is swarming with French privateers, really
pirates under a rather more respectable name; and it is to these fellows
I want you to more particularly direct your attention. The _Foam_ I
shall pay off at once, and I think it will be a good plan if you, Mr
Courtenay, will try to secure the hands you now have on board the
felucca for your next cruise. If you, Mr Lascelles, have any
particularly good men on board the _Foam_ that you would like to keep,
you had better endeavour to get them to enter for the _Dauphin_, which,
by the way, we will re-christen and call the _Dolphin_ for the future.
And now, good morning both of you; if you want a few days' leave, take
it, sending Mr Purkis here your addresses, so that I may know where to
communicate with you. Do not leave your ships, however, until the
_Foam_ is paid off, which will be to-morrow."

Upon this hint to depart we rose, and thanking our kind benefactor as
briefly as possible for his really extraordinary kindness to us, bowed
ourselves out and withdrew.

As we went down over the side I resolved that I would there and then pay
a visit to my new command, and see what she was like. I had already
noticed her lying alongside the dockyard wharf, and had admired her, not
only for her handsome rakish appearance, but also because she was the
largest schooner I had at that time ever seen. We therefore pulled
straight away for the dockyard, Courtenay accompanying me in the
_Foam's_ gig. As soon as we were fairly away from the _Mars_ my _fidus
achates_ turned to me and said:

"Well, Lascelles, this is all very well for you, old fellow, who are
well up in your navigation; but I really don't know how in the world _I_
shall get on. It is true I did fairly well in the felucca on our trip
from the lagoons; but then I was always careful to keep the schooner
well in sight, so that I was really trusting to you as much as to
myself. But now I shall have to depend upon myself, and if I had not
felt certain that you will polish me up during the few days that we may
be in port together, I should have been obliged to decline the admiral's
very kind offer. What a brick the old fellow is, to be sure; and yet
see what a name he has for harshness and severity."

"Depend upon it," said I, "he is only harsh and severe with those who
deserve it. Then, great allowances must be made for a man occupying
such a responsible position as his; no matter what goes wrong, or who is
to blame, it is