the brig
clear of and about a mile distant from the barque. Before that moment
arrived, however, the French skipper contrived to get a hurried word
with me.

"Monsieur," he said, "the contents of your letter have been communicated
to me; and permit me to say that you and Mademoiselle Onslow have the
heartiest sympathy and commiseration of myself and my passengers in your
most unpleasant situation. But, monsieur, I fear I cannot possibly help
you in the way that would doubtless be most acceptable to you--namely,
by receiving you on board my ship. The scoundrels who hold you in their
power would never permit it; and even were it possible for you and
mademoiselle to slip aboard, unperceived, and secrete yourselves, your
absence would be quickly discovered, it would be guessed what had become
of you, and the pirates would assuredly give chase and recapture you--
for the barque, fine ship though she be, certainly _is_ a trifle slow--
and who knows what vengeance the wretches might wreck upon us for having
presumed to abet you in your attempt to escape them? You will perceive,
I am sure, that my duty to my passengers forbids my exposing them to
such a risk. But I shall now call at Cape Town, to replace what those
villains have taken from me; and you may rest assured that I will not
only report the act of piracy that has been perpetrated upon me, but I
will also make known the unfortunate situation of yourself and
mademoiselle, so that your countrymen may be enabled to take such steps
as they may see fit to effect your rescue."

This was as much as I could reasonably hope; and I thanked the skipper
heartily for undertaking even so much as that.

In the early hours of the morning a gentle little air from the
northward--that gradually strengthened to a nice working breeze--sprang
up; and when I went on deck at seven bells the _Marie Renaud_ was out of
sight, and we were alone once more on the tumbling waste of waters.

From that time forward nothing of importance occurred until we arrived
in the longitude of the Horn, our passage of this notorious headland
being accomplished in gloriously fine weather--for a wonder--with half a
gale of wind from the eastward, blowing over our taffrail, to which we
showed every rag that we could set upon the hooker. The actual passage
occurred in the early morning--about six o'clock, according to our dead
reckoning--and upon working out the sights that I had secured after
breakfast for