ck a blow to aid in the capture. Then, as to
the _Aurora_, having not only bought and paid, but _also fought_, for
her, George was strongly of opinion that _she_ at least was his. But,
here again, it appeared that he was mistaken. She had been taken from
him by pirates, and had been out of his possession more than twenty-four
hours: she was therefore, _de facto_, a pirate, and the lawful prize of
the _Virginie_, or rather, of the _Virginie's_ owners, namely, the
convoying fleet aforesaid. And the same reasoning applied with equal
effect to the _Cigne_. The naval authorities certainly were good enough
to admit that George and his crew were, in virtue of their having been
the actual captors of these vessels, entitled to a certain moderate
share of the prize-money accruing therefrom, but further than that they
would not go.

But if George found himself a busy man, he also found himself--outside
the circle ruled by official jealousy--famous. The story, not only of
his gallant achievements, but also of his misfortunes, leaked out, as
such stories will; and he soon found himself a much-sought-after man,
quite a lion, in fact. To such an extent, indeed, was this the case,
that even the curiosity of royalty itself was aroused, and in the very
midst of all his perplexities Leicester received a summons to present
himself at court. This summons George of course dutifully and promptly
obeyed, and whilst there not only told the whole story of his
adventures, but also laid before his most gracious Majesty the
grievances from which he considered himself to be suffering. He was
well rewarded for his pains; for, when the king came to be fully
informed of the details of the case, he took the matter in hand himself,
with the result that a speedy and, on the whole, fairly satisfactory
settlement was arrived at. He was also offered a commission in the
navy, his Majesty sagely remarking that so good a man ought to be
serving his country in some better way than by commanding a mere
merchant-ship, and this time George was sensible enough to accept the
offer. At his suggestion a commission was also offered to and accepted
by Bowen.

All this business being at length satisfactorily concluded, George had
no further excuse for shunning Sea View, and accordingly, on the first
opportunity, he set out with considerable perturbation of spirit for
Alverstoke.

It was about seven o'clock in the evening, and quite dark when George
reached