ething?"

"No, thank you, Joe."

"Have they got the news about the declaration of war yet, Mister
Repton?"

"No, it hasn't arrived yet."

"I expect we shall get some good pickings along the coast, directly
it comes. We have been trading regularly, this last year; and we
all of us want the chance of earning a bit of prize money. So I can
tell you, we were very glad when we heard that we were going to
take to that again, for a bit."

"Yes, the captain was telling me about it, and he has asked me to
go for a trip with you."

"Well, I hope that you will be able to come, Mister Repton."

"I hope so, Joe. But there is one thing--if I do come, you must
call me Bob. I hate being called Mister Repton."

"Well, it would be different if you come with us like that," the
young mate said. "You see, you were a passenger, before; but if you
came like this, you will be here as a friend, like. So it will come
natural to call you Bob.

"And how do you like the place?"

"Oh, I like it well enough! I have been working very hard--at
least, pretty hard--so I haven't had time to feel it dull; and of
course I know all the officers in my brother-in-law's regiment. But
I shall be very glad, indeed, of a cruise; especially as we are
likely presently, by all they say, to be cut off here--some say for
months, some say for years."

"But still, I expect there will be some lively work," the mate
said, "if the Spaniards really mean to try and take this place."

"They will never take it," Bob said, "unless they are able to
starve us out; and they ought not to be able to do that. Ships
ought to be able to run in from the east, at any time; for the
Spaniards dare not come across within range of the guns and, if the
wind was strong, they could not get out from their side of the
bay."

"That is true enough, and I expect you will find fast-sailing
craft--privateers, and such like--will dodge in and out; but a
merchantman won't like to venture over this side of the Straits,
but will keep along the Moorish coasts. You see, they can't keep
along the Spanish side without the risk of being picked up, by the
gunboats and galleys with the blockading fleet. There are a dozen
small craft lying over there, now, with the men-of-war.

"Still, I don't say none of them will make their way in here,
because I daresay they will. They well know they will get big
prices for their goods, if they can manage to run the blockade. We
are safe to pick up some of