initial commit of ebook 21389HEADmain

1 files changed, 15449 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/21389.txt b/21389.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f8756da
--- /dev/null
+++ b/21389.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,15449 @@
+Project Gutenberg's Ronald Morton, or the Fire Ships, by W.H.G. Kingston
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Ronald Morton, or the Fire Ships
+       A Story of the Last Naval War
+
+Author: W.H.G. Kingston
+
+Illustrator: T. Hoggans
+
+Release Date: May 8, 2007 [EBook #21389]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK RONALD MORTON, OR THE FIRE SHIPS ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England
+
+
+
+
+Ronald Morton, or the Fire Ships; A Story of the Last Naval War, by
+W.H.G. Kingston.
+
+________________________________________________________________________
+
+This is quite a difficult book to get the gist of.  It is a tale of
+inheritance.  A family inhabiting a castle in Shetland, a group of
+islands to the north of Scotland, is also apparently entitled to a title
+and lands in Spain and elsewhere.  But who of the Shetland family is the
+rightful heir?  The Spanish usurpers are well aware that the true heir
+is in Shetland, and their agent is a priest who appears several times in
+the book.
+
+Apart from all this there is a background of seamanship and sailing
+vessels, for the time is just after the Napoleonic War with France.
+This of course is the setting in which Kingston excels as an author.
+
+You will probably need a pencil and paper when you are working out who
+Ronald Morton really is, but the story is a fascinating one, and you
+will enjoy the task.  It's about fourteen hours as an audiobook.
+
+________________________________________________________________________
+
+RONALD MORTON, OR THE FIRE SHIPS, A STORY OF THE LAST NAVAL WAR, BY
+W.H.G. KINGSTON.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER ONE.
+
+THE SPANISH MAN-OF-WAR OFF SHETLAND--A CALM--THE "SAINT CECILIA" IN
+DANGER--THE PILOT--BRASSAY SOUND.
+
+"Land! land on the larboard bow!"  The cry was uttered in a foreign
+tongue from the masthead of a corvette of twenty guns, a beautiful long,
+low, flush-decked craft with dark hull, taunt raking masts, and square
+yards, which, under all the sails she could carry with a southerly
+breeze right aft, was gliding rapidly over the now smooth surface of the
+northern ocean.  The haughty flag of old Spain, and the language spoken
+on board, showed that she belonged to that nation.  The crew sat
+clustered about on the forecastle with their arms folded in a listless,
+inactive way--some asleep--others smoking cigarillos or playing games of
+chance between the guns, while a few were disputing on some trivial
+points with a vehemence which proved the fiery tempers hidden under
+those calm exteriors.  The officers lolled against the bulwarks, sat on
+the guns, or paced slowly backwards and forwards; but rather more
+etiquette was kept up on the quarter deck than appeared to be the case
+among the men forward.  The captain walked backwards and forwards with
+his first lieutenant on the starboard side; they crossed occasionally,
+and lifted their hands to their eyes to watch the land just sighted as
+the ship approached and glided by it at the distance of two or three
+miles.  The captain's appearance was in his favour.  He was tall and
+graceful, with the clear olive-complexion, the pointed beard, the thin
+moustache, and the large pensive eyes, so frequently seen in portraits
+of high-born Spaniards.  Still, though his features were handsome and
+very intelligent, there was an expression in them not altogether
+satisfactory.  His companion was a short, thick-set man, dark and
+bearded, with a daring look in his countenance and a firmness in his
+month which might raise a suspicion that in cases of emergency he would
+be likely to take the command in the place of his superior.
+
+"That land out there should be of some interest to us, Alvarez," said
+the captain, pointing to the little conical-shaped islets the ship was
+passing.  "It was there, so history tells us, that one of the grandees
+of Spain, the great Duke of Medina Sidonia, was wrecked when he sailed
+in command of that mighty Armada which would have assuredly crushed the
+power of England had it not been so completely baffled by the wonderful
+opposition of the elements.  Many of his crew after being saved from the
+fury of the tempest were cruelly murdered by the barbarous inhabitants,
+and he and a small remnant only escaped to the main island of Shetland,
+whither we are bound."
+
+"Ah!  I have heard say that the people in those parts are little better
+than cannibals," answered the lieutenant; "we may as well, at all
+events, keep our guns run out and double-shotted while we lie here, that
+we may be prepared for them should they attempt to play us any tricks."
+
+"Oh! they are tolerably civilised now, I fancy," answered the captain.
+"I myself have some Shetland blood in my veins, so I have been told,
+though it must be tolerably diluted by this time."
+
+"You sir!  I thought that in your veins flowed none but the purest of
+Castilian streams," answered the lieutenant, with a slight sneer in his
+tone.  It was so slight, however, that his captain did not perceive it.
+"How came that about, Don Hernan?"
+
+"I will tell you," answered the captain: "an ancestor of mine--in our
+family tree he appears quite a modern one--commanded one of the ships of
+the holy Armada.  She, like that of the Admiral, was driven north, and
+ultimately wrecked and totally lost on the land we shall soon make to
+the northward, called Shetland.  He and his crew were kindly treated by
+the chief of the little island on which they were driven.  The crew
+built a chapel to show their gratitude, and having nearly produced a
+famine in the district, were conveyed home with honour; while he, to
+prove his, married the old Udaller's daughter, and thinking it likely
+that his head might be chopped off as a sacrifice to assuage the rage of
+our pious monarch Philip, settled on the island, and did not return home
+till towards the end of a long life.  His son, who accompanied him,
+having recovered his ancestral estates, remained in Spain; but he, when
+advanced in years, in consequence of being implicated in some political
+plot, fled the country, and naturally took refuge in that of his mother,
+where he was cordially welcomed.  He was afterwards joined by his son,
+who, curiously enough, married a Shetland lady, and thus, even in the
+days of my father, who was his grandson, a constant communication was
+kept up with our Norse connections.  I, also, have more than once heard
+of them since my father's death, and have determined to become more
+intimately acquainted with my relatives during this northern voyage of
+ours.  But where are we getting to?  What with the strong tide, and the
+favourable breeze, we positively fly by the land.  Send for the chart on
+deck, Alvarez, and let me have a look at its bearings."
+
+The first lieutenant beckoned to a midshipman, who soon returned with a
+large sea-chart, which the captain spread out on the capstan head.
+
+"Ah! here we have this small rock--Fate Island, I see the natives call
+it--away to the south-west; and that lofty bluff headland, north by
+west, now shining so white, as if formed of marble, is Fitfiel Head, or
+the _White Mountain_, I see by a note--not an unfit name either; and
+that high point to the south-east again is Sumburgh Head.  What bleak
+and barren hills appear to the northward again!  What a dreadful coast
+to make during the long nights of winter!"  The captain shuddered.
+"Unless we find the interior more attractive, I shall wonder how my
+ancestors could have had so much partiality for such a country."
+
+"Summer or winter, in stormy weather it is not a coast a seaman would
+wish to hug too closely," observed Lieutenant Alvarez; "the crews of the
+ships of our great Armada found that to their cost.  However, there
+appear to be some good roadsteads, where, should bad weather come on, we
+may be secure."
+
+"Numbers.  See what a curious shape has the mainland," observed the
+captain, pointing to the chart.  "It is fully twenty leagues long, and
+yet there does not appear to be a point where it is more than a league
+across from sea to sea.  Those voes run up for a league or more, and
+make it appear like some huge insect.  Then what innumerable islands of
+all shapes and sizes!  The people should be amphibious, who live here,
+to enable them to visit their neighbours: in a southern clime what a
+delightful spot it might be! but in this hyperborean region, existence
+must be a penalty."
+
+"As to that, my fancy is for a southern clime," answered the lieutenant,
+who, by-the-by, did not clearly comprehend all his captain's remarks;
+"but I suppose as there are some animals, polar bears and arctic foxes,
+who delight in snow and frost, so there are human beings who are content
+to live on in this cheerless region."
+
+"Not a bad notion, Alvarez," observed the captain, who continued walking
+the deck, and talking much in the same strain with his officer.  The
+contrast between the two was very considerable.  The captain, Don Hernan
+Escalante, was a refined, highly-educated man.  His knowledge on most
+matters was extensive, if not profound; he spoke several languages, and
+among them English, with a fluency few Spaniards attain.  Few Spaniards
+indeed of that day were equally accomplished.  His first lieutenant,
+Pedro Alvarez, was every inch a seaman, and like many seamen despised
+all who were not so.  Again the captain stopped before the chart, and
+placing his finger on it, observed: "Here I hope we may anchor to-night,
+opposite the capital, Lerwick.  See, there is a long wide sound marked
+with good anchorage, called Brassay Sound, formed by the mainland and
+the island of Brassay.  I wonder what sort of a city is Lerwick!  It of
+course has theatres, hotels, billiard-rooms, and balls; these northern
+people are fond of dancing, I have read.  We shall have ample amusement
+with the fair islanders."
+
+"The dances will be something like those of the North American Indians,
+I suspect," answered the lieutenant, who might have thought that his
+captain was laughing at him, when he talked of such amusements in a
+country he believed so barbarous.
+
+The corvette had got close in with Sumburgh Head, when her sails gave
+several loud flaps against the masts, bulged out, then again collapsed,
+and she speedily lost all steerage way.  The head of the vessel, instead
+of pointing, as heretofore, towards the north, now began slowly to turn
+round west, and south, and east, and then, as if some secret power had
+seized her keel, away she was whirled, now to the westward, and then to
+the north in the direction of the towering heights of Fitfiel Head.
+
+As the ship lay rocking to and fro under this lofty headland, which they
+at length arrived at, the sea-birds flew forth in myriads from the
+ledges and caverns, where, for ages past, in storm and sunshine, in
+winter and summer, they have roosted undisturbed, wheeling and circling
+with discordant cries round the stranger, as if to inquire why she had
+thus come to intrude on their domain.  The Spanish seamen, accustomed
+chiefly to southern climes, gazed with superstitious wonder at the
+frowning cliff and the screeching birds, and fully believed that those
+winged denizens of the wild sea-coast were evil spirits sent out by the
+witches of the country to trick and torment them, and perchance to lead
+them to destruction.
+
+"Shall we anchor, Alvarez?" asked the captain, anxiously looking around
+seaward, and then at the frowning height above their heads.
+
+"Anchor!" exclaimed the lieutenant, "as well anchor in the middle of the
+Bay of Biscay as in the Roust of Sumburgh with such a current as this,
+even if the depth would allow.  We might get the boats out and tow, and
+perchance, by gaining time, obtain a breeze to carry us free."
+
+"By all means do so," was the answer.  The boats were lowered, and their
+crews were soon lustily tugging at their oars with the head of the
+corvette to the westward, while long sweeps were got out and run through
+the ports to impel her yet more rapidly through the water.  Suddenly,
+however, she seemed to be once more seized upon and carried completely
+out of their control.  Her head was to the westward, but she herself was
+swept away as fast as before to the southward; while so tumbling and
+breaking was the sea, that it was not without danger of being swamped
+that the boats were again hoisted in.  The crew cast frowning glances
+towards the shore.
+
+"What are we to do, Alvarez?" asked the captain, not at all liking the
+condition of his ship.
+
+"Let her drive backwards and forwards till a breeze springs up, I
+suppose," answered the lieutenant.  "Should a westerly gale catch us
+before we again get to the southward of Sumburgh Head, and should we
+fail to weather some of those ugly-looking points, I doubt much whether
+Saint Cecilia herself, after whom our pretty craft is called, could
+prevent every one of us from sharing the fate which has befallen many a
+bold seaman before us.  However, we'll hope for the best."
+
+"You do not seem to like the prospects of this northern cruise of ours,
+Alvarez," observed the captain.  "You have not been in good humour since
+we entered the British Channel, and have done nothing but predict
+disaster."
+
+"Pardon me, captain," answered the lieutenant, "I am not now predicting
+disaster--though it requires no seer to foretell the fate of the ship,
+if not of our lives, should certain not unlikely contingencies occur.
+However, here comes a breeze, I verily believe from the westward too,
+and if it will but fill our sails for a short half-hour, we may double
+yon ugly-looking Sumburgh Head, and getting out of the Roust, the tide
+will carry us along to our anchorage."
+
+The boats being once more lowered, towed the head of the corvette round
+to the westward, though all the time several hands were bailing to keep
+them free of the water, which bubbled and tumbled hissing into them over
+the sides.  The breeze which Pedro Alvarez had observed playing on the
+surface in the distance, at length filled her sails, and stemming the
+current, she again got into smooth water and the influence of the tide,
+making to the northward.  The wind also drew round to the southward, and
+all sails being made, the corvette, with her wide spread of canvas,
+glided on as smoothly and majestically as before, till the island of
+Mousa, with its Pictie tower, bore west on her larboard beam.  A signal
+was flying for a pilot, and a long, light boat, pulling six oars, was
+seen coming off from Fladbister, a town--in reality a little fishing
+village--on the shore.  The heads of her crew were visible a long way
+off, by the bright hues of their long pendant worsted caps.  They wore
+large sheepskin coats, coming down to the knee over their worsted
+shirts, and high boots of yellow untanned leather.  The corvette was
+about to shorten sail, but they making signals that that was
+unnecessary, the boat shot alongside, and two of them sprang on board.
