f Jacks were in charge of the boat, and soon after we
were pulled alongside of the lugger, to find that the men left on board,
in charge of a midshipman of about my own age, had been busy repairing
damages, _fishing_, as they called it, the broken spar, while the
lugger's crew sat forward smoking and looking on, in company with their
skipper, who rose smiling, and saluted.

"Aha! Le Capitaine Dooncaine," he cried; "and m'sieu hees sone. I
salute you both."

"Salute me?" cried my father angrily. "After this night's work?"

"This night's work, mon capitaine?" he said lightly. "Vy node. I am
prisonaire; so is my sheep, and my brave boys. But it ees ze fortune of
var."

"Yes; the fortune of war," said my father bitterly.

"I do node gomplaine myself. You Angleesh are a grand nation; ve are a
grand nation. Ve are fighting now. If ze sloop sail vin she vill come
for me. If she lose ze capitaine vill be prisonaire, and behold encore
ze fortune of war."

"Sir," said my father, "it is the act of pirates to descend upon a set
of peaceful people as your countrymen did last night, thanks to your
playing spy."

"Spy? Espion? Monsieur insults a French gentleman. I am no spy."

"Was it not the work of a spy to bring that French sloop here to ravage
my place and steal the ore that had been smelted down?"

"True, saire, it vas bad; but ze espion was your own countrymen, saire.
Ze Capitaine Gualtiere does no do such not you calls dirty vorks as
zat."

"Jonas Uggleston! It was he, then?" cried my father. "I felt sure of
it; but I believed you to have had a hand in it, Captain Gualtiere."

"A hand in him, sair. Ze Capitaine Ugglee-stone ask me to join him, it
there is months ago, sair; but I am a smugglaire, and a shentilhomme,
node a pirate."

"Captain Gualtiere," said my father, "you once saved my boy's life, and
I have insulted you--a prisoner. Sir, I beg your pardon."

My father took off his hat, and before he realised what was about to
take place, the Frenchman had thrown his lithe arms about him and kissed
his cheek.

"Sair," he exclaimed with emotion, "I am a prisonaire, but I look upon
ze Capitaine Dooncaine as a friend."

They then shook hands, and my father coloured up as he saw the officer
of the frigate look on as if amused.

"Monsieur," said Captain Gualtiere; "I am no longer the maitre here; but
you vill entaire my cabine, and I pray you to take dejeuner--ze
breakezefast vis me."

The r