'Exactly the same question which I put to Lord B.,' replied Pickersgill.

'Where is Lord B., sir?' said Cecilia Ossulton, going up to the
smuggler; 'is he safe?'

'Yes, madam, he is safe; at least he is in his boat with all his men,
and unhurt; but you must excuse me if I request you and the other ladies
to go down below while I speak to these gentlemen. Be under no alarm,
miss, you will receive neither insult nor ill-treatment--I have only
taken possession of this vessel for the present.'

'Take possession,' cried Hautaine, 'of a yacht?'

'Yes, sir, since the owner of the yacht thought proper to attempt to
take possession of me. I always thought that yachts were pleasure
vessels, sailing about for amusement, respected themselves, and not
interfering with others; but it appears that such is not the case. The
owner of this yacht has thought proper to break through the neutrality
and commence aggression, and under such circumstances I have now, in
retaliation, taken possession of her.'

'And pray what do you mean to do, sir?'

'Simply for a few days to make an exchange. I shall send you on board of
my vessel as smugglers, while I remain here with the ladies and amuse
myself with yachting.'

'Why, sir, you cannot mean----'

'I have said, gentlemen, and that is enough; I should be sorry to resort
to violence, but I must be obeyed. You have, I perceive, three seamen
only left: they are not sufficient to take charge of the vessel, and
Lord B. and the others you will not meet for several days. My regard for
the ladies, even common humanity, points out to me that I cannot leave
the vessel in this crippled condition. At the same time, I must have
hands on board of my own: you will oblige me by going on board and
taking her safely into port. It is the least return you can make for my
kindness. In those dresses, gentlemen, you will not be able to do your
duty; oblige me by shifting and putting on these.' Corbett handed a
flannel shirt, a rough jacket and trousers to Messrs. Hautaine,
Ossulton, Vaughan, and Seagrove. After some useless resistance they were
stripped, and having put on the smugglers' attire, they were handed on
board of the _Happy-go-lucky_.

The three English seamen were also sent on board and confined below, as
well as Ossulton's servant, who was also equipped like his master, and
confined below with the seamen. Corbett and the men then handed up all
the smuggled goods into the yacht, dropped the boat, a