+
+"Those fellows would be unpleasant customers if they came as enemies to
+attack our ship, from the active way in which they leaped up our sides,"
+observed the captain.  "They would be as difficult to keep out as wild
+cats."
+
+One of the two pilots was a man advanced in life, the other was very
+much younger, and habited in the quaint costume which has been
+described; his dress, though rough, differed much from the rest, while
+his easy, unembarrassed manner showed that he was an officer rather than
+an ordinary seaman.  With a brisk step the men came aft, inquiring, as
+they did so, of the officers if any of them could speak English.  They
+were referred to Don Hernan, who politely returned the salute as they
+touched their hats to him.
+
+"Well, my men," said he, "will you take charge of the ship, and bring
+her to an anchor in Brassay Sound to-night?"
+
+"That will we, captain, right gladly," answered the younger of the two,
+glancing aloft with the eye of a seaman.  "She is as pretty a craft as
+any one has ever seen in these waters, and well worth taking care of.
+What is her name? where are you from? and whither are you bound,
+captain?  Pardon me for asking, but it is my duty so to do.  They are
+the questions we always put in these waters."
+
+"As to that, of course you are perfectly right," answered the captain.
+"Her name is the `Saint Cecilia,' her commander Don Hernan de Escalante,
+and she carries, as you see, twenty guns.  We sailed from Cadiz, and
+have touched at two or three French ports, and the British port of
+Plymouth; after visiting Lerwick, we are bound round the north of your
+island, into the Atlantic again.  You see that we have nothing to
+conceal.  The character of this ship is above all suspicion; and you
+will find, my friend, that you have lost nothing by navigating her in
+safety wherever we may wish to go."
+
+"Very likely, captain," answered the pilot, looking up into the
+captain's countenance.  "I entertain no doubt about the matter, and if
+the provost and bailies of Lerwick are satisfied, I am sure that I shall
+be: keep her as she goes now for the Bard of Brassay.  The tide will
+shoot her into the sound rapidly enough as we draw near it."
+
+When in a short time the corvette was off the Bard or Beard of Brassay,
+as the ragged-looking southern end of that island is called, a turn of
+the helm to starboard sent the vessel into the Sound, and up she flew
+with smooth green heights on either side, here and there a few white
+buildings showing, and numerous rocks visible, till the pilot warned the
+captain that it was time to shorten sail.  At a word the sailors were
+seen swarming aloft; studding-sails came in as if by magic, royals and
+top-gallant sails were handed, topsails clewed up, and with her taunt
+tapering masts and square yards alone, surrounded by the intricate
+tracery of their rigging, the beautiful fabric glided up to an anchorage
+off the town of Lerwick.
+
+"Friend, you brought the ship to an anchor in true seamanlike style,"
+said Captain Don Hernan, touching the young pilot on the shoulder.  "You
+have not been a simple pilot all your life."
+
+"No, indeed, captain," answered the pilot, "I have been afloat since my
+earliest days in southern seas, as well as engaged in the Greenland
+fishery.  Lately I have been mate of a whaler, and maybe my next voyage
+I shall have charge of a ship as master.  You have hit the right nail on
+the head--this is the first summer that I ever spent on shore."
+
+"Can I trust you, then, to take charge of the ship round the coast?"
+asked the captain.  "Perhaps, however, you are not well acquainted with
+that?"
+
+The pilot smiled.  "There is not a point or headland, a rock, or shoal,
+or island, which I have not as clearly mapped down in my memory, as are
+the hues on yonder chart, and more correctly, too, I doubt not."
+
+"That will do--I will trust you," said Don Hernan.  "What is your name,
+friend, that I may send for you when you are wanted?"
+
+"Rolf Morton," was the answer; "but my home is some way to the
+northward, on the island of Whalsey.  There you have it on your chart.
+Those who live on it boast that it is the finest of the outlying
+islands; and well I know that such a castle as we have is not to be
+found in all Shetland."
+
+"Ah, it is your native place," observed the captain.  "You therefore
+think so highly of it."
+
+"Not exactly, though I remember no other spot of earth before I put eyes
+on Whalsey.  I was, so I have been told, picked up, when a child, from a
+wreck at sea; and the men I was with called me Rolf Morton, the name
+which has stuck to me for want of a better.  I know nothing more of my
+history; but I am prating of myself, and shall weary you, captain."
+
+"Far from it, friend; I delight in a little romance," answered the
+captain.  "How comes it, though, that you remained on shore this
+summer?--but I need not ask--one of your fair islanders, of whom I have
+heard so much, was your attraction."
+
+"Yes, in truth," said the pilot, laughing; "she has become my wife,
+though; and as I could not bring myself to quit her, I bethought me I
+would try to gain my livelihood by turning pilot.  Yours is one of the
+first ships I have taken charge of.  There--I have been frank with you,
+captain, and told you all my history from beginning to end."
+
+"And I thank you for it.  I saw at a glance that you were above the
+ordinary style of a pilot.  I wanted to find a man like yourself, who
+would give me the information I require about the country, the habits
+and customs of the people.  I would wish to win their regard.  But you
+have, I suppose, few good families here?"
+
+Don Hernan well knew that the islander's pride would tempt him to launch
+out in a full description of all the families of consequence in the
+group, and that he should thus easily obtain, without apparently seeking
+for it, all the information of that description which he required.
+
+Morton unsuspectingly answered exactly in the tone for which he was
+prepared.
+
+"Indeed, captain, you are out of your latitude.  We have the Edmonstones
+of Unst, and the Lord Dundas, and the Mouats, and the Ogilvys, and Scott
+of Scalloway, and Braces of Sandwick, and also of Symbister; and
+Spences, and Duncans, and the Nicolson family; baronets of old date, all
+honourable men, and of ancient lineage; besides many others I have not
+named, standing equally well in the estimation of the country; and then
+there is the Lunnasting family of Lunnasting Castle, of which I spoke to
+you.  The owner is Sir Marcus Wardhill, who succeeded to his property by
+right of his wife, the Lady Margaret Brindister; one of the most ancient
+of our Shetland families, descended, so it is said, from one of the
+former chiefs, the Udallers of old.  They are very great and important
+people, at all events when in their own castle, and of course have
+little communication with a man of my humble rank.  Maybe I hear more of
+them than do others, because my wife's mother was for long the companion
+of the Lady Margaret, and the nurse to her children.  I believe she
+loved them as her own.  Indeed, although but called a nurse in the
+family, she is nearly akin to the Lady Margaret.  But these are matters
+about which a stranger can have no interest."
+
+"A stranger might not, but I must not be considered in that light,"
+answered the captain.  "Strange as it may appear to you, I am connected
+with that very family of which you are speaking.  An ancestress of mine
+was a Brindister.  I must claim relationship with the occupants of
+Lunnasting.  It will, in truth, be pleasant in this remote region to
+find friends so nearly related to me."
+
+The reserve which the pilot had hitherto maintained seemed to vanish on
+hearing the assertion made by Don Hernan.
+
+"I have no doubt, captain, that they would have given you a warm
+northern welcome," he answered.  "But Sir Marcus Wardhill himself, and
+his second daughter, are in the south, travelling, I have heard, among
+French and Germans, and it is said that they purpose remaining some time
+in the big city of London, a place among all my wanderings I have never
+seen."
+
+"The Lady Margaret, of whom you speak, and her elder daughter are there,
+I hope; or is the castle shut up?" asked Don Hernan.
+
+"The Lady Margaret, as we called her, Lady Wardhill, is dead, but her
+elder daughter, Miss Hilda Wardhill, lives at Lunnasting, and manages
+the Shetland estates, they say as well as any man would do."
+
+"Ho, ho!  I should like to become acquainted with this talented cousin
+of mine," said Don Hernan.  "Is she handsome as well as clever?"
+
+Thus appealed to, Morton replied with even more hesitation than before.
+"As to an eye for the look of a ship aloft, or for her build or trim,
+I'll yield to no man; and maybe I like the faces of some women more than
+others.  This I'll say, sir; it's my belief that there are not many in
+this world like the Lady Hilda."
+
+"You have probably heard of the Spanish connection of the family."
+
+"Yes, once or twice, maybe," answered Morton; "my wife's mother often
+speaks of them.  In her father's time they constantly corresponded, and
+exchanged presents--Shetland shawls and stockings for Spanish silks and
+brocades.  It was said that, during his travels, Sir Marcus thought of
+visiting his connections in Spain."
+
+After some further conversation, the captain observed, "I would pay my
+respects to the governor or authorities of the town.  As you have proved
+so good a pilot afloat, you shall accompany me as my guide on shore."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWO.
+
+LUNNASTING CASTLE--THE STRANGER SHIP--SANDY REDLAND, THE FACTOR--ARCHY
+EAGLESHAY--MISS WARDHILL'S VISITORS--THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE HEIR.
+
+Lunnasting Castle stood on a high rocky promontory, washed by the ocean
+on the south and east, and by a voe which ran up some way inland on the
+west.  It was a somewhat extensive building; but though of a castellated
+style of architecture it was not really a fortress further than the
+naturally inaccessible nature of the ground on which it stood made it
+so.  It stood on the site, and was formed partly of such materials as
+time had left of an old castle of the earls or ancient Udal lords of
+Shetland, and had been very much increased in size, and ornamented, as
+well as rendered a more commodious habitation by the present owner, Sir
+Marcus Wardhill.  The dwelling-house consisted but of two stories, and
+standing, as it did, elevated some way above the sea, looked lower than
+it really was.  It was surrounded on the north, east, and west, by a
+high castellated wall, flanked with towers, which, if not capable of
+keeping out a mortal enemy, served the purpose for which it was built,--
+to guard the mansion from the assaults of the wintry blasts of the icy
+ocean.  In front, on the south side, that the inhabitants might enjoy
+the sea view, and that the warm rays of the sun might be admitted, the
+wall sunk down to the height of a mere ornamental parapet, the round
+towers at either end giving it some right to claim the title bestowed on
+it; especially as on the summit of either tower Sir Marcus had mounted a
+couple of long six-pounders, capable of considerably annoying any
+hostile vessel of a size at all likely to venture near that part of a
+coast so full of dangers that no large ship would willingly approach it.
+The muzzles of some smaller guns appeared through the embrasure of the
+parapet wall, which was also flanked by a buttress, or rather a circular
+outwork at either end at the foot of the towers, where pivot guns were
+placed, so that the one on the west could fire directly up the voe or
+gulf, and served to flank the western wall.  The two principal front
+towers were connected with the dwelling-house, and had small chambers in
+them, one above the other, which had been fitted up as sitting-rooms or
+dormitories.
+
+In a deep window recess, in the highest chamber of the western tower of
+Lunnasting Castle, sat Miss Wardhill, Sir Marcus Wardhill's eldest
+child.  Although the window matched in appearance the others in that and
+the opposite tower, which were mere high, narrow, glazed loop-holes, by
+an ingenious contrivance a huge stone was made to turn on an iron axle,
+and by pressing a spring, it slid in sufficiently to allow the inmate of
+the room to gaze out conveniently on the surrounding scene.
+
+Few scenes, to a romantic temperament, could have been more attractive.
+The subdued twilight of that northern clime reigned over the face of
+nature, softening and mellowing all objects, but in no way obscuring
+them.  The light was not so bright as that of the day, and yet it
+partook in no way of the characteristics of night.  It was more like the
+warm light of the dawn of a summer day in the south, just before the sun
+rises up from below the horizon in refulgent glory.  The water near the
+land was perfectly smooth, though a breeze could be seen rippling the
+surface in the offing, the ripple being increased probably by the strong
+current which nearly at all times sets one way or the other round the
+islands.
+
+Before the castle, on the right, rose the rocky heights and green
+swelling undulations of the mainland--the Noup of Nesting Kirkbuster,
+Brough and Moul of Eswick, while the highlands above Lerwick, and the
+heights of Brassy and Noss, appeared blue and indistinct in the far
+distance.
+
+To the east, several green islands, or rather islets, known as Grief
+Skerries, Rumble, Eastling, and other equally euphonious names, ran out
+of the dark-blue ocean.  The last-named being a mile and a half in
+length, formed with the main island, along the shore of which it ran
+parallel, and from which it was little more than a quarter of a mile
+distant, a sound of some extent, where vessels in all but north-easterly
+winds could ride safely at anchor.  Even in these winds the force of the
+sea was considerably broken by the small island or holm of Isbuster,
+which lay in the very centre of the northern entrance.
+
+Looking eastward, and north from the towers of Lunnasting, the view
+extended nearly up the Sound, and commanded the whole island of
+Eastling, which perhaps obtained its name from lying east of the chief
+habitation of the lords of the domain, Eastling being a corruption of
+Eastlying.  Such was the view on which Hilda Wardhill was occasionally
+turning her gaze, though her eyes were more frequently fixed on the
+pages of a large volume lying open on a dark oak reading desk fixed in
+the recess, and so placed that the last rays of that precious sunlight
+which so soon departs in the long winter season of the North, might fall
+full upon it.  The room was of an octagon shape, with dark oak
+wainscoting and ceiling; the chairs were of a suitable character, mostly
+with high upright backs, rudely carved, as were some book-shelves, which
+occupied two of the sides, while a massive table, supported by sea
+monsters, or at all events by creatures of fish-like form, stood in the
+centre; another table of similar character stood against the side of the
+room with writing materials on it, and there was a sofa of antique form,
+and two large chests of some dark wood, with brass clasps and plates on
+the lids and sides, so tarnished however by the sea air, as scarcely to
+be discerned as brass.  A second high narrow window, with a lattice,
+faced towards the west and north, so that persons standing at it could,
+by leaning forward, look completely up the voe.  Thus, from this turret
+chamber, a view could be obtained on every side, except on that looking
+inland, or rather over the island.
