belts, and hung cutlasses to our sides, while a musket was placed so
that the man at the wheel could get hold of it in a moment. The rest of
the arms and powder were locked up in the after-cabin.

These precautions were, I am convinced, not greater than were necessary.
When the Frenchmen saw that we had taken them, and that we were wide
awake, they did not dream of breaking their word; but had we exhibited
any carelessness, or any undue confidence in them, the honour they had
pledged would not, I suspect, have resisted the temptation which they
would have felt again to try and take the ship from us.

As it was, all went on very quietly. We soon got once more into the way
of joking and talking with the Frenchmen, and apparently were on as good
terms as ever, but Mr Randolph every now and then gave us a hint to be
on our guard.

"Don't trust them, my men," said he. "The more they laugh, and chatter,
and smile, the more they are inclined for mischief, depend on that."

He was right, and I think, considering his youth, that he deserved great
credit for his discretion and judgment; for I believe that many an older
man might have been deceived by the plausibility of their manners and
their apparent cordiality.

Fortunately we had very fine weather, and a fair wind, and in about a
week after the occurrence I have described we struck soundings in the
chops of the Channel. Our difficulties and dangers, however, were not
over; we had to keep a stricter watch than ever on our prisoners, for
they could tell by the colour of the water that we were near home, and
that if they did not at once regain their liberty they must give up all
hopes of so doing. We had likewise to keep a constant look-out for
strange sails. The enemy's privateers abounded, we knew, in the mouth
of the Channel, though their men-of-war were not so fond at the time of
showing themselves in those latitudes where they were very likely to be
picked up by British cruisers.

With the few hands we had on board, we could scarcely hope to make a
successful resistance against any armed vessel; still, when Mr Randolph
asked us if we would stick by him should we fall in with an enemy, we
promised to do our best.

"Never fear, then," said he; "though we might not be able to beat them
off, we'll try and frighten them away. As we cannot expect the
Frenchmen to help us, we'll make their clothes serve some purpose at all
events."

We had discovered some chests of