he
reluctantly yielded a little in his intention; "and Winchester would
fancy a bird exceedingly in a day or two. I never was hit in my life
that I did not feel a desire for game after the fever was gone. Snipe,
too, must live on the banks of that stream. Snipe are coming in season
now, Griffin?"

"It's more likely, sir, that some of the privateersmen have got ashore
on planks and empty casks, and are prowling about in the weeds, watching
our boats. Three or four of them would be too much for you, Captain
Cuffe, as the scoundrels all carry knives as long as ship's cutlasses."

"I suppose your notion may be true; and I shall have to give it up. Pull
back to the frigate, Davy, and we'll be off after some more of these
French ragamuffins."

This settled the matter. In half an hour the boats were swinging at the
Proserpine's quarters; and three hours later the ship was under her
canvas, standing slowly off the land. That day, however, the zephyr was
exceedingly light, and the sun set just as the ship got the small island
of Pianosa abeam; when the air came from the northward, and the ship's
head was laid in to the eastward; the course lying between the land just
mentioned and that of Elba. All night the Proserpine was slowly fanning
her way along the south side of the latter island, when, getting the
southerly air again in the morning, she reappeared in the Canal of
Piombino as the day advanced, precisely as she had done before, when
first introduced to the acquaintance of the reader. Cuffe had given
orders to be called, as usual, when the light was about to return; it
being a practice with him, in that active and pregnant war, to be on
deck at such moments, in order to ascertain, with his own eyes, what the
fortunes of the night had brought within his reach.

"Well, Mr. Griffin," he said, as soon as he had received the salutation
of the officer of the watch, "you have had a still night of it. Yonder
is the Point of Piombino, I see; and here we have got Elba and this
little rocky island again on our larboard hand. One day is surprisingly
like another about these times, for us mariners in particular."

"Do you really think so, Captain Cuffe?--Now, to my notion, this day
hasn't had its equal on the Proserpine's log, since we got hold of
l'Epervier and her convoy. You forget, sir, that we destroyed le
Feu-Follet last night!"

"Aye--that is something--especially for _you_, Griffin. Well, Nelson
will hear of it by mail as