+
+On one of the eight sides there was, however, a small door in the
+panelling, which opened on a spiral staircase leading to the very summit
+of the tower, where, as has been said, a gun was placed, and whence a
+complete view was obtained over every portion of the island, extending
+far away over the sea beyond, to the Out Skerries, a rocky group so
+called; and the distant shores of the large island of Yell.  As the roof
+could only be reached by passing through the chamber below, it was
+completely private to the fair occupant as long as she chose to close
+the ingress to her own room.
+
+Seldom has a more beautiful picture been portrayed to the mind's eye of
+the most imaginative of painters, than that which Hilda Wardhill
+presented as she sat at the window of her turret chamber, either leaning
+over the volume which occupied her attention, or gazing out on the calm
+ocean, her thoughts evidently still engaged in the subject of her
+studies.
+
+At length she rose, and was about to close the window, when her eye fell
+on a vast towering mass of white, gliding slowly from the northward down
+Eastling Sound.  She looked more than once, mistrusting her senses, and
+inclined to believe that it was some phantom of the deep, described in
+wild romances, often her study, which she beheld, till another glance
+assured her, as the object drew nearer that it was a large ship far
+larger than had ever been known during her recollection to anchor in the
+Sound.  With speed which seemed like magic, the white canvas
+disappeared, and the tall masts and the yards and the light tracery of
+the rigging could only dimly be traced against the clear sky.
+
+Whence the stranger had come, or for what object, Hilda could not tell,
+but still she had a feeling--how communicated she did not inquire--that
+the event portended some great change in her own fate.  Painful
+forebodings of evil came crowding like mocking phantoms around her.  She
+tried with the exercise of her own strong will to banish them.  In vain
+she strove--the more they seemed to mock her power.  She felt as if she
+could almost have shrieked out in the agony of her mortal struggle, till
+her proud spirit quailed and trembled with unwonted fears.  Again the
+clock tolled forth a solitary sound, which vibrated strangely on her
+overwrought nerves, and seemed more sonorous than usual.  She pressed
+her hand upon her brow, then by an effort she seemed by a single gasp to
+recover herself, and, closing the window, retired to her sleeping
+chamber in that part of the house in the immediate neighbourhood of her
+favourite tower.
+
+At an early hour the lady of the castle was on foot.  She at once
+ascended to the summit of her tower, and gazed eagerly up the Sound,
+half expecting to find that she had been deceived by her imagination on
+the previous night, and that the ship she had seen was but a creation of
+the brain.  There, however, floated the beautiful fabric, but there was
+not the slightest movement or sign of life on board.  At all events, it
+seemed improbable that she would soon move from her present position.
+At length she descended to her boudoir below, where, as usual, her light
+and frugal meal was brought to her by her own attendant, Nanny Clousta.
+
+Her meal, at which Nanny stood ready to help her to anything she
+required, being quickly concluded, Miss Wardhill descended to the large
+hall on the ground-floor, in the centre of the castle.  It was a
+handsome room, with an arched ceiling of dark oak, supported by pillars
+round the wall.  A long table ran down the centre, at one end of which,
+on a raised platform or dais, she took her seat.  Several tenants of the
+Lunnasting estate came in to make complaints, to beg for the redress of
+grievances, to report on the state of the farms, or fisheries, or
+kelp-collecting; to all of which the lady listened with the most perfect
+attention, making notes in a book placed before her.  Two or three were
+told to wait till she had seen the factor, that she might hear his
+reports before deciding on their claims.  She looked round as if the
+audience was over; and inquired why Alexander, or Sandy Redland, as he
+was called, the factor, did not make his appearance, when an old man,
+leaning on a stick, hobbled into the hall.
+
+"I come for justice, my lady.  Oh, hear me, hear me!" he exclaimed; as
+if before entering the hall he had worked himself up to address her; "I
+am just auld Archy Eagleshay, and as ye ken weel, my leddie, my only son
+has long gane been awa to sea, and I've been left to struggle on fra ane
+year to another, till now that I am grown too weak to toil, and the
+factor, Sandy Redland, comes down upon me, and makes awfu' threats to
+distrain and turn me out of my sma' holding if I dinna pay; and pay I
+canna', that is truth, my leddie.  Have mercy, have pity, my leddie.  Ye
+love justice whatever else ye love."
+
+"Justice might induce me to expel you from your holding, if you cannot
+pay your rent, old man," said Miss Wardhill, in a cold severe tone.
+"However I will listen to what Sandy Redland, the factor, has to say.
+Ha! here he comes.  You are late Mr Redland, in your attendance.  What
+has kept you?"
+
+The man who entered was a tall, thin person, habited in the grey
+shepherd's plaid of the north.  His features were coarse.  He possessed
+a sharp nose, high cheek bones, and small and grey unpleasantly
+twinkling eyes.  He bowed low, and in a voice which was intended to be
+soft and insinuating, replied--
+
+"It is no fault o' mine when your orders are na implicitly obeyed, Miss
+Wardhill; but circumstances militate against the best intentions, as may
+be clear to you oftentimes, I doubt not.  I was delayed by having to
+make inquiries respecting a strange ship, which anchored, it appears, a
+few hours back, in the Sound of Eastling, and which, as I opine, is
+within your leddyship's jurisdiction, I deemed it incumbent on me to
+ascertain the object of her coming, and the time it might be proposed
+for her to stay.  As she is a foreigner, it struck me that charge might
+be made for harbour and light dues, and the chances are that it would
+not be disputed.  Ye see, Miss Wardhill, that I have always your
+honoured father's interests at heart."
+
+The lady gave a glance towards the factor, which bespoke the most
+perfect contempt--too cold and confirmed to cause much change in her
+features.
+
+"And what have you learned respecting this stranger ship?" she asked.
+
+"Nathing, my leddie, nathing," answered Sandy, shuddering.  "What could
+I tell but that she might be a pirate or an enemy in disguise, or some
+ill-doer, and that if I, the factor of Lunnasting, was entrapped on
+board, I might be retained as a hostage in durance vile, till sic times
+as a heavy sum might be collected for my ransom."
+
+A gleam flitted across Miss Wardhill's countenance, as she replied: "You
+estimate yourself somewhat highly, factor.  Then, in truth, you know
+nothing of the ship which has anchored in the Sound?"
+
+"Nathing whatever, my leddie," was the answer.  "But I await the return
+of Jock Busta's boat which I despatched as soon as I reached Whalsey
+this morning from the mainland."
+
+"Bring me the information as soon as you obtain it," said Miss Wardhill.
+"In the meantime let me hear what answer you have to make to a
+complaint old Archy Eagleshay brings against you."
+
+The factor gave a variety of reasons for his conduct, to which she
+listened without replying, and then called up the old man to her end of
+the table.
+
+"Go home Archy Eagleshay," she said, in a voice totally different to
+that in which she had spoken to the factor.  "Best quiet in your hut.
+The old and infirm must be sheltered and fed; of that there is no doubt;
+but let the evil-doer and idle beware.  On them I shall have no mercy.
+Sandy Redland, mark me: I will have no cruelty or oppression--remember
+that.  The instant you receive information respecting the strange ship,
+let me know through Nanny Clousta."
+
+There was a cowed look on the countenance of Sandy Redland as he bowed,
+while his young mistress rose to retire.
+
+Old Archy lifted up his hands, as if about to address her once more,
+then he turned slowly round.  "Ha, ha!" he muttered; "if she had yielded
+to you, cruel factor, I'd have told her all I know, and made e'en her
+proud spirit tremble; but she's been good and kind to an auld man, and
+I'll say nothing."
+
+On leaving the hall, Hilda Wardhill went at once to the turret chamber,
+and from thence mounted to the platform on the summit of the tower.  Her
+first glance was up the Sound, where lay the stranger ship.  The sails
+were still closely furled; the boats were hoisted up; not a movement of
+any sort appeared to be taking, place.  The only object stirring was a
+small boat, which just then was gliding rapidly close under the headland
+on which the castle stood.  A single rower sat in it, who managed his
+oars with the skill which long practice gives.  He looked up, and seeing
+Miss Wardhill, flourished his oar as a salute, which she returned with
+the slightest possible inclination of her head, and then continued
+pacing up and down, while he pursued his course till he entered the voe,
+and reached the castle landing-place, where he was hid from view.  Miss
+Wardhill continued her circumscribed walk backwards and forwards across
+the top of the tower, now stopping to look up the Sound at the ship, now
+casting her glance round the horizon, speaking frequently to herself,
+and more than once sighing deeply, as if there was some weight at her
+heart of which she longed to be relieved.
+
+She had again stopped, and was looking at the beautiful ship in the
+distance, when she started on hearing herself addressed--
+
+"Good morrow, cousin Hilda," said the intruder, who had that instant
+come up from the room below.  "Engaged, as I expected, or you would not
+be a woman, gazing with curiosity at the strange ship in the Sound,
+wondering whence she came, and all about her."
+
+She turned as he spoke, when he lifted a little gold-laced,
+three-cornered hat from his head, and saluted her with a profound bow,
+which might have appeared respectful in the extreme, had he not at the
+same time indulged in a low chuckling laugh, the usual conclusion, it
+seemed, of most of his sentences.  His manner and appearance were
+peculiar in the extreme: he was broad and large boned, but thin; and a
+suit of brown cloth, with huge silver buttons, hung loosely about his
+body; a wide shirt-frill stuck out in front, and his shirt collars
+reached up to his ears.  His gait was shuffling and shambling; he wore
+knee-breeches and grey homespun stockings, and his shoes, which were
+ornamented with silver buckles, were far too large for him, and of
+course, even had he not had the propensity to do so, would have made him
+shuffle his feet over the ground, his eyes were unusually large, grey,
+and staring; and his hair, which was already so grey that its original
+colour could scarcely be perceived, was cut short, and stood up on end,
+all over his head like the quills of the porcupine; his forehead was
+somewhat narrow, but his features were neither plain nor coarse; there
+was, however, a startled, frightened look about them, and an otherwise
+painful and indescribable expression, which told too plainly that the
+ruling power of the intellect had been overthrown, and that the living
+machine could no longer be altogether held responsible for its acts.
+Such, in appearance, was Lawrence Brindister: had he been of sane mind,
+he would have been the lord of Lunnasting and the broad acres of several
+estates, both on the mainland of Shetland and in the north of Scotland;
+but as he had, long before coming of age, given undoubted signs of being
+totally incapable of managing his affairs, his claims had been set aside
+in favour of his cousin, Margaret Brindister, the next heir, married to
+Sir Marcus Wardhill.  There had been, when Sir Marcus married, three
+other heirs besides Lawrence, before Margaret Brindister could succeed
+to the property: the same fever within a few days carried off two of
+them; and then, and perhaps not till then, a longing desire seized Sir
+Marcus to obtain the estates.  The possessor was an old man--a bachelor.
+Sir Marcus was not a man--that was well known--who allowed obstacles to
+stand in his way; in the most unaccountable manner, the next heir, a
+boy, disappeared: he was supposed, with his nurse, to have fallen over a
+cliff, or to have been on the beach when a sea came in and swept them
+both away--either occurrences too likely to happen to allow suspicion
+justly to rest on any one.  A handkerchief of the nurse's, and a
+plaything of the child's, were found dropped on the road they had taken.
+Their bodies were searched for in every direction in vain; the old man
+mourned for the child, of whom he was very fond, and died shortly after.
+Sir Marcus, too, mourned for the loss of his young kinsman, but
+instantly commenced a suit which terminated by making poor Lawrence
+Brindister his ward.  There were certain conditions attached, that
+Lunnasting should be his abode, and that he should be kindly treated and
+well looked after, and supplied with anything he might in reason require
+for his amusement: Lawrence himself, so far from opposing, seemed
+perfectly contented with the arrangement; and while Lady Wardhill, to
+whom he was much attached, lived, he was always cheerful and
+good-tempered, though he afterwards exhibited so much extravagance of
+behaviour that he required to be carefully watched, and his actions more
+curbed than he liked.  He had at first much resented this mode of
+proceeding with him, but of late years he had become apparently so
+perfectly harmless, that he was allowed to do exactly as he pleased.
+Such was the eccentric being who now stood before Miss Wardhill.
+
+"Yes, Lawrence, I have been looking at the ship," she answered, with so
+peculiar a calmness, that it appeared to be produced by an effort.  "You
+have, I conclude, visited her, and can give me some information about
+the stranger."
+
+"Ah! that can I, fair cousin," he answered, with his usual painful
+chuckle.  "I have been on board the ship, and introduced myself to her
+captain, and, what is more, invited him to the castle.  He has a right
+to claim our hospitality, for who, think you, is he?--no other than one
+of those Spanish cousins we have heard often spoken about by her who
+lies sleeping in yonder churchyard out there--ah's me!--and others.
