. He was thankful to find that the boatswain and most
of the crew of the _Eagle_ had been rescued, with the exception of three
unhappy men who, overcome by liquor, had been suffocated below. The
whole of the survivors entered on board the _Falcon_--indeed, they were
not offered a choice. A dozen of her best hands were also taken out of
the _Penguin_--such being the custom of the times, when a King's ship
wanted men. Their places were filled by Portuguese and other
foreigners, thirty of whom were shipped by the _Falcon_ to make up her
complement, in addition to a few runaway English seamen reduced to
beggary, and sent on board by the consul. The exploring party returned
without a survivor from the _Concorde_, a few pieces of wreck alone
having been found as evidence of her fate. Such is the sad result of
warfare. Three hundred human beings had lost their lives on board the
four ships, two only of which now remained afloat. Ralph did his utmost
to discover Dick, but without success, and at length he began to fear
that he had been drowned in trying to make his escape, or had--not an
unlikely occurrence--been murdered on shore. The _Falcon_, her repairs
being completed, and Mr Handsel having written his despatches to send
home by the _Penguin_, and having given himself an acting order as
commander, sailed for the East Indies.

Ralph, as may be supposed, did not fail to write to Jessie and Captain
Mudge by the _Penguin_, and to leave duplicates of two letters with the
consul, to be forwarded by another opportunity.

CHAPTER EIGHT.

Poor Jessie Flamank had good cause to be sad. For long she hoped
against hope. Whenever the door opened her heart beat quick, and she
looked up half ready to spring from her seat in expectation that her
Ralph would appear. Her kind granny was unwilling to say anything which
might quench the hope which kept up her spirits, yet the dame knew full
well that Ralph was too good a seaman to be allowed his liberty.
Captain Mudge looked in every evening when his work on board the _Amity_
was over for the day, and did his utmost to comfort Jessie. He would
not say, however, whether he thought that Ralph would come back soon,
but he told her that he was sure to get on well, and be better off in
many respects than on board the brig. "As to danger," he continued, "to
my mind a man is as safe in one place as in another. God, remember,
looks after those who trust in Him; they would be in a