, Mr Higson, you wish to become post-captain, or an
admiral?" observed Archie.

"That is more than I ever shall be, youngster, unless I'm a yellow
admiral; indeed, I shall consider myself fortunate if I get made a
commander, and after serving a year or two am allowed to retire from the
service," said Higson. "Now, that is a place to which I should have no
objection," he continued, as, having opened a fresh reach, he pointed to
a house of greater pretensions than those they had before seen. "After
we have performed the work we have been sent on, when we come down we'll
look in there and request the inhabitants to provide us some dinner, for
I am very sharp set, as I daresay you are."

Of course Higson shouted to Green, telling him what he intended to do,
and, of course, the master and Tom very willingly agreed to his
proposal. "We have, however, first our work to do," observed Higson;
"to burn a few granaries and stacks of wheat, and as many vessels as we
can fall in with; that won't take us long, however, if we meet with no
opposition, and if we do we must fight, and get the matter over as soon
as possible. We must finish it, as Shakespeare says we should a
beefsteak."

"I don't think it's Shakespeare says that," observed Archie; "however,
there's no doubt that unless we can do it quickly, we may miss doing it
altogether, as those Cossack fellows who are in the neighbourhood will
be coming down and trying to cut us off."

"Well, as they can't charge into the river, they'll have a hard job to
do that," said Higson; "and when we land we must take care not to get
far from the boats. It is to be hoped that Commander Adair will keep
the garrison shut up in their fort, and so the people up the country,
not knowing what has happened, will be unprepared for us."

As they pulled along the officers in the two boats kept a bright
look-out on either bank, and, not having seen any horsemen, were in
hopes that they might come suddenly upon the place they wished to reach,
if no peasantry saw them; or, if they saw them, as they had no flag
flying, the peasantry might easily mistake them for Russians, as they
would scarcely suppose that two English boats would have ventured up so
far from the protection of their ships.

The river rather narrowed as they proceeded, and they observed that the
banks were fringed with wide belts of rushes, so that, should they have
to run the gauntlet between foes on either bank, by keeping in th