+Nurse Bertha will know all about them; we must get her to tell us before
+he comes: he will be here soon, though.  I told him that he must let me
+go on ahead, to give due notice of his coming, or he would have arrived,
+and taken you by surprise.  He is a gallant-looking knight; a true don
+of the old school.  But I say, Hilda, don't treat him to the scornful
+glances you cast at me, or he will not like it."
+
+Miss Wardhill took no notice of the last remark.  "Since you have
+invited these strangers to the castle, whether they are really our
+relations or not, we must be prepared to receive them.  Go, look for
+Sandy Redland; he has not left the island yet: he must go round and
+collect an ample store of provisions, that we may not be looked on as
+niggards in our hospitality, in this island home of ours.  Send Bertha
+Eswick to me; she knows, better than any other person here, what
+arrangements should be made to do honour to strangers; it is so long
+since any one came here, that I cannot hope to remember what
+preparations are required.  Go, Lawrence, and do you remember not to
+bring discredit on the family by any pranks or strange vagaries you may
+wish to play."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THREE.
+
+LAWRENCE BRINDISTER VISITS THE SPANISH SHIP--DON HERNAN INVITED TO THE
+CASTLE--SURLY GRIND, LAWRENCE'S DOG.
+
+The accounts which Don Hernan had received from various quarters while
+on shore at Lerwick about the inhabitants of Lunnasting Castle had
+excited his curiosity and interest to the highest pitch.  Though fully
+intending to return shortly to Lerwick, he had an object in suddenly
+leaving Brassay Sound.  He also wished to arrive unexpectedly in the
+neighbourhood of Lunnasting.
+
+Rolf Morton came at his summons; and understanding the "Saint Cecilia"
+was shortly to return to Lerwick, not having reason to suspect fraud of
+any description, he, without hesitation, took the ship on to Eastling
+Sound.  She had not been long at anchor before Lawrence Brindister--who,
+as was his custom, had been at an early hour of the morning out
+fishing--espied her, and very soon made his appearance on board.
+Lawrence walked about the deck admiring the guns and the carved and gilt
+work with which the ship was adorned; for it was the custom, especially
+in the Spanish navy, in those days to ornament ships of war far more
+profusely than at present.  At length Don Hernan came on deck.  He
+observed the skiff alongside; and his eye falling on Lawrence, he very
+naturally at first took him to be some poor fisherman habited in the
+cast-off finery of a gentleman.  Lawrence, however, guessed who he was
+from his uniform, and, shuffling along the deck, made him one of his
+profoundest bows, which Don Hernan returned with one in the same style.
+
+As it had not been, impressed on Lawrence's mind that there existed
+numerous nations speaking different tongues, he at once addressed the
+Spanish captain in English.
+
+"Your people, good sir, have been very silent: not one has spoken to me
+since I stepped on board this trim craft of yours; for you have, I
+conclude, the happiness of being her captain, and you have, I hope, a
+tongue with which to hold pleasant and profitable converse."
+
+"I command this ship, and I am able to converse in English," answered
+Don Hernan, wondering who his strange visitor could be.  "May I ask in
+return whom I have the honour of addressing?"
+
+"No less a person than Lawrence Brindister, Lord of Lunnasting Castle
+and the lands adjacent," answered Lawrence, drawing himself up--"that is
+to say, who would be, and should be, and ought to be, had not certain
+traitorous and vile persons, who shall be nameless, interfered with his
+just rights, and ousted him from his property.  But say not a word about
+that, most noble stranger.  `A guid time is coming--a guid time is
+coming.'  `The prince shall have his ain again!'"
+
+Don Hernan at once perceived his visitor's state of mind.
+
+"I had thought that Sir Marcus Wardhill was Lord of Lunnasting, though I
+am aware that, from times immemorial, it has been held by Brindisters,
+of whom I conclude you are one," remarked the captain.
+
+"Ay, there's the rub," said Lawrence.  "You see, most noble captain,
+I've a difficulty in steering my craft; I never can keep her in good
+trim.  Sometimes she luffs up, and sometimes she falls off; so as to
+holding a steady course, I find that out of the question.  Ah, now I
+know all about it.  I have come, most noble captain, feeling assured
+that you are of gentle birth and a man of honour, to invite you and your
+officers to visit Lunnasting Castle.  My cousin and I will do our best
+to receive you as becomes your rank."
+
+Don Hernan, who believed that Miss Wardhill had really sent this strange
+being to invite him to the castle, replied, in suitable terms, that he
+should have great happiness in paying his respects to her.  He also
+explained his connection with the Brindister family, and begged Lawrence
+to say that he hoped to visit Lunnasting in the character of a kinsman.
+
+Lawrence was about to step into his boat when he saw Rolf Morton, who,
+hearing that a boat was alongside, had just come on deck with the
+intention of going on shore.  He and Rolf were always on very good
+terms; so, when the latter begged for a cast on shore, he gladly
+undertook to land him wherever he wished.
+
+"Abreast of the ship will suit me, for in half an hour I can be at
+home," answered Morton.  "Good-bye, Don Hernan; should the wind shift, I
+will be on board in a trice; or should you want me, send.  We have not
+so many houses in Whalsey that mine cannot be found without difficulty."
+
+Saying this, he was following Lawrence into the skiff, when the latter
+cried out, "Hold fast! you are stepping on Surly Grind, Morton; he'll
+not like it, let me tell you.  He's apt to treat with scant ceremony
+those who offend him."
+
+Morton looked down, and saw, coiled away at the bottom of the skiff,
+where Lawrence had taught him to lie, a huge black dog, with an
+unusually ferocious expression of countenance, though from his coat he
+had evidently much of the Newfoundland breed in him, but his face showed
+that he had also much of that of the mastiff and bloodhound, probably.
+
+"Lie down, Surly Grind, and treat my visitors with respect," said
+Lawrence; and the dog, which had lifted up his head and begun to growl
+and snarl, crouched down as before.
+
+"Now, take your seat, man, and I'll show you how a true Shetlander can
+pull," said Lawrence, taking his place at the oars and giving several
+rapid strokes.
+
+"But I deem that I have a right to hail from Shetland also, Master
+Lawrence," answered Morton.  "There is no other land owns me, and it is
+hard for a man to be without a country or a home."
+
+"Ay, true; you have a Shetland look and a Shetland tongue, and I believe
+that you have a Shetland heart also, Morton.  `The prince shall hae his
+ain again, his ain again!'  That's a curious old Scotch song; it's
+always running in my head.  `The prince shall hae his ain again!'  Well,
+but, you know, Morton, he didn't get his ain again; so I've heard nurse
+Bertha say.  She's a wise woman, your mother-in-law, and my good cousin,
+too.  Well, well; there are ups and downs in this life.  All don't get
+their ain, that's poz; if they did, another'd be sitting on George's
+throne; but that's treason, ye ken; and another'd be ruling in
+Wardhill's room, but that's treason, too; so I'd better be holding my
+tongue, or all the cats I've got in my bag will be jumping out and
+playing more pranks than either you or I, or Sir Marcus Wardhill to
+boot, will be able to stay."
+
+Rolf Morton was too well aware of poor Lawrence's state of mind to
+listen with much attention to what he said; but his curiosity was
+sufficiently awakened by some of the remarks he let fall to make him
+resolve to learn more about the matter from Bertha Eswick as soon as he
+could meet her.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER FOUR.
+
+HILDA'S FIRST MEETING WITH DON HERNAN--HILDA ON BOARD THE CORVETTE--ROLF
+MORTON PILOTS THE SHIP--CRUISE IN THE "SAINT CECILIA."--HILDA ACCEPTS
+DON HERNAN.
+
+The heiress of Lunnasting was high-minded, unconscious of evil,
+confident of her own strength and resolution, and utterly ignorant of
+the world and of its deceits and wickedness.  She had for long lived in
+one of her own creation, which she fancied was like the real world of
+other mortals.  She met Don Hernan Escalante, and at once clothed him
+with all the attributes and perfections with which a romantic girl could
+endow the object of her fancy.  He, too, at the moment he entered the
+hall, and found her seated in courtly style to receive him, was struck
+by her rare and exquisite beauty.  He had never seen any being so
+lovely, and, man of the world as he thought himself, he at once yielded
+to the influence of that beauty.  She herself was scarcely aware of the
+power she might have exerted over him, but gave herself up to the full
+enjoyment of the new sensations she experienced.
+
+Hilda occasionally heard from her father and sister, but not very
+frequently, and their letters contained little more than an outline of
+their progress, the names of the places they had visited, and the length
+of their stay at each.  Sir Marcus now and then added a few directions
+as to the management of the estate, but generally wound up by saying,
+that as he felt sure everything necessary would be done, he would not
+interfere with any arrangements she might have seen fit to make.
+Hitherto all had gone well.  Hilda had, by a wonderful exertion of
+resolution, so successfully combated the dreadful malady which, like
+some monster bird of prey, hung hovering above her, ready to pounce down
+and dethrone her intellect from its sway, that few, although in constant
+communication with her, had any suspicion of the real state of the case.
+Probably at that time only two people in the world had discovered the
+unstable character of Hilda's mind, and they themselves were the two
+most opposite in all respects connected with her--her nurse Bertha and
+her cousin Lawrence; but while the latter had more than once betrayed
+his knowledge to her, the former had never by word or look allowed her
+to suspect that she had an idea of the truth.
+
+The Spanish corvette had been nearly a week at anchor in Eastling Sound,
+and on each day her captain had appeared at Lunnasting, his visits
+increasing gradually in length as he found them more and more
+acceptable.  Hilda had at first received him in the great hall, into
+which, as not only the members of the household, but all visitors, had
+access, their intercourse was too public and restrained to suit the
+feelings which were springing up in their hearts.
+
+"Lady, the view from the summit of the tower where I first beheld you
+must be lovely," said Don Hernan, adding in a lower tone some words
+which made the colour mantle into Hilda's cheeks.  An invitation to
+visit the tower was the consequence of the remark; but before going
+there a ramble was taken over the chief part of the castle, to which Don
+Hernan had not yet been introduced.  There was a private entrance to the
+highest floor of the tower; but as that led through the lady's
+apartments, they had to descend to mount the more public stair.  That
+was, however, narrow and winding, and somewhat inconvenient; at the foot
+of it they encountered Lawrence.
+
+"Ah, my brave Don Hernan, so our cousin Hilda is about to show you the
+secrets of her prison tower," he exclaimed, in a facetious tone.  "Take
+care that she does not shut you up, as enchantresses of old were wont to
+do their captive knights, and never again set you free.  However, to
+prevent such a catastrophe, I'll accompany you.  Let me mount first, and
+show you the way, or you might chance to knock your head against some of
+the iron-plated gates, which bar the approach to the summit."
+
+In what direction Don Hernan might just then have wished poor Lawrence,
+it need not be said.  No means of getting rid of him occurred to his
+mind.  Had he been on the top of the tower, he might have felt inclined
+to throw him over; but as it was, he had to submit to his company with
+as good a grace as he could command.
+
+"I fear that you may not consider my cousin the best of guides on all
+occasions; but he can lead the way to the top of our tower as well as a
+wiser man," said Hilda, observing the Spaniard's look of anger, and at
+the same time, from maiden bashfulness, not sorry to have Lawrence as an
+escort.  Up they went, therefore, till they reached Hilda's
+sitting-room.
+
+"This, you see, Don Hernan, is my fair kinswoman's bower--her boudoir,
+her retiring-room, or whatever else you like to call it--where she sits
+brooding in silence, watching the stars and the moon sometimes, ye ken,
+or reading romances and works on philosophy, metaphysics, astrology, and
+other subjects far too deep for my poor brain," said Lawrence, as he
+entered the apartment.
+
+Don Hernan glanced round with an eye of curiosity and surprise.  "It is
+indeed a delightful spot for retirement and contemplation," he remarked,
+turning to Hilda, as he offered her his hand to assist her up the last
+step of the stair.  "I would gladly give up my roving life to inhabit
+it."
+
+"How strange! for though I love it dearly, I can fancy nothing so
+delightful as being able to wander here and there to new and far-off
+lands," answered Hilda, smiling.
+
+Don Hernan whispered a few words, which Lawrence could not hear.  "You
+have now shown me your home on the shore, let me have the opportunity of
+showing you mine on the water," he added, taking her hand, with an
+expression which called forth a deep blush on her cheek; yet her hand
+was not withdrawn.  "You can, I doubt not, persuade your cousin and good
+housekeeper to accompany you, and any other escort you may deem
+advisable.  I will send for our pilot, and we will take a short cruise
+round some of the neighbouring islets."
+
+Hilda, after a moment's hesitation, consented to the proposal.  Lawrence
+was delighted at the idea of a sail in the big ship.
+
+The summer days of Shetland are few, but they are perfect while they
+last, and long enough to satisfy the most enthusiastic admirer of
+out-door amusements.  Such was the day Hilda had selected for paying a
+visit to the corvette.  At an early hour the state barge of Lunnasting
+was in attendance at the landing-place, manned by a sturdy crew of eight
+of her tenants, whilst Lawrence claimed the privilege of acting as
+coxswain--a post for which, from his practical knowledge of seamanship,
+he was perfectly well fitted.
