lt that I could do nothing for the present,
and that it was prudent not to be seen talking too much with Larry. I
therefore told him to keep away from me during the day, unless he had
something particular to say, while I went below again, to finish my
toilet and wait for breakfast.

La Touche had been too busy to speak to me, and Dubois was still asleep.
I remained in my berth until the steward announced that breakfast was
ready, when I met the two officers, who had just come below. They
politely invited me to take a seat at the table.

"Well, you see, we have managed to escape your cruisers," said Dubois,
as he poured me out a cup of coffee. "We have reason to congratulate
ourselves, as we were very hard pressed."

"I must compliment you, monsieur, on your skilful seamanship," I said.
"I do so with sincerity, although I should have been very glad had you
been caught. However, I am prepared to bear my disappointment
philosophically. We have not yet reached Guadaloupe, and I don't
despair of regaining my liberty, though I conclude you'll not consider
yourself justified in letting me leave the brig?"

"For your sake I wish that we could," said La Touche; "but you are known
to be on board, and we should have to account for you; so I'm afraid you
must exercise the philosophy you speak of." Imitating the Frenchman, I
shrugged my shoulders, as if I was perfectly resigned to my fate. I
made no remark about the English frigate in the harbour, as the
Frenchmen didn't allude to her, though they could not have supposed that
I was ignorant of her being there.

I saw that the brig was riding at single anchor and hove short, and I
expected that Dubois was waiting for an opportunity of slipping out of
the harbour before the frigate was prepared to follow him. That she
would do so, should the brig be discovered to be an English vessel, a
prize to the French, there could be no doubt, unless detained by some
matter of more importance.

After breakfast we walked the deck for some time, and then Dubois
ordered La Touche to take a boat and pull round the harbour.

"See as you pass yonder frigate there, how she's riding," he said;
"whether she appears to be ready to put to sea, and learn, if you can
ascertain, what brought her in here. I wouldn't have come in had I
known that we should have found so unpleasant a neighbour."

"Do you know what frigate she is?" he asked, turning to me.

"As I can't see her hull clearly, were