ng his
colours, tacking at the same time and edging down toward us. This
evidently shook the nerves of our unwelcome neighbour somewhat; he
seemed to think two to one rather long odds, for he immediately bore
away far enough to show us his gaff-end clear of his topsail, when he at
once ran up the stars and stripes. With this display of bunting we, of
course, feigned to be perfectly satisfied, and each vessel held on her
course, Merlani, doubtless, chuckling to think how smartly he had
hoodwinked us, whilst we were only too pleased at having got out of the
difficulty so easily. On Courtenay rounding to under our stern it
appeared that he, too, believed the strange craft to be Merlani's
schooner; like me, he had been temporarily thrown off his balance; and
like me, also, he had just come to the conclusion that a bold front was
the proper game to play, when the sight of our colours and our
shortening of sail gave him his cue, and he had forthwith put down his
helm and come round to take his part in the game of braggadocio.

This incident of our rencontre with Merlani (for we subsequently learned
that it actually _was_ he) was the last occurrence worthy of record
which befell us on our somewhat eventful cruise; for after losing sight
of the suspected schooner we never fell in with another sail of any
description until we entered Port Royal harbour, where we arrived, after
a pleasant but somewhat tardy passage, exactly one week after our fight
in the Conconil lagoons. I may as well here state, parenthetically,
that, under Sanderson's skilful hands and assiduous care, all the
wounded, myself included, did marvellously well; and though some of the
poor fellows, on arrival, had to be removed to the hospital, every one
of them eventually recovered. As for me, contrary to all expectation
the excitement and exertion to which I had been unavoidably exposed did
me no harm whatever; and on the morning of our arrival I was able to
dispense with the cumbersome and unsightly swathing of turban-like
bandages which I had up to then been compelled to wear, a liberal
application of sticking-plaster being all that I thenceforward required
until my wound was completely healed.

Our black pilot berthed us, at my request, close under the guns of the
flag-ship; and our anchor had scarcely taken a fair grip of the ground
before I found myself seated in the stern-sheets of my gig, with my
carefully written report in my hand, _en route_ for a