+
+The Spanish captain had wished to send a boat from the corvette, but the
+offer had been declined, as Hilda knew that it would be considered
+undignified unless she went in her own.  Besides the crew and Lawrence
+Brindister, her only escort consisted of Bertha Eswick, Nanny Clousta,
+her own attendant, and her factor, Sandy Redland.
+
+As they got alongside, the crew sprang aloft and manned yards, but
+instead of cheering they waved their hats above their heads; a salute
+was at the same moment fired from the guns, and the captain himself
+descended the side ladder to assist Miss Wardhill on deck.  He pressed
+her hand as he did so, and the glance she gave him showed the pleasure
+she felt in visiting his ocean home.  They said but little, for they
+already understood each other too well to feel inclined to interchange
+many words in public.  The first lieutenant, Pedro Alvarez, took charge
+of Bertha Eswick, and one of the junior officers devoted himself to
+Nanny Clousta, very little caring what was her position in the family.
+Lawrence, who had constantly been on board the corvette, seemed on
+intimate terms with every one, while Sandy Redland, the factor, stalked
+about wondering at the sights he beheld, and not attempting to exchange
+words with any one.  As soon as the last of the party were out of the
+Lunnasting barge, she was sent back to the castle, with directions to
+pull off to the ship when a signal should be made; at the same moment
+the boatswain's shrill whistle was heard, the topsails were let fall,
+the capstan bars were shipped, and the men tramped round to the sound of
+fife and fiddle.  The wide extending courses next dropped from the
+brails, the topgallant sails and royals were set, and the ship under all
+her canvas stood out with the wind on her larboard quarter by the
+northern passage from Eastling Sound.  As she began to move on, Rolf
+Morton, who had been on the forecastle superintending getting up the
+anchor, came aft to the wheel to direct her course.  He bowed distantly
+to Hilda, while with affectionate warmth he pressed Bertha Eswick's hand
+to his lips; Lawrence shook him cordially by his hand, saying as he did
+so--
+
+"I am glad, cousin, that you have charge of so fine a ship.  I hope it
+will be as profitable as a voyage to Greenland.  We are all cousins
+here, you see, captain--that is to say, all of true Norse blood; and,
+moreover, are not ashamed of our connections.  Here we have Rolf Morton,
+as pretty a man as you may wish to see, though not Shetland born, as far
+as we know, married to young Bertha Eswick, daughter to our good cousin
+Dame Eswick, at present governess, manager, or housekeeper of Lunnasting
+Castle.  Thus, you understand, Rolf Morton is our cousin by marriage;
+and who would disown him because he is at present but an humble pilot!
+A finer fellow or a truer seaman does not step, though I say it to his
+face."
+
+Morton had not listened to these remarks; but Don Hernan had heard
+sufficient to understand their tenor, and to make him feel that he was
+not wrong in placing perfect reliance on his pilot's seamanship and
+knowledge of the coast.  Hilda, who had never before been on board a
+large ship, was delighted with the sight as she gazed upwards on the
+towering mass of canvas which seemed to rise into the very blue sky
+itself; then around on the rich carving and gilt work; on the polished
+brass, of which several of the guns were formed; on the fresh, bright
+painting, and the various other embellishments of the ship.
+
+Directed by Morton, the "Saint Cecilia" soon glided out through the
+narrow entrance to the Sound, so close to the black rocks on one side
+that a good leaper could almost have sprung on shore.  The officers
+turned their eyes now and anon from the rocks, which threatened
+destruction to their beautiful ship, to the pilot, but his calm,
+self-confident look assured them that there was no danger, and soon she
+was rising and falling to the undulations of the open sea, while Whalsey
+and the other outlying islands blended rapidly into one, and soon could
+not be distinguished from the main land.
+
+"This is indeed truly enchanting!" exclaimed Hilda.  "Though I have
+frequently been at sea, it has always been on board some slow-sailing
+trader or packet, where sights and sounds and associations were all
+unpleasant together.  In a ship like this, how delightful to sail round
+the world!  I should never weary of such a life."
+
+"Then share it with me, Hilda," was the natural though unexpected
+rejoinder of the Spanish captain, spoken in a low voice.  "Oh do not
+raise hopes and thoughts and aspirations, only to hurl them overboard!
+We rovers of the sea have but little time to give to wooing.  Be mine
+now and for ever."
+
+Hilda's countenance betrayed the agitation, doubt, and astonishment
+which filled her bosom.
+
+"Dearest lady!  I would not thus hurriedly press my suit, but any post
+may bring me orders to leave the coast, never again to return.  Your own
+words betrayed me into uttering a prayer I might not otherwise have
+ventured so soon to urge; but now it has been made, do not compel me to
+retract it."
+
+He stopped a moment to allow his words to take effect.  Two or three of
+his own officers and men only were within hearing, and his calm attitude
+and manner did not betray the subject of their conversation.  Her
+countenance would have done so to Bertha or Morton, but she turned her
+head towards the side, apparently watching the ship's course through the
+water.  No one valued her own position more than did Hilda; she had long
+been taught the importance of keeping her feelings and words under
+control, from the very reason that she was well aware should she once
+give them rein they would run wildly off beyond her power.  Her
+thoughts, unhappily, she had never been able to command; and now she
+found her feelings for this stranger--for stranger he was, though he
+came in the guise of a kinsman--too powerful for her to conquer.  Don
+Hernan stood gazing into her countenance with as great anxiety,
+apparently, as if his life hung on her decision.  The struggle within
+her--and a violent one it was--continued till it well-nigh overcame her.
+She had to hold on to the bulwarks to support herself.  Don Hernan
+began to fear that she would decide against him.
+
+"Speak, Hilda--relieve me from the misery of this suspense!" he
+exclaimed in a low voice, which could but just reach her ear.
+
+She looked up, and gasped faintly forth--"I am yours, now and for ever."
+
+Don Hernan poured forth, with all the vehemence of a Spaniard, his
+expressions of gratitude and joy.
+
+"Happily, there exists no impediment to our immediate union," he added.
+"I have, as you know, a priest of my own faith on board, and he tells me
+that there exists on your island a chapel built by some of the seamen of
+the holy Armada under the direction of my ancestor, and that, although
+decaying, it is still in a sufficient state of preservation to allow the
+ceremonies of our religion to be performed in it.  Under his directions
+some of my crew shall be employed, with your permission, in restoring it
+sufficiently to enable our nuptials to take place there, and your own
+minister shall afterwards perform the marriage ceremony according to the
+rites of your church.  We will deposit the documents with trustworthy
+persons, so that no one may afterwards cast discredit on my honour, or
+utter a word against your fair fame."
+
+"You have been thoughtfully careful of my interests and happiness, Don
+Hernan," answered Hilda.  "I feel that both are safe in your hands."
+
+It did not occur to her that Don Hernan must have felt tolerably sure of
+success, to have made all the arrangements of which he spoke.
+
+Calm and collected as the two lovers believed themselves, many eyes on
+board had been watching their proceedings.  Their conversation was
+interrupted by Rolf Morton coming aft to the captain and inquiring in
+what direction he would prefer standing.
+
+It was late in the day before the corvette, on her return, approached
+the Sound.  The wind had got round so much to the northward, that Morton
+determined on taking the corvette into the Sound by the same narrow
+passage through which she had passed in the morning.  Don Hernan
+consented to his proposal; but when Pedro Alvarez saw the course that
+was being steered, he showed every disposition to mutiny.
+
+"Because our captain wishes to suit the convenience of a fair lady, and
+his own pleasure, he will run the risk of casting away our gallant ship.
+Why not run for Brassy Sound, which is open before us, with a safe
+entrance?"
+
+These remarks were made to some of his messmates, who were generally
+ready to assent to his proposals.  However, guided by Morton, the
+corvette stood on, though even Hilda, who had the most perfect
+confidence in the pilot, as she saw the fierce, foaming waves dashing
+high up with a loud roar over the rocks to the very summit of the
+cliffs, could scarcely persuade herself that the ship was not rushing on
+destruction.  The captain stood by the helmsman's side to repeat the
+pilot's orders.  Now nothing but a wall of rocks and foam appeared
+before them.
+
+"Steady!" cried Morton, "starboard a little.  Steady!" he again cried.
+
+The captain echoed his cry; the passage opened before them; in an
+instant the ship flew past the rocks; even the oldest sailor breathed
+more freely when she glided on inside the Sound.
+
+The sails were furled, the anchor was dropped, as she reached the spot
+from which she had weighed in the morning.  The captain insisted on
+escorting Hilda and her companions on shore.
+
+"In three days, then, at midnight, all will be ready," he whispered, as
+he parted from her at the castle landing-place.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER FIVE.
+
+LAWRENCE'S EXPEDITION--HILDA'S MARRIAGE IN THE OLD CHAPEL--A STORM.
+
+Although the sun during the middle of the Shetland summer scarcely
+ceases to shine, the inhabitants of these isles, like other mortals,
+require sleep, and take it at the usual time.  Soon after the sea trip
+Miss Wardhill had taken on board the "Saint Cecilia," Lawrence
+Brindister was seen one afternoon to descend from his room, booted and
+spurred, as if for a distant excursion, Hilda, who had her reasons for
+so doing, watched him anxiously.  He stamped about the house, clattering
+his spurs, and muttering to himself, as was his custom, when anything
+out of the usual course occupied his mind.  At last, going to Surly
+Grind's kennel, he loosed the dog, and entering his skiff, crossed the
+voe, as if about to proceed to the mainland.  Hilda breathed more freely
+when he had gone, but seldom had she appeared so distracted, and little
+at her ease, as she did till the usual hour of closing the castle gates.
+The keys were brought to her, as was the custom, by David Cheyne, the
+old butler, or Major Domo.  As he made his bow, he cast a hurried glance
+at her countenance, and on his way down stairs he shook his head,
+muttering to himself, "This foreign gallant will bring no good to the
+house of Lunnasting--that I see too well; and the sooner the islands are
+quit of him and his ship--for all he looks so brave and so bonnie--the
+better it will be for the young mistress."
+
+Hilda, instead of retiring to rest, went to her tower; there she
+remained for some time, pacing up and down the room, now glancing out on
+the wide ocean, now clasping her hands in a manner expressive of doubt
+and indecision.
+
+"It is too late to retract," she exclaimed, at length; "why should I
+think of it?  What right has my father to complain?  He leaves me here
+without compunction, and am I to await his tardy permission to act, as I
+have a full right to do, without it?  No, that point is settled.  Then
+Bertha suggests that the world will call me unmaidenly, more than
+indiscreet, and will say that I have been ready to throw myself into the
+arms of the first stranger I have met; but what care I for this little
+world of Shetland?  I stand on my own rectitude.  I shall be far away,
+and can afford to despise all such insinuations.  But the greatest doubt
+Bertha, in her over-anxious love, has raised up before me, is that
+regarding Hernan himself.  Still I feel sure that he is all that is
+honourable and noble.  He has given me numberless assurances, undoubted,
+that he is what he represents himself.  The proofs he offers are so
+clear, can I for a moment doubt him?  His I have promised to be: his I
+will be.  I should be unworthy of the name of woman were I now to
+discard him."
+
+Such was the style of argument with which Hilda Wardhill persuaded
+herself that she was right in the course she had resolved to adopt.
+
+The marriage was duly solemnised according to the terms of the Roman
+Catholic Church by Father Mendez.  Hilda and Don Hernan signed their
+names on a parchment placed before them, Bertha and Nanny Clousta
+signing as witnesses, while Rolf Morton stepped forward and added his
+name.
+
+Two of Don Hernan's officers, Pedro Alvarez and another, signed their
+names to the document as witnesses; whilst Lawrence protested against
+the marriage, as being without the consent or knowledge of Hilda's
+father, and, therefore, according to Shetland law, invalid.  This
+protest he made with an air of dignity wholly different from his usual
+manner.
+
+The midnight wedding ceremony at the old chapel terminated in a most
+terrific hurricane, and the new married couple were compelled to take
+refuge from the storm in the house of Bertha Morton.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER SIX.
+
+ROLF MORTON'S HISTORY--DON HERNAN AND HILDA IN THE MORTON'S HOUSE--
+MORTON DISPATCHED TO THE CORVETTE.
+
+Bertha Morton had been considered not only one of the prettiest girls in
+that part of Shetland where she was known, but as good and modest as she
+was pretty, which is saying much in her favour, where beauty, modesty,
+and kindness of heart are the characteristics of the people.  Her
+cottage, which was one of the largest in the island, was fitted up with
+more taste and comfort than was usually found in others, and everything
+about it bore the marks of competency and good taste.  She had but
+lately married Rolf Morton, who had, a year or two before, been left a
+small property by his friend and guardian, Captain Andrew Scarsdale.
+Rolf Morton's own history was somewhat romantic.
+
+Captain Scarsdale, a Shetlander by birth, commanded one of the many
+Greenland whalers belonging to Hull, Aberdeen, and other northern parts,
+which touched at Lerwick on their outward and homeward voyages.  At
+length, however, having fallen into ill-health, he was advised to try
+the effects of a southern clime; and having in his youth made two or
+three voyages to the South Seas, he was induced to take the command of a
+South-Sea whaler, which would keep him out three years, or probably
+more: having no family to bind his affections to England, this was of
+little consequence.
