soon as we can get into Leghorn, which will
be immediately after I have had an opportunity of communicating with
these people in Porto Ferrajo. After all that has passed, the least we
can do is to let your veechy-govern-the-tories know of our success."

"Sail, ho!" shouted the lookout, on the foretopsail-yard.

The two officers turned, and gazed round them in every direction, when
the captain made the customary demand of "Where-away?"

"Here, sir, close aboard of us, on our larboard hand, and on our
weather quarter."

"On our weather quarter! D--n me if that _can_ be true, Griffin. There
is nothing but the island there. The fellow cannot have mistaken this
little island for the hull of a ship?"

"If he has, sir," answered Griffin, laughing, "it must be for a
twenty-decker. That is Ben Brown aloft, and he is as good a lookout as
we have in the ship."

"Do you see her, sir?" demanded Ben Brown, looking over his shoulder to
put the question.

"Not a bit of her," cried Cuffe. "You must be dreaming, fellow. What
does she look like?"

"There, this small island shuts her in from the deck, sir. She is a
lugger; and looks as much like the one we burnt last night, sir, as one
of our catheads is like t'other."

"A lugger!" exclaimed Cuffe. "What, another of the blackguards! By Jove!
I'll go aloft and take a look for myself. It's ten to one that I see her
from the maintop."

In three minutes more, Captain Cuffe was in the top in question; having
passed through the lubber-hole, as every sensible man does, in a
frigate, more especially when she stands up for want of wind. That was
an age in which promotion was rapid, there being few gray-bearded
lieutenants, then, in the English marine; and even admirals were not
wanting who had not cut all their wisdom-teeth. Cuffe, consequently, was
still a young man; and it cost him no great effort to get up his ship's
ratlins in the manner named. Once in the top, he had all his eyes about
him. For quite a minute he stood motionless, gazing in the direction
that had been pointed out by Ben Brown. All this time Griffin stood on
the quarter-deck, looking quite as intently at his superior as the
latter gazed at the strange sail. Then Cuffe deigned to cast a glance
literally beneath him, in order to appease the curiosity which, he well
understood, it was so natural for the officer of the watch to feel.
Griffin did not dare to ask his _captain_ what he saw; but he looked a
volume of quest