dainty dish
prepared for his benefit. It made me set to work to bale with all the
strength I could muster. Seeing me so employed, O'Carroll for a moment
forgot his mad idea, and followed my example. Often and often I turned
my gaze towards the approaching ship. It seemed even still open to
doubt whether she would pass near enough to observe us.

At length the breeze reached us, and hoisting our sails as well as our
strength would allow, we stood in a direction to come across the course
the stranger was steering. I told Kelson, in a whisper, to assist me in
keeping a watch on O'Carroll, for as we drew nearer the stranger, so did
his uneasiness increase, and he was evidently still under the impression
that she was the dreaded _Mignonne_. William and Trundle looked at her
with lack-lustre eyes. I asked Kelson what he thought she was. "A
small Chinaman, or a store-ship, maybe, sir," he answered. "She's
English, certainly, by the cut of her sails."

"You hear what he says," I observed to O'Carroll. "I think the same
myself. We shall be treated as friends when we get on board."

"Ye are after desaving me, I know ye are," cried the poor fellow,
turning round and giving a reproachful glance at me. "Don't ye see the
ugly villain La Roche himself standing on the cathead ready to order his
crew of imps to fire as soon as we get within range of their guns?"

This notion so tickled Kelson's fancy that he fairly burst into a fit of
laughter, in which I and the rest of the party faintly joined, from very
weakness, for most of them had not heard what was said. Even O'Carroll
himself imitated us. Suddenly he stopped. "It's no laughing matter,
though, let me tell you," he observed gravely, after some time had
elapsed, and the stranger had neared us so that we could see the people
on deck. "But where's La Roche? Oh, I see, he's aft there, grinning at
us as usual." He pointed to a most respectable-looking old gentleman,
who was, I supposed, the master of the ship.

"You are mistaken in that," said I, feeling the importance of keeping
him quiet till he could be got on board. "If that is the _Mignonne_,
she has been captured, and is in possession of a British crew. You'll
see that I am right directly."

The ship was shortening sail as I spoke. We were soon alongside. Even
at a distance our pitiable condition had been observed. We were one
after the other hoisted on deck, for even Kelson could scarcely get up
wit