+
+On his outward voyage, when nearly half way across the Atlantic, he fell
+in with a raft, on which were three men and a young boy.  The men stated
+that the ship to which they belonged had foundered, and that the boy,
+whose name they stated was Rolf Morton, belonged to a lady and gentleman
+among the passengers on board.  The rest of the people had perished, and
+they, with no little exertion, had contrived to save the child.
+
+Captain Scarsdale had, from the first, rather doubted the correctness of
+their statement, and on his cross-questioning the men separately, his
+suspicions that there was some mystery in the matter were further
+confirmed.  However, they suspected his object, and he was unable to
+elicit what he could suppose to be the truth from them.  He would have
+remained altogether in ignorance had not one of them been seized with an
+illness, and believing himself to be dying, sent for the captain, and
+made what he asserted to be a full confession of all he knew about the
+boy.
+
+Captain Scarsdale, who was a cautious man, wrote down all that was told
+him, and induced the man to sign it.  He then instantly sent for the
+other two men, and telling them what he knew, induced them to confess
+the truth, and, partly by threats, and partly by persuasions, made them
+sign the same document.  He then carefully locked it up in his chest,
+and being an upright and kind-hearted man, it was with great
+satisfaction that he believed he had it in his power to right the
+wronged.
+
+"Man proposes, God disposes," is a proverb, day after day proved to be
+true in the lives of every man.  The sick seaman recovered, and he and
+his comrades, after serving some months on board deserted the ship; and
+although Captain Scarsdale hunted everywhere, he could gain no further
+tidings of them.
+
+The child thus strangely found became a fine intelligent boy, and
+attached himself warmly to him.  His recollections, faint though they
+were, all tended to corroborate the account the seamen had given.
+Captain Scarsdale would have sent home the information he had received,
+and placed the cause of the boy in proper hands; but the men having
+disappeared, he was afraid to trust the document to a stranger, with the
+numberless chances of a long sea voyage, against its ever reaching its
+destination.  Unexpected events, however, kept him out in the South Seas
+far longer than he had anticipated.  He did not object to this, for he
+had the boy as his companion, and he devoted himself to his education.
+Young Rolf did not show any great talent, but he gave every promise of
+becoming a fine, manly, true-hearted sailor, and with that his kind
+patron was amply satisfied.
+
+At length, just as the ship had nearly completed her cargo of sperm oil,
+and was about to return home, she was overtaken by a hurricane, and
+driven on shore and lost; the crew were saved, and so was the captain's
+chest.  Most of Captain Scarsdale's hard-earned gains were swallowed up;
+and the command of another whaler, whose master had died, being offered
+him, he gladly accepted it, in the hopes that, by remaining out a few
+years longer, he should be able to retrieve his fortunes; and what was
+still nearer his heart, of obtaining the means for, as he told his
+acquaintance, of establishing young Morton's rights.  What he considered
+those rights to be he wisely told no one.
+
+"No, no," he replied, when asked; "no one but a fool sounds a trumpet
+before him to give notice of his approach, that the enemy may be
+prepared to receive him."
+
+Rolf Morton had by this time become all that his friend anticipated; but
+though well-informed for his age, his knowledge of the world and its
+ways, it must be owned, was not extensive.
+
+The ship was bound to Liverpool, but being dismasted in a terrific gale,
+she was driven past the entrance to the Channel, and up the west coast
+of Ireland.  Land was made at last on the starboard bow, and hopes were
+entertained that she might be brought round so as to enter the Irish
+Channel by the northern passage.  Captain Scarsdale himself lay in his
+hammock, disabled by a falling spar.
+
+Scarcely an hour had passed after the land was seen before the ship
+struck.  It was ascertained that it was on the extreme point of a reef,
+and the first mate hoped that by lightening the ship she might beat over
+it.  The captain acquiesced, and every article that could be got at was,
+as soon as possible, committed to the sea.
+
+"Yes, heave away--heave away everything you can lay your hands on,
+lads!" was the order.  "It will matter but little, I suspect, after
+all."
+
+Among other things thrown overboard was the captain's chest; the mate
+saw it just as it reached the foaming sea, too late to save it.  He said
+nothing to the captain: he believed that the ship herself would be lost,
+but his prognostications proved wrong; the good ship drove over the
+bank, weathered out the gale, jury-masts were got up, and she not only
+got into the Irish Channel, but safe up the Mersey, without any help
+whatever.
+
+Great was the grief of good Captain Scarsdale, when, on recovering from
+his hurts, he discovered that his chest and its valuable contents had
+been hove overboard.  As has been said, he was a mild-tempered man, so
+he did not storm and rage, but as the profits of the voyage had been
+considerable, he resolved to devote them to establishing the claims of
+the young foundling.  He had never told Rolf Morton what those claims
+were.  He knew that they would only tend to unsettle the mind of the
+boy, and make him less contented with his lot, should he fail to obtain
+his rights.  Rolf had no more notion, therefore, than the world in
+general, who he was, and he believed the story which had at first been
+told by the men, that he was the son of a gentleman and lady who had
+perished on board a ship which had foundered on its way to South
+America.
+
+As soon as Captain Scarsdale had settled his affairs in Liverpool, he
+hastened to Edinburgh, where he had a relative, a writer to the
+"Signet."  He laid the boy's case before him.
+
+"My good Andrew, don't waste your money in making the attempt till you
+have surer grounds to go on than you now have," was the answer.
+"Possession is nine parts of the law.  I have no more doubt than you
+have as to the claims of this boy; but can you prove them without
+documents or evidence of any sort?  Can you expect to overcome a
+powerful and unscrupulous opponent?  You have perfect trust in
+Providence, Andrew--so have I, lawyer though I am; and be assured that
+in God's good time justice will be awarded to all parties concerned."
+
+This was not exactly like legal advice in general; but Andrew Scarsdale
+at once saw its wisdom, and agreed to abide by it.  Proceeding to
+Aberdeen, he was at once offered the charge of a Greenland whaler.  He
+accepted the offer, taking Rolf Morton with him.  He touched at Lerwick
+both on his outward and homeward voyage.  While on shore on the first
+occasion, he heard that a small property was for sale in the island of
+Whalsey, nearly the only portion of the whole island which did not
+belong to the Lunnasting family.  He at once authorised the principal
+legal man in the island to purchase it for him at any cost.
+
+"I have a mind to have it," he observed; "remember my ancestors came
+from Whalsey, and I should like, perchance, to end my latter days
+there."
+
+Great was his satisfaction, on his return, to find that the property was
+his.  "That is well," he remarked; "and now, in case of my death, I wish
+to settle it on my young friend Rolf Morton.  You can get the necessary
+documents drawn up, I hope, before I sail: we seamen learn one piece of
+wisdom, at all events--the uncertainty of life--however slow we may be
+to pick up others; and, therefore, when we sail, leave our last will and
+testament behind us.  You'll take care of this for me, and act upon it,
+should I never return to desire it altered."
+
+The lawyer promised to see his friend's bequest attended to, but many
+years passed before he was called on to act in the matter.  Not only did
+Captain Scarsdale come back, but with young Rolf Morton as his
+companion, he took up his abode for several years, during the winter, in
+a farm-house which he had considerably improved on his newly purchased
+property; he claimed relationship, which was fully acknowledged, with
+the Brindister family, and he and Lawrence, who took also very speedily
+to Rolf, soon became fast friends.  He was invited also to become a
+frequent guest at Lunnasting Castle, though he showed but little
+inclination to accept the hospitality of its inmates.
+
+Andrew Scarsdale, however, did not give up the sea.  Though possessed of
+a moderate independence he did not wish to lead an idle life, but every
+summer he sailed to Greenland in command of a whaler, and most years
+took Rolf with him: wishing at the same time that his young ward should
+have the advantages of a liberal education, he sent him for two years to
+Aberdeen, that he might acquire some knowledge in those branches in
+which he was himself unable to afford him instruction.  Rolf made up by
+perseverance for what he wanted in talent, and thus, with Captain
+Scarsdale's help, he obtained not only a necessary knowledge of nautical
+affairs, but as large an amount of general information as most seafaring
+men of his position at that time possessed.  It might have been better
+if the good captain, who was now advancing in years, had remained at
+home; but anxious to increase his means for the sake of the object he
+had nearest at heart, he took a larger share than before in a whaler,
+and sailed once more, with Rolf in his company, for Greenland.  Eager in
+the pursuit of the oil-giving whale, he proceeded further north than
+usual, his ship got nipped in the ice, crushed into a thousand
+fragments, and Rolf Morton, and six of the crew only escaped with their
+lives.
+
+Sorrowing deeply for the loss of his kind friend and protector, and
+caring very little for that of his fortune, Rolf at length returned home
+to find himself the possessor of the small farm and house on Whalsey,
+and very little else in the world.  He was not in the slightest degree
+cast down, however; he made another voyage to Greenland as mate, and
+having been very successful, came home and married young Bertha Eswick,
+to whom he had before sailing engaged himself.
+
+Bertha Morton, like the rest of her countrywomen, accepted her lot, and
+notwithstanding the fate to which so many others were subjected, she
+hoped to enjoy years of happiness with her brave, fine-hearted husband.
+There was not in all Scotland, just then, a blither or happier woman
+than Bertha Morton.  Her husband had told her that he expected to be at
+home soon after midnight, and she was sitting up to receive him.  As the
+fury of the storm had not broke till some time after she hoped her
+husband would be safe on shore, she was not particularly anxious about
+his safety; still, as time wore on, her keen ear became more and more
+alive to approaching sounds: at length she heard footsteps.  Her
+husband's voice called to her, and in he rushed with her mother and
+Nanny Clousta, followed by Don Hernan and Hilda.  Her astonishment at
+seeing them was very great, but without losing time in asking
+unnecessary questions, she set to work to remedy, as far as she had the
+power, the effects of the pelting rain to which her guests had been
+exposed.  Fresh fuel was added to the already hot peat fire on the
+hearth, that the foreign captain and her husband might dry their clothes
+while she retired with her female visitors, that they might change
+theirs for such as her own ample wardrobe could supply.  Her best Sunday
+gown well became Hilda, for except in height they differed but little in
+figure; indeed, dressed as they now were, in the same homely garb, there
+was a remarkable likeness between them.  Nanny soon came back to place
+certain pots and kettles on the fire to prepare supper, which by the
+time all the party were ready to partake of it, was placed on the table.
+
+Bertha Eswick's position in the family fully entitled her to sit at
+table with her mistress, and of course her daughter and son-in-law took
+their seats at their own table, but nothing could induce Nanny so to
+intrude herself, and she requested that she might be allowed to carry
+her plate to a large chest at one side of the room where she might eat
+her food by herself.  Morton and Don Hernan could not help glancing a
+look at each other, as they observed the similarity of feature, but the
+tranquil, contented look which those of Bertha wore offered a strong
+contrast to the agitated unsettled expression of Hilda's.  Bertha and
+her mother did their utmost to tranquillise her mind, and by lively
+conversation to counteract the effect which the strange scene she had
+just gone through had produced.  The beating of the rain and the roaring
+and howling of the wind were alone sufficient to baffle all their
+efforts.  The storm continued with unabated fury, and gave every sign of
+being one of those which last for three or four days.
+
+Hilda having expressed her annoyance at the surmises to which her
+absence would give rise in the castle, Rolf volunteered to go and inform
+the household that she had taken refuge in his house, and would return
+as soon as the weather permitted her to do so, while Don Hernan further
+commissioned him to proceed on along the shore of the Sound to ascertain
+that the "Saint Cecilia" was in safety, and whether his officers and men
+had escaped injury, and had returned on board.
+
+"I ought to go myself, Mr Morton, I am well aware of that, but here is
+my excuse," he observed, pointing to Hilda: "my officers are true
+Spaniards, and will receive it as a valid one."
+
+"An English officer would consider that his first duty was to look after
+his ship, whatever else might interfere, and there lies the difference
+between us," muttered Morton, as facing the pelting rain and furious
+wind, he took his departure from his comfortable home.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER SEVEN.
+
+DON HERNAN AND HILDA AT THE CASTLE--THE SPANISH OFFICERS ON SHORE--DON
+HERNAN ORDERED TO QUIT SHETLAND.
+
+"To my mind it wad ha' been better for one and a' of us, if Miss Hilda
+had gone and wed with a true, honest-hearted Shetlander, instead of this
+new-found foreigner, for all his fine clothes, and fine airs, and silk
+purse; it's few times I have seen the inside of it."  This was said by
+old Davie Cheyne to Nanny Clousta, about two weeks after Hilda and her
+husband had taken up their abode at the castle.  "What Sir Marcus will
+say about the matter, it makes me tremble to think of.  It's my belief
+he'll be inclined to pull the house down about our ears, or to send us
+and it flying up into the sky together.  I wad ha' thought she might ha'
+found a young Mouat, or a Gifford, or a Bruce, or Nicolson.  There are
+mony likely lads among them far better than this captain, now; I can no
+like him better than does Mr Lawrence, and that's a sma' portion
+indeed."
+
+"You're too hard, Mr Cheyne, on our new master," answered Nanny; "if ye
+had seen the gold piece he gave me the day we came back to the castle,
+and the beautiful silver one which he put into my hand only yesterday,
+with the two pillars on it, you wad no say a' that against him.  No, no,
+Mr Cheyne, he's a fine gentleman, and a right fit husband for our young
+mistress."
