sels belonging to
the flotilla.

It was Darius who broke in upon my perplexing thoughts by asking:

"Well, what do you think of it now, lad? We couldn't have done the job
any browner if we'd had on board a full cargo of rifles an'
ammunition."

"Ay, Darius, it has been well done because you were on hand; but I
question if another might have worked the scheme as well."

"There are thousands who'd make less bungle of it," the old man
replied, and I could see that he was well pleased because of being
praised, even by a boy. "All that's needed is a little backbone; but
if the other fellow happens to have more'n you've got, then things are
apt to go wrong."

"Thanks to your arrangement of the affair, the enemy didn't have a
chance to show his pluck; but we'd have been in a bad box if you
hadn't made the Britishers believe, for a minute or two, that we were
their friends."

Darius laughed heartily as he thought of the brief conversation with
the sailors, and then said with a chuckle:

"If I'd only known the name of a vessel belongin' to their fleet, we'd
been right on top of 'em before bein' found out; but as it was we got
well alongside when the trouble began."

Then Jerry came aft to take part in the conversation, and we spent a
good half-hour praising each other and chuckling over the good fortune
that had been ours.

We might have continued at such pleasing occupation a very long while,
but that day began to break, and there was too much work on hand to
admit of further foolishness.

Darius gave up the tiller to me, and went below to look after the
prisoners, returning five minutes later with the British officer, who,
much to my surprise, was no longer fettered.

"This gentleman has decided that he can give his parole to us as well
as to brother officers," Darius said by way of introduction. "He has
pledged his word to make no attempt at escape, therefore we will give
him the liberty of the ship."

"Which won't mean much for one who has been accustomed to the luxury
found on board some of his majesty's vessels," I added, trying to show
that I had some semblance of good breeding. "An oyster pungy isn't the
most beautiful craft in the world."

"Very true," the officer replied with a friendly smile; "but there is
a vast difference between the hold and the deck of an oysterman."

"Yes, I can fancy that to one unaccustomed to such things, the Avenger
seems like a foul ship below."

"So your vessel is named