ce, giving up the province
of Pegu, which was accordingly attached to the British dominions. The
soldiers had most of the fighting, but we had a good share of it,
_quorum pars magna fui_, and so ends my yarn."

"Bravo, Rogers! an excellent yarn, and capitally told," said several
voices.

"Ye dinna pit your light under a bushel, laddie," remarked Archie.

"Why should I?" exclaimed Tom; "it was for your sakes more than for
mine; you wouldn't have been half as interested if I'd only told you
what I'd heard, whereas I've enabled you, in imagination, to take part
in all the scenes in which my brother Jack and I were engaged."

"Then you should have said _quorum pars magna_ fuit _frater Jackus
meus_," said Archie; "but I suspect that he was the principal actor."

"Of course he was," said Tom; "there's not another fellow in the world
like my brother Jack; I always said so before I came to sea, and now I
have been with him so long, I can say it from my own observation. I
might have said a great deal more about him, only my object was to be
brief." Others of the _Romp's_ youngsters who had been in the
expedition corroborated all that had been said, and made Tom's hearers
wish to have the chance of sailing with Jack Rogers, who was sure, they
agreed, wherever he might be, to cut out work of some sort or other.

More yarns were spun, and many a song sung, before Tom and his shipmates
returned to the brig.

Next morning, as the corvette was weighing anchor, the frigate was seen
coming in from the southward. The _Opal_ accordingly again brought up,
and waited for her arrival. As she came to an anchor, the flags run up
to her masthead summoned Murray on board. The commodore, on hearing of
the number of slaves he had taken, ordered him, instead of going on to
Aden, to proceed to Seychelles, where arrangements had been made for the
reception of liberated Africans, and, as soon as he had landed them and
refreshed his ship's company, to return to the coast, and prosecute his
search for slavers.

"We must strike a blow at this abominable traffic, and put it down at
all cost," exclaimed the commodore; "we have done nothing effectual as
yet--for one vessel captured, fifty have escaped."

The commodore, having come on board the _Opal_ to inspect the slaves,
ordered Murray to get under way immediately. The corvette, running out
round the north end of the island, hauled her wind, and stood eastward
till she reached Seychelles.