+
+For more than a fortnight Don Hernan had not set his foot on board the
+"Saint Cecilia."  Both officers and crew had, however, begun to complain
+at being left so long in so uninteresting a spot in perfect inactivity;
+Don Hernan accordingly ordered the ship back to Brassay Sound under
+charge of Pedro Alvarez.
+
+Strange as it may seem, the news of Don Hernan's marriage with Miss
+Wardhill had not yet reached Lerwick.  There was at no time any very
+regular intercourse kept up between the islands, and that which was
+usual had been interrupted by the bad weather.
+
+Rolf Morton, like a wise man, resolved to keep his knowledge of the
+matter to himself, and to say nothing, while Father Mendez, the only
+person belonging to the ship who, from being able to speak English,
+could have communicated it, was not likely to say a word about the
+matter, unless he had some object in doing so.  Bailie Sanderson of
+Lerwick was a staunch Presbyterian, and a warm hater of Episcopacy and
+Popery; and it was a sore struggle in his mind how far he was justified
+in having any dealings with the only representative of the latter power,
+who had for many a long year ventured to set foot on the soil of
+Shetland; in vain he tried to make the purser understand him.  Stores
+for the ship of all sorts were wanted, but no arrangements could be
+made, and at length Father Mendez was called to their councils.  The
+bailie believed himself so fully guarded against any of the doctrines
+held by the priest, that he had no fear as to any attempts he might make
+to change his own opinions; but the truth was, that Father Mendez
+understood him far better than he understood Father Mendez, who, had he
+thought it worth his while, would not have made his approaches in a mode
+the bailie was at all likely to discover till the foundations of his
+fortress had been sapped and undermined.  The priest, however, had not
+the slightest intention of making an attack on the bailie's religious
+principles, whatever might have been his mission to those northern
+regions.  There were some who did not fail to assert that he had
+ulterior views; but he made himself generally so very popular, that the
+greater number considered him a very well-behaved, harmless, kind
+gentleman, who was ready to smile at all their amusements, even though
+he might not partake in them, and was conversable and affable with every
+one.
+
+For nearly three weeks or more the "Saint Cecilia" remained at Lerwick,
+and while her officers were busy gaining golden opinions from the
+people, they spent a good many golden pieces among them.
+
+"And after a' the real goud is the best thing o' the twa," as Bailie
+Sanderson observed.  "The one, unless, maybe, it's the deil's pay, will
+rest in the purse, or bring something substantial in return, and is
+muckle like the snow in the spring time; it looks very white and
+glittering, but quickly vanishes awa."
+
+At length Rolf Morton arrived from Whalsey with an order from Don Hernan
+to Pedro Alvarez to carry the ship back to Eastling Sound.  The corvette
+was instantly got under weigh, and tide and wind suiting, she stood back
+towards Lunnasting Castle.  The inhabitants of Lerwick saw her departure
+with no little astonishment, as not a word had been said to lead them to
+suppose she was going.  Some had their misgivings on certain material
+points.  Bailie Sanderson, especially, was very uncomfortable; he had
+furnished a large amount of stores--far more than any one else had done;
+but though he had got in his hands several bills, in the shape of long
+bits of paper, accepted by Don Diogo Ponti, purser of His most Catholic
+Majesty's ship, the "Saint Cecilia," and by Don Hernan de Escalante,
+captain of the said ship, he had received very little hard cash, and
+several of his friends, when they had looked at those strips of paper,
+and turned and twisted them about, in a variety of ways, with an
+expression in their countenances which betokened commiseration, hoped
+that he might, by the mercy of Providence, get the siller for them, but
+that it would be next a miracle if he did.  In a moment all his airy
+castles and the delightful profits he had anticipated were scattered to
+the wind, while no one to whom he applied could afford him the slightest
+consolation.
+
+The most trying time in Hilda's existence had arrived.  She had given
+her heart to Don Hernan, and she had married him; but she had never
+dared to reflect on the consequences of her doing so.  When at length he
+told her that the last packet from the south had brought him peremptory
+orders to proceed on his voyage, the news came on her like a sudden
+thunder-clap.  No longer had she the power of acting, as of yore,
+according to her own untrammelled will.  She had discovered that
+already.  What would he determine?  To let him go from her, and leave
+her alone, were worse than death.  When might he return?  Would he ever
+come back?  What numberless chances might intervene to prevent him.  Yet
+the thought of leaving the castle, placed under her charge, was
+naturally revolting to her feelings.  Her father had intrusted her with
+his property.  Could she betray that trust without meriting his just
+censure?  Yet had she not already done enough to make him discard her
+altogether?
+
+"Yes, I have," she exclaimed, with some degree of bitterness.  "How can
+I stand the storm of rage, and then the scornful sneers with which he
+will assail me?  Accompany Hernan, I will, come what may of it.  If he
+refuses he shall not leave behind a living bride.  Scorn, pity, or
+anger, would be insufferable, and to all shall I be exposed if I
+remain."
+
+To such a resolution it might have been expected that a woman of ardent
+temperament and untrained mind, like Hilda, would have arrived, whatever
+course of doubt and hesitation she might have first gone through.
+
+Don Hernan returned with a clouded brow from his first visit to his
+ship.  He found Hilda seated in her turret-chamber.  He threw himself on
+a sofa by her side.
+
+"There has been discontent and well-nigh mutiny among my people," he
+exclaimed in an angry tone.  "I might have known that it would have been
+so; idleness does not suit the fellows--I must take care that they have
+no more of it; they will have plenty to do in future.  Well, Hilda, our
+happy days here must now come to an end.  They have flitted by faster
+than I could have expected."  Hilda gazed in his face, trembling to hear
+what might follow.  He spoke calmly: "Yes, a few short weeks seem not
+longer than as many hours; and now I fear, dearest, we must part, though
+it may be but for a short period.  I may obtain leave to return with the
+`Saint Cecilia,' or you must travel south by a shorter route through
+England, and thence on to Spain.  I cannot shield you, I fear, from some
+of the inconveniences to which sailors' wives are exposed."
+
+"Leave me!  Oh, no, no!" exclaimed Hilda, passionately.  "Take me with
+you.  I cannot be parted from you!  You tell me you love me: it would be
+but cruel love to kill me; and I tell you I could not survive our
+separation.  I speak the truth--oh, believe me, Hernan,--I do!"
+
+The Spanish captain looked at her as if he doubted her assertion; but he
+would indeed have been a sceptic as to the depth of the power of woman's
+affection had he longer continued to doubt when he saw her beseeching
+and almost agonised countenance turned on him, waiting for his decision.
+
+"But can you, Hilda, endure all the hardships and dangers we may have to
+go through?" he asked.  "We may be exposed to furious tempests, and
+perhaps have to fight more than one battle, before we reach a Spanish
+port."
+
+"Yes, yes, I can endure everything you have to suffer," she answered,
+taking his hand in one of hers, while she placed the other on his
+shoulder, and looked up into his face as if she would read his inward
+soul.  "Why should I fear the tempest when you are on board, or the
+battle, while I can stand by your side?  Take me with you, Hernan.
+Prove me, and I shall not be found wanting."
+
+"Hilda, you are a brave woman--you have conquered my resolution.  We
+will go together," he exclaimed, clasping her to his heart.
+
+The shriek of joy she gave showed the intensity of her anxiety, and how
+it had been relieved by this announcement.
+
+Still Don Hernan lingered.  Was it that he was unwilling to tear himself
+away from a spot where he had spent some of the brightest moments of his
+existence?  Had he other less ostensible motives for delay?
+
+Hilda's announcement of her intended departure was received in silence
+by Sandy Redland, the factor, and David Cheyne, the old butler.  The
+former, perhaps, was not ill-content to have the entire management of
+the estate left in his hands.  Nanny Clousta, without hesitation, agreed
+to accompany her mistress, and thus the only person who really grieved
+for Hilda's departure was Bertha Eswick.  She walked about the castle in
+a state of bewilderment very different to her usual collected manner,
+and was continually asking herself if she could not have prevented the
+result for which she mourned.  The only person who seemed totally
+unconscious that any unusual event was about to occur was Lawrence
+Brindister.  He treated his cousin and Don Hernan with a mock courtesy
+which was excessively annoying, the more especially as it was utterly
+impossible to resent it.
+
+The hour of her departure arrived.  Hilda had made every preparation for
+it in her power; still the utter want of propriety in the step she was
+taking pressed heavily on her spirits.  Except her own garments and a
+few of her books, she took nothing with her.  "It shall not be said that
+I am spoiling my father's house," she exclaimed, with some bitterness,
+as she showed Bertha everything she wished packed up.
+
+Don Hernan's barge was in readiness at the landing-place, where Sandy
+Redland stood ready to receive the keys.  As she left the castle, she
+looked, as old Davie Cheyne afterwards remarked, "more like Mary Queen
+of Scots, or some other great lady, going to execution, than a bride
+accompanying her husband to his home."  As she was about to step into
+the boat she took Bertha's hand.
+
+"Dear nurse and cousin," she whispered, "you know I loved you more than
+any other human being, but I dare not show it lest my feelings should
+run riot with me.  Farewell!  The future is all obscure and uncertain.
+I dare not talk of when we may meet again."
+
+Don Hernan took her hand and helped her into the boat.  The word was
+given to shove off--the oars were dipped into the water--when down from
+the castle gate rushed Lawrence Brindister, followed closely by Surly
+Grind.
+
+"Ha! ha!" he exclaimed, in a hoarse, angry voice.  "Fare-thee-well,
+cousin Hilda--fare-thee-well! though you would leave your kinsman
+without saying as much to him.  And you, Don Hernan, fare-thee-well,
+too.  You think you have wedded with the heiress of Lunnasting.  It's a
+pleasant dream to believe that you will some day be master of those
+lordly towers.  Dream on as you please, but know the truth: `The prince
+will hae his ain again! the prince will hae his ain again!'"
+
+These words he continued singing at the top of his voice, pointing
+derisively at the boat as long as she continued in sight.
+
+Don Hernan urged the crew to give way, and with lusty strokes they sent
+the boat flying through the water, till she was far out of hearing of
+Lawrence's voice.  Hilda sank back in her husband's arms, and hid her
+eyes while she was passing under the walls of the dwelling she believed
+that she was leaving for ever.  With shouts of welcome the Spanish crew
+received their captain's bride.  Scarcely had she stepped on board than
+the anchor, which had been hove short, was run up to the bows, the sails
+were let fall, and, with a light breeze from the westward, the corvette
+stood out of Eastling Sound.
+
+Rolf Morton was on board as pilot.  He bowed to Hilda, but his duty in
+attending to the steering of the ship prevented his speaking.  As she
+looked at him, she felt that he was the last link which yet united her
+with the past, and she almost dreaded the moment that he would have to
+leave the ship.  "Yet, after all, from what do I sever myself?" she
+thought.  "From associations only.  Begone all such recollections.  Let
+me enjoy the delightful present, and the no less happy future I trust."
+
+No day could have been more beautiful in any latitude than that on which
+the "Saint Cecilia" sailed from Shetland.  The sea was smooth, just
+broken with a slight ripple, which glittered brightly in the rays of the
+sun as the ship slipped quickly through it with a gentle breeze abeam.
+The arrangements, also, which Hilda's husband had made below for her
+accommodation were perfect.  He, too, was kind and courteous in the
+extreme; and had she been a princess, the officers could not have
+treated her with greater respect.  Over and over again she said to
+herself, "I should indeed be ungrateful if I am not happy."
+
+Having given a good offing to the Out Skerries, so as to avoid the
+dangers near Feltar, the corvette stood to the northward, it being the
+intention of the captain to round the northern end of Shetland, and by
+that course to enter the Atlantic.  Rolf Morton's boat was towing
+astern, and he agreed to remain on board to see the ship clear of the
+land.  The weather was beautiful, the sea was smooth, the wind was
+light, and there was every prospect of a pleasant commencement of a
+voyage, as he finally wished her God-speed.
+
+Soon after Rolf Morton had left the corvette, the wind, after veering
+about for a short time, had got round to the southward, so that she was
+able to haul up to the southward of west.  This appeared a great
+advantage gained, as it enabled her to keep exactly on her proper
+course.  How short-sighted truly are mortals in discovering what is
+really to their advantage!  The sun sunk in an angry glow of ruddy hue
+which suffused the whole eastern sky, and cast an ensanguined tint on
+the foaming crests of the fast-rising waves.  Then, as if it had gone to
+hurry on the storm, there rushed up from the dark bank of clouds
+numerous detached masses, which flew rapidly across the sky, one chasing
+the other in their headlong speed.
+
+Don Hernan and his officers saw the storm coming, but they were anxious
+to get as good an offing as possible before it had time to burst on
+them, and therefore kept the ship under all the canvas she could carry.
+On she flew, right into the eye of the rising tempest, so it seemed,
+though as yet the wind held to the southward.  The topgallant masts bent
+and twisted like wands; still the captain would not allow the sails to
+be taken in.  The wind whistled more and more shrilly through the
+rigging; each sea that rose seemed to increase in height, and to strike
+the bows with greater force as the ship, frantically it seemed, forced
+her onward way, while white driving foam flew in dense masses over her
+forecastle, and sprinkled with its lighter showers the greater part of
+the deck.  A few stars came out and shone brightly overhead, but they
+were quickly obscured by the gathering clouds; the darkness increased,
+till nothing could be seen on either hand but the dark, tumbling seas
+with their white foaming crests.
