bject, and seemed somewhat disposed to draw the long-bow
when narrating his own share of the exploit, which tendency I thought it
only kind to nip in the bud by giving our version of the affair. Both
father and son at first appeared to be considerably nettled when they
found that it was to us they owed their discomfiture; but their better
sense speedily prevailed, and they joined as heartily as the rest in the
laugh against themselves. On parting at the gangway that night,
however, as we prepared to leave for our respective vessels, young
Fanshawe laughingly remarked, as he gave our hands a cordial farewell
grip:

"You have the laugh on your side at present, Lascelles; but I warn you
that you will not get off so easily the next time I have an opportunity
of taking a pot-shot at you."

We reached the _Foam_ about midnight; and next morning at daybreak
weighed and worked out of the roadstead with the first of the sea-
breeze, nipping sharp round the point as soon as we could weather it and
keeping close along to windward of the Palisades until we were abreast
of Plum Point; when, being fairly clear of the shoals, we braced sharp
up for Yallah's Point. Once abreast of this, we were enabled to check
our weather-braces a trifle and ease off a foot or two of the main-
sheet, when away we went for Morant Point through as nasty a short
choppy sea as it has ever been my luck to encounter; the schooner
jerking viciously into it and sending the spray flying from her weather
bow right aft into the body of the mainsail and out over the lee
quarter. But the discomfort to which we were thus subjected was amply
compensated for by the magnificent panorama of wooded mountain, brawling
stream, sweeping bay, landlocked inlet, frowning cliff, and white sandy
beach, as we skirted the shores of this most beautiful island of
Jamaica.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

A BRUSH WITH A PIRATICAL FELUCCA.

We had not been three hours at sea before the unwelcome conviction
forced itself upon us that our apprehensions respecting the injury to
the _Foam's_ sailing powers were only too well founded; whatever they
might originally have been the bungling dockyard riggers had effectually
destroyed them. The breeze was blowing so strongly that we had been
compelled to furl the topgallant--sail, and, steering as we were with
the wind abeam, we ought, with the shapely hull we had beneath us, to
have been going at least nine knots, whereas, so cramped were th