticing this several
times, Vince said quietly--

"Fish feeding."

"Don't," said Mike petulantly. "Who's to think about fish feeding, when
we're like this? You don't