England."

This having been outrageously misunderstood by the Turk, and
misinterpreted to the officer, the next question was--

"Wessyoocumfro?"

"Wessyoocumfro?"

Again Lancey repeated the word, and once more, with a smile of sudden
intelligence, exclaimed, "Ah, I see: w'ere's you come from? Well, I
last come from the water, 'avin' previously got into it through the
hupsettin' of our boat."

Lancey hereupon detailed the incident which had left him and me
struggling in the water, but the little that was understood by the Turks
was evidently not believed; and no wonder, for by that time the Russians
had been laying down torpedoes in all directions about the Danube, to
prevent the enemy from interfering with their labours at the pontoon
bridges. The Turkish sailors were thus rendered suspicious of every
unusual circumstance that came under their notice. When, therefore, a
big, powerful, and rather odd-looking man was found clinging to one of
their cables, they at once set him down as an unsuccessful torpedoist,
and a careful search was instantly made round the vessel as a
precaution.

Meanwhile Lancey was led rather roughly down to the cabin to be
questioned by the captain.

The cabin, although very luxurious in its fittings, was not so richly
ornate as had been anticipated by the English groom, whose conceptions
of everything had been derived from the Arabian Nights' Entertainments,
or rather from a fanciful imagination fed by that romantic work. The
appearance of the Turkish captain, however, and the brightly-coloured
costume of an officer who sat by his side, were sufficiently striking
and Oriental.

On Lancey being placed before him, the captain turned and said a few
words to the officer at his side, who was a splendid fellow, in the
prime of life, with a square bony frame and red beard, which harmonised,
if it did not contrast, with his scarlet fez and blue tassel. A rich
Eastern shawl encircled his waist, from the folds of which peeped the
handles of a brace of pistols.

He looked at the dripping Englishman earnestly and sternly for a few
moments, and the slightest tinge of a smile lighted his grave
countenance as he said in broken, but sufficiently fluent English--

"The captin do want you to repeat vat you have say on deck."

Lancey repeated it, with a considerable number of additions, but no
variations.

After translating it all, and listening to something in reply, the
officer turned again