ofts has already sold the grain, and discharged it. The hull is
worth but little; and the captain has sold her, as she stands, to a
trader for two hundred pounds. I expect he has bought her to break
up for firewood, if the siege goes on. If it doesn't, he will sell
her again, afterwards, at a good profit. Of course, it is a
ridiculous price; but the captain wanted to get her off his hands,
and would have taken a ten pound note, rather than be bothered with
her.

"So by tonight we shall be across at Ceuta and, if the wind holds
east but another day, we shall be through the Straits on our way
home.

"They are going to shift two of our 18 pounders on board the
barque, and I am going to command her, and to have fifteen men on
board. Crofts commands the poleacre, with ten men. The rest, of
course, go in the brig. We shall keep together, and steer well out
west into the Atlantic, so as to give as wide a berth as possible
to Spaniards and Frenchmen. If we meet with a privateer, we ought
to be able to give a good account of him; if we run across a
frigate, we shall scatter; and it will be hard luck if we don't
manage to get two out of the three craft into port.

"We have been shifting some more of the silver again, this morning,
from the barque into the other two vessels; otherwise, as she has
the lead on board, she would be the most valuable prize. As it is
now, the three are of about equal value."

"Well, we wish you a pleasant voyage," Captain O'Halloran said. "I
suppose we shall see you back here again, before long."

"Yes, I should think so; but I don't know what the captain means to
do. We have had no time to talk, this morning. I daresay you will
meet him, on shore; he has gone to the post office, to get his
papers signed. We have been quite pestered, this morning, by men
coming on board to buy wine out of the polacre; but the captain
wouldn't have the hatches taken off. The Spaniards may turn up, at
any moment; and it is of the greatest importance our getting off,
while the coast is clear. It is most unfortunate, now, that we did
not run straight in, yesterday; instead of laying to, to wait for
night."

They did not meet the captain in the town and, from the roof, Bob
saw the three vessels get up sail, early in the afternoon, and make
across for the African coast.

The doctor came in, in the evening.

"Well, Bob, so I hear you have been fighting, and commanding ships,
and doing all sorts of things. I saw Cap