ure that, in saying this on my own behalf, I might also say as
much for my friend. To which speech Courtenay bowed his acquiescence,
looking rather glum at the same time, I must say.

"Very well," said the admiral, "I _must_ separate you for the present;
but I promise you that you shall become shipmates again at the earliest
convenient opportunity. Now, listen to me. There have been numerous
complaints from the merchants here, during the last two or three months,
that cargoes consigned to them have never arrived; and the only
conclusion possible is that the ships carrying these cargoes have been
snapped up by privateers. I have already sent out all the men-of-war
available to cruise about the spots most likely to be haunted by these
pests; but there are a couple of cruising grounds which are still less
effectively watched than I should like, and I have been thinking I would
send you two lads away to them, just to see what you can do. You,
Courtenay, I intend to put in charge of that large felucca you brought
in from the lagoons; she is just the craft for the work you will have to
do--a good powerful vessel, but of light draught of water. Your
cruising ground will be from Cape Maysi northward as far as Long Island,
giving the Kays in Austral Bay an overhaul now and then, thence to
windward of the Windward Passages, down as far south as, say, the Silver
Kay Passage, then to the westward as far as Cape Maysi again. But you
will have to be very careful, young gentleman, in your navigation of
Austral Bay, or you may find yourself cast away on one or another of the
shoals. You, Lascelles, I intend to put in command of that schooner,
the _Dauphin_, which was brought in by the _Minerva_ a few days ago; she
is a really formidable vessel of her class, and I think it quite likely
I shall be very severely blamed--behind my back--for intrusting her to a
mere boy, as you are; but you must look upon this command as an
indication of the confidence I have in your gallantry and discretion,
and I shall look to you to justify me by your conduct in the choice I
have made. Your cruising ground will be round Saint Domingo and as far
east as the Virgin Islands, and the duty of you both will be, firstly,
to protect commerce, and next to beat up the enemy's quarters everywhere
within your bounds, and capture, sink, burn, and destroy everything you
can lay hands on which is not too big for you to tackle. The whole
coast of Saint Domingo