ayed," shouted the captain of the lugger. "But cheer up,
lads. Overboard with the fellows!"

As he began to show fight, a knock on the head silenced him, and the
crew on deck quickly succumbed. The lieutenant and his men jumped
below, and secured several of the men in their berths. Uncle Boz and I
meantime made our way into the cabin. A bright lamp hung from a beam
above. On a locker was seated my brother Jack, Katty resting on one
arm, while with his other hand he was feeding her with gruel from a
basin held by a tall thin old Frenchman, dressed in a faded suit, of
ancient cut, and a white nightcap on his bald head. I should have said
had been feeding, for the process was arrested by the noise on deck.
They all looked up as we entered, and Katty in her eagerness upset the
basin as she sprang forward to throw herself into Uncle Boz's arms. She
instantly ran back and took Jack by the hand, crying out, "Dear Jack
couldn't help it. If he bigger, he wouldn't let naughty smuggler carry
me away."

They had not been ill-treated; the old Frenchman especially had been
very kind to them.

"Ah! yes, I have von littel grandchild lik dat at home," he remarked.

So sudden had been our attack that we found plenty of things on board to
condemn the vessel; while, of course, those concerned would be tried for
the abduction of Jack and Katty. As the old Frenchman was clearly only
a passenger, he was put on board the lugger we had previously boarded.
I was glad that he escaped, on account of his kindness to sweet Katty
and Jack, though I suspect that he was an absconding debtor. I should
think, however, that his creditors might as well have tried to skin a
flint as him. We carried the lugger in off the coastguard station,
where more hands were put on board. Before noon we had placed sweet
Katty in Aunt Deb's loving arms, not much the worse for her excursion.

Jack went to sea, and Katty's cabinet was adorned with numberless
articles strange and beautiful from all parts of the world. Jack, of
course, wherever he could get a run on shore, had to come and inspect
them. By many a gallant deed he won his commander's commission, and
then Katty became his fond, devoted wife.

In that old churchyard high above the German Ocean are three small
monuments placed by some loving friends of those who lie beneath. To no
one more truly can the epitaph be applied than that which is cut on each
tomb--that of the brother, of the sister,