dred and twenty-five from an
American man-of-war, and these at once set about the work of
re-establishing order.

In the morning a sailor conducted the boys to the house where Mr.
Cookson had established himself. As soon as they gave an account of
themselves to him he shook them heartily by the hand.

"I am glad to see you back in safety, lads. Your captain was in a great
way about your loss, and hunted high and low for you. He traced you to
the spot where the riot began, but could learn nothing more; and as none
of your bodies could be found, we had hopes that you had not been
killed. Of course he could not delay his vessel here, and went on to
Smyrna. He was going to look in here again on his way back; but as he
has not done so, he probably got a freight and had to sail straight
home. He asked me if you did turn up to let you have any money you
required, and to do all I could for you. I can let you have the money,
but I cannot do much else beyond sending you on board one of the ships
outside to wait there until there is a chance of sending you home."

"Thank you very much, sir," Jim said. "We shall be glad of some money,
but we do not want to go on board ship. Lord Beresford said he would
give us something to do here."

"Oh, if Lord Charles said that, I need not trouble about you," the
consul said. "He will find you plenty of work. How much shall I give you
each?"

"I think two pounds apiece, sir, would be plenty," Jim said. "One does
not like having no money; but I do not see how we are going to spend
it."

The lads now went back to the square, and there waited for some hours,
Lord Charles Beresford being away at work. He returned at mid-day, by
which time the party in the square had cooked the dinners for their
comrades. There were now two thousand sailors and marines on shore,
posted in various open places, the grand square serving as
head-quarters. Sailors and officers were alike blackened with ashes and
dust, having been engaged in the work of pulling down houses and
checking the progress of the flames.

Lord Charles called the lads to him and made them sit down and join the
officers and himself at dinner, and while the meal was going on he
obtained from them an account of their adventures. When they had
finished he said to one of the marine officers: "Captain Archer, you are
to take command of that gang of fellows over there," pointing to some
two hundred natives who were gathered a short distance away,