th, where
I received as boisterously hearty a welcome as mid could desire; but I
had been there scarcely five minutes when San Domingo, who had already
installed himself in his former berth, popped his head in at the door
and said, with a broad grin:

"Mistah Grenvile, sah, de first leptenant wishes to see you on deck,
sah."

Leaving my shipmates itching with curiosity to hear the yarn which I had
just begun to spin, I made my way up to the quarter-deck, where I found
Mr Seaton in charge, both ships still remaining hove-to.

"Ah, here you are, Grenvile!" exclaimed the first luff as I stepped up
to him and touched my hat. "I am anxious to hear the story of your
adventures since you left us, but I understood that the captain had sent
you below to the surgeon. Have you seen him?"

"Yes, sir," said I; "I have been with him for quite half an hour, while
he dressed my wounds. He has put me on the sick list, sir."

"Which is about the best place for you, I should think, judging from
your looks," answered my companion. "And, of course," he continued,
"the wily old Welshman availed himself of the opportunity to extract
your story from you--trust Morgan for that! However, he has only
weathered on me to the extent of half an hour or so, and I'll get even
with him yet before all's done. Now, heave ahead, my lad, and give me
the whole yarn, from clew to earing."

Whereupon I had to go through my story a second time, and when I had
come to the end I began to reckon up mentally how many times more I
might reasonably be expected to tell it, for the fact was that I was
already becoming a little tired of it.

"Thank you, Grenvile," said Mr Seaton, as I brought my yarn to a
conclusion. "A most interesting yarn, and an exceedingly exciting
experience. Of course it is not for me to mete out praise or blame in
my official capacity, that is to say, it is for the captain to do that;
but, unofficially, and merely as a friend, I may perhaps venture to say
that so far as I can see you have nothing with which to reproach
yourself and have much to be proud of. It is unfortunate that you
should have lost five of your number, and I am particularly sorry that
Mr Gowland should have been among them, for Mr Gowland was a
particularly trustworthy and reliable navigator; but no one could
possibly have foreseen that you would have been attacked by that
piratical slaver. Ah, here come the captain and your friend the
general! What a fine-