f-war, was compelled to retire by the batteries
at Europa; and the cutter made her way in triumphantly, insultingly
returning the Spanish admiral's fire with her two little stern
guns. The Spanish men-of-war drifted away after their small craft;
and thus for the time the port was open again, thanks to the pluck
of the little privateer--which had, it was found on her arrival,
been some time at sea, and simply came in to get provisions.

As it could be seen, from the African coast, that the port was again open,
two or three small craft came across, with bullocks and sheep. Four days
later--the wind veering round to the southward--Admiral Barcelo, with his
fleet, returned to the bay; and the blockade was renewed.

Already, Captain O'Halloran and his wife had the most ample reasons
for congratulating themselves that they had taken Dr. Burke's
advice, in the matter of vegetables and fowls. The little garden on
the roof was the envy of all Carrie's female friends--many of whom,
indeed, began imitations of it, on a small scale. Under the hot
sun, and with careful watering, everything made astonishing
progress. The cutting of the mustard and cress had, of course,
begun in little more than a week from the time when the garden had
been completed, and the seeds sown. The radishes were fit for
pulling three weeks later and, as constant successions were sown,
they had been amply supplied with an abundance of salad and, each
morning, a trader in town came up and took all that they could
spare--at prices that would, before the siege began, have appeared
fabulous.

Along the edge of the parapet, and trailing over almost to the
ground--covering the house in a bower of rich green foliage--the
melons, cucumbers, and pumpkins blossomed and fruited luxuriantly
and, for these, prices were obtained as high as those that the
fruit would fetch, in Covent Garden, when out of season. But as
melons, cucumbers, and pumpkins alike produce great quantities of
seed, by the end of the year they were being grown, on a
considerable scale, by all who possessed any facilities for
cultivating them.

Later on, indeed, the governor--hearing, from the principal medical
officer, how successful Captain O'Halloran had been--issued an
order recommending all inhabitants to grow vegetables, and granting
them every facility for so doing. All who chose to do so were
allowed to fence in any little patches of earth they could
discover, among the rocks or on unuse