ent might have happened to him, or that he might be dead, and then
the clue which he fancied he had found would be lost.

After visiting Cadiz and Gibraltar, we were on our way home, just
entering the chops of the Channel, after being kept at sea by calms and
contrary winds for three weeks or more, when a frigate hove in sight and
hoisted English colours. She made her number, and we knew her to be the
thirty-two gun frigate _Venus_. Captain Faulknor, who commanded her,
came on board, and we soon heard the news. The French Republicans had
risen up against their king, and cut his head off, and as the English
Government did not approve of that, they had ordered the French
ambassador to leave the country. The National Convention, as it was
called, had therefore declared war against Great Britain, and we were
now going to thrash the French Republicans soundly, wherever we could
find them, afloat or on shore.

This was, of course, considered to be glorious news; and all hands fore
and aft were in high glee at the thoughts of the work cut out for us.

The _Venus_ soon after parted company with us to go and look out for the
enemy, while we made the best of our way up Channel to Portsmouth, to
fill up with ammunition and stores. Before Susan could come over to see
me we had sailed for the westward. On our way down Channel we again
fell in with the _Venus_, which had had a sharp action with two French
frigates, the _Semillante_ and _Cleopatre_, when she beat off the first,
and escaped from the latter. We sailed together in search of the two
frigates. We sighted them three days afterwards, when they, having
nimble heels, escaped us and got into Cherbourg.

Having cruised together for some time, we parted company, and we put
into Falmouth. We had now been a year in commission, and all hands were
eager to meet an enemy of equal force. My fear was for Harry; I don't
know how I should have felt had he been my own son, but I doubt that I
should have been as anxious as I was about him, and I knew it would go
well-nigh to break Susan's heart should he be killed.

He and Reginald were in high spirits, and could talk of nothing else but
the battle in which they hoped to be engaged, and were always asking me
questions about those I had seen fought in my younger days. You see,
after the long peace, we had a good many officers and men on board, who
had never seen a shot fired in anger.

Our captain, however, and his brother, C