nsieur officer, our property is invaluable," cried the priests.
"It cannot be replaced. You do not know what precious things we have
got."

"Precious or not, they must stay where they are till the shot-holes are
plugged, unless you choose to carry them yourselves."

"Oh, sacrilegious heretic, we will be revenged on you some day,"
muttered one of the priests, while the other hurled some curses at
Nigel's head, to which he did not stop to listen, remembering the
proverb that "Curses, like birds, go home to roost at night."

By plugging the shot-holes and setting strong gangs to work the pumps,
the prize was kept afloat sufficiently long to get out some of the
provisions and water, as well as a portion of her cargo. The priests
again loudly called on their countrymen to assist them in transferring
the goods to the _Madeline_, though few of them showed any disposition
to do so, but by the assistance of the French crew, their valuables were
at length got out of the sinking ship.

The rest of the fleet had now come up, and the prisoners were
distributed among them. The priests, however, would not desert their
baggage, which, they insisted, was their own private property.

"If it is found to be so on inspection you shall retain it," observed
Captain Beauport; "but as the cases may possibly contain munitions of
war, we cannot allow them without examination to fall into the hands of
your countrymen."

The priests protested that there was nothing warlike in them, but the
captain was determined to have the cases examined. On opening them one
was found to contain a large coarsely painted figure of the Virgin and
Child, another half a dozen small figure of saints, the third was full
of flat leaden figures and crosses.

"What are these?" asked the captain, coming to a fourth, full of small
boxes and parcels.

"Those," answered the priest, who was looking indignantly on, "are the
bones of saints and martyrs. Let them not be touched, I beseech you, by
sacrilegious hands."

Each package was labelled, a score or more having the name of Saint
Anthony.

"Why, you must have got two or three saints' bodies here," exclaimed the
captain.

"Only a very small portion of one, indeed," answered the priest; "a hair
from his beard or a paring from his toe-nail is of value equal to the
whole of his leg."

"And what are these other packages?" inquired the captain.

"Each contains some precious relic, efficacious in curing every d