than our own and no more."

"It may be so," replied Captain Delmar, thoughtfully; "at all events,
Mr Keene, I am obliged to you for the suggestion."

The captain took two or three more turns fore and aft in silence and
then quitted the deck.

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.

In three days we had gained the latitude of Berbice, and on the fourth
morning the men at the mast-head were keeping a sharp look-out for any
strange sail. Our head was then towards the land, which, being very
low, could not be seen; the breeze was light, the royals had been set,
and the men piped down to breakfast, when the mast-head-man reported
three sail right ahead. We soon made them out to be merchant vessels,
and as they separated, and made all sail from us, we made sure that they
had been captured; and so it proved when we took possession of them,
which we did not do of the third before night-fall.

Upon interrogating the prisoners and the few English who had been left
on board the prizes, we found out that I had been right in my
conjecture; they had been captured by a French line-of-battle ship,
which they had left in shore the evening before. The English reported
her a very fast sailer, and believed her to be an eighty gun ship--
indeed the French prisoners acknowledged that such was the case.

This was very important intelligence, and Captain Delmar walked up and
down deck in deep thought: the fact was, he was puzzled how to act. To
attempt to cope with such a force, unless under peculiarly favourable
circumstances, would be madness: to leave the coast and our mercantile
navy exposed to her depredations, was at the same time very repulsive to
his feelings and sense of duty. The prizes had been manned, the
prisoners were on board, the boats hoisted up, and the Manilla still
remained hove to. The fact was, the captain did not know which way to
put the ship's head; and he walked up and down in deep thought.

"Mr Keene, is it your watch?"

"No, sir."

"Oblige me by telling the master to work up the reckoning; I wish to
know exactly where we are."

"It is done already, sir," replied I, "and pricked off on the chart--I
have just left the gun-room."

"Then, Mr Keene, bring the chart into my cabin." I followed into the
cabin with the chart, which I laid down on the table, and pointed out
the position of the ship.

"You were right in your supposition, Mr Keene," said the captain; "and
really this vessel turning out to be a line-of-b