+
+Pedro Alvarez had been watching the signs of the weather with anything
+but a satisfied look.  "We shall have it down upon us, Don Hernan,
+before long," he remarked, going up to the captain.  "If it catches us
+with all this canvas spread, some of our masts will go, I fear."
+
+"We may hold on yet for some time, I hope," was the answer.  "I have not
+forgotten yet the look of that rocky coast."
+
+"Nor I either; and I therefore would try to keep my sticks to beat it
+off," muttered the first lieutenant, as he turned away.  It appeared,
+however, that he was over-cautious; for some time longer there was no
+alteration in the weather.
+
+"After all, I am in hopes that the squall will pass over, and by the
+time we have made good our westing we may get a favourable change of
+wind," observed the captain, as the first lieutenant approached him.  "I
+am going below; call me, should anything occur."
+
+"You will not have long to wait," said Pedro Alvarez, bluntly.
+
+He was right.  The captain's head was scarcely below the companion
+hatch, when the ship, which had been heeling over to starboard till the
+scuppers were under water, righted suddenly, and her sails flapped
+loudly against the masts.
+
+"Hands aloft, shorten sail!" shouted the first lieutenant, with an
+energy that made every one start to obey the order.  "Let fly topgallant
+sheets!  Be smart, my men."
+
+The sails were being quickly handed.  The officer had ordered
+topgallant-yards to be sent down, and topgallant-masts struck, when a
+vivid flash of forked lightning darted close ahead, across the ship's
+course, followed by a terrific crash of thunder, which startled all on
+board.  Many thought the electric fluid had struck the ship.  The
+captain sprang on deck.  He was just in time to see the ship taken aback
+by the long threatening gale, which came down with greater fury from its
+continued delay.  Stern first she drove, the rising seas threatening to
+engulph her.  Pedro Alvarez was shouting out the necessary orders to
+bring her round, so as once more to get headway on her.  But the men
+were aloft endeavouring to execute the previous order issued to them,
+and some were obeying one order, some another.  In vain Don Hernan
+endeavoured to aid in restoring order.  The object was to reduce the
+after sails, so that those ahead might have greater influence.  All the
+masts were crowded with the labouring crew; fiercer blew the tempest;
+there was a crash; wild shrieks, rising high above the howling of the
+storm, rent the air.  The mizenmast had gone by the board, and falling
+over the starboard side had carried all those upon it into the boiling
+ocean.
+
+There was a second crash; the mainyard had gone, and it seemed likely,
+from the way in which the mainmast bent and quivered that that also
+would go.  In vain many of the poor fellows cast from the mizen-mast
+struggled for life; their shipmates were too busily occupied to afford
+them assistance.  Some had clung desperately to the rigging, and had
+managed to regain it, and were endeavouring to haul themselves on board
+again.  Now one succeeded; now another, with a cry of despair, was
+washed off, as the seas dashed furiously up against the corvette's
+quarter, threatening to drive in her counter, or to carry away her
+taffrail.
+
+All the time the butt end of the mizen-mast was striking like a
+battering-ram against the side of the ship, with every chance of
+speedily making a hole in it.  The main-yard, too, had fallen across the
+deck, still held by lifts and braces from going overboard, more
+dangerous in that position than if it had done so.  The sudden blast
+which had caused the destruction was only the first of the tempest.
+Stronger and stronger it grew.  It would be difficult truly to picture
+the scene of tumult and confusion which the deck of the corvette
+presented, all the time driving stern first at a fearful rate, now
+lifted high up by the sea, now rushing downward into the watery gulf,
+the opposite sea looking as if it would overwhelm her.  The officers,
+with loud shouts, were issuing orders in different parts of the ship;
+the men, called off from their regular stations, rushing here and there,
+not knowing which to obey, but still seeing clearly that each order
+imperatively demanded to be instantly executed.  In vain Don Hernan,
+speaking-trumpet in hand, endeavoured to reduce the confusion into
+order.  At this juncture a flash of lightning revealed a tall figure,
+with flowing white drapery, standing near the companion-hatch.  He
+shuddered with a superstitious feeling of dread.  The next instant he
+saw that it was his wife; he hurried up to her to entreat her to go
+below.  The darkness concealed the look of astonishment and dismay with
+which she regarded the scene around her.  In a moment Don Hernan was by
+her side--
+
+"Hilda, my beloved, this is no place for you.  Oh, go below, I entreat
+you, I command you.  Any moment your life may be sacrificed."
+
+"Why should I shun dangers, Hernan, to which you must be exposed?" she
+exclaimed.  "But what does this mean--what has happened?"
+
+"A mere accident, to which all ships are liable," he answered.  "There
+is nothing to fear, if you will remain calmly in your cabin."
+
+"But shrieks and cries for help reached my ears, and terrific blows,"
+said Hilda.  "Oh! do not deceive me, Hernan; surely some sad calamity
+has occurred."
+
+The captain saw that he could not deceive her, and not till he had
+explained how matters really stood, could he induce her to return to her
+cabin.  Meantime Pedro Alvarez had succeeded in bracing round the head
+yards and furling all the after sails.  Slowly the ship answered her
+helm and fell off; but as she did so, two seas in quick succession
+struck her abeam, dashing across her deck, and carrying away the boats
+stowed on the boom, and part of the lee bulwarks.  Again shrieks for
+help were heard; but the darkness prevented it being seen from whence
+they came, though there was too much reason to fear that the same seas
+which had washed away the boats, had carried off more of their
+unfortunate shipmates.  Once more the ship went ahead, but it was before
+the wind, and she was flying back towards that iron-bound coast of
+Shetland, from which all on board had been so eager to escape.  Every
+effort was now made to bring the ship on a wind either to heave her to,
+or to stand to the northward or southward, so that, should the gale
+continue, she might weather one end or the other of the islands.  After
+a time it was decided to haul up on the port or larboard tack, as it was
+believed that she had made but little southing, and was in consequence,
+nearer the northern than the southern end of Shetland.
+
+On ploughed the "Saint Cecilia" through the darkness, and many a heart
+on board dreaded the sight which daylight would reveal to them.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER EIGHT.
+
+ROLF MORTON'S EXPEDITION--WATCHES THE CORVETTE--HILDA'S MARRIAGE
+DISCUSSED--THE STORM--A SHIP SEEN DRIVING TOWARDS SHORE.
+
+After Rolf Morton had left the "Saint Cecilia," and was steering for
+Yell Sound, he recollected that a long time had passed since he had paid
+a visit to an old friend, who had been Captain Scarsdale's first mate on
+several voyages, but who had now retired from sea life, and settled at
+Hillswick, in the southern part of that peculiarly shaped peninsula of
+Shetland, called North Maven.  There were two ways of getting there.
+The most speedy was to haul up to the southward at once, and to steer
+for Saint Magnus's Bay, so as to round the southern point of North
+Maven, called Esha Ness; but then, when he wished to return to Whalsey,
+he would have had to retrace his course along the whole western coast of
+the peninsula before he could enter Yell Sound.  Should the weather
+continue fine, this would be of little consequence; but in bad weather
+the voyage would be one of great danger, as standing out as do its lofty
+cliffs, to brave the whole roll of the Western Ocean, on no part of the
+coast does the sea break with more terrific fury.  The other course was
+to run up Yell Sound as he had intended; but, instead of passing through
+it, to land on the southern shore, in one of the many small voes or
+inlets, to be found there, so that a walk of a mile or so would enable
+him to reach the house of his friend Angus Maitland.  Before determining
+what to do, he cast his eye seaward round the horizon.  The low bank of
+clouds he there observed, just rising, as it were, out of the water,
+made him keep the boat on the course he had before been steering.
+Before many minutes had passed the increasing wind showed the wisdom of
+his determination.  Away bounded the boat over the rising seas; but no
+sooner had she entered the Sound than she glided smoothly along over its
+calm water, and soon reached the point where Morton proposed landing.
+All the crew, however, had some excuse for visiting Hillswick.  Angus
+Maitland's abode was known for its hospitality, and no one ever came
+there who did not receive a hearty welcome, and the best accommodation
+he could afford, suited to their rank and position.  The boat was left
+securely moored in a little voe, where not the fiercest of storms from
+without could reach her.
+
+Honesty is a characteristic of the Shetlanders, and Morton and his crew
+knew well that should she by chance be discovered, not a rope-yarn would
+be taken away.  A high heather-covered hill lay between the spot where
+they landed and Hillswick.  Morton stopped when he reached the top, and
+took a glance along the whole western horizon, which lay open to view.
+The corvette was already hull down, standing on close-hauled to the
+southward of west, in which direction the bank of clouds he had before
+remarked had greatly increased in height and denseness.
+
+"She is making a good offing, and the Spaniards will have reason enough
+to be glad they have done so," observed Morton.  "The squall brewing out
+there will be down upon them before long, hot and strong; but if they
+heave the ship to at once, it will have blown itself out before they
+have time to drift back near enough to our coast to come to any harm."
+
+The men assented to the correctness of Morton's remark.  Perhaps they
+did not as warmly wish for the safety of the corvette as he did.
+Formerly, probably, they would have prayed that Providence would
+mercifully drive her back, and wreck her in some convenient spot among
+the rocks, where, though the crew might be lost, whatever was of value
+in her might be cast on shore for the benefit of the people.
+
+Angus Maitland spied Morton coming down the hill, and, his portly figure
+clad in a suit of grey shepherd's plaid, and a stout stick in his hand,
+he sallied forth to meet him.  His greeting was warm and hearty.
+
+"Come along, Rolf--come along, man; now I've got you I'll keep you," he
+exclaimed, when Morton had told him how it was he had come to North
+Maven.  "Your guid wife will spare ye for a day, and she'll guess that
+you would not pass within hail of our shores without coming to see me."
+
+Morton, however, urged that Bertha was not aware that he had come round
+to the west coast; that she would be expecting him, and would be anxious
+if he did not appear.
+
+"Stay, though," exclaimed his host.  "There is Sandy McNab will be
+crossing the mainland with his pack, and he will send over a message for
+you to Whalsey; there will be no lack of opportunities."
+
+Morton promised to stay away this night, should he be able to send a
+message to his wife, to the effect that he was doing so.  Sandy McNab,
+the packman, was found on the point of starting, with his two
+half-starved shelties, scarcely the size of ordinary donkeys, but with
+wonderful strength of limb and power of endurance.  He undertook that
+Morton's note to his wife should be delivered without fail; and this
+matter being settled, Rolf, in no way loath, accepted his friend's
+invitation.  There was good cheer for all hands, though dried fish,
+oat-cakes, and whisky formed the staple articles of the feast.
+
+Maitland of course wished to hear all about the extraordinary marriage
+of the heiress of Lunnasting with the Spanish captain, for strange
+stories had got about, and, as he observed, it was hard to know what to
+believe and what to discredit.
+
+"There's nothing so unnatural-like in the proceeding," observed the old
+gentleman, after Rolf had given him a true, unvarnished account of the
+affair.  "He's a handsome gallant, and she's a very fine lassie, there's
+no denying that; but at the same time, God's blessing does not alight on
+marriages contracted without the parent's consent; and it's my opinion
+that Miss Wardhill should have waited till Sir Marcus came home before
+entering into a contract."
+
+Rolf hinted that Sir Marcus's whole conduct was not such as to secure
+the love and obedience of his daughter.
+
+"That may be," answered Maitland; "he might not have gained her love,
+but her obedience still was due to him.  He left her, too, in charge of
+the castle, and now she has fled from her post like a deserter.  Poor
+lassie, I would not be hard on her, though; and I doubt not by this time
+she is wishing herself on shore again, for the gallant ship she thought
+so brave must be pitching and rolling pretty heavily by this time."
+
+The friends were at supper, and while they were discussing their food
+and this same knotty subject, the loud barking of two Newfoundland dogs
+which roamed round the premises was heard, answered by the fierce growl
+of another of the canine race, which seemed to come from some little
+distance off.
+
+"This is a late time o' night for a visitor to come, but whoever he may
+be he is welcome," said Maitland.  "Here's to you, Rolf; we'll just
+finish this glass, that we may have a fresh brew of toddy for him when
+he comes."
+
+Again the deep bark and growl of the stranger's dog was heard.
+
+"There is but one creature in Shetland which barks like that," observed
+Morton.  "I should know his voice anywhere; it is Lawrence Brindister's
+dog, Surly Grind.  What can have brought him here?"
+
+"He'll answer for himself, for here he comes," replied Maitland, looking
+out of the window, whence the person in question was seen approaching
+the house, mounted on the smallest and shaggiest of Shetland ponies, and
+his legs, encased in top-boots, almost dragging along the ground, though
+he managed, by a succession of sudden jerks, to lift them up so as to
+avoid the numerous inequalities of the way.  His odd appearance was
+increased by his wearing a broad-brimmed hat and feather, and a
+long-waisted coat, part of an old court-suit.  When he came to the door
+of the house, all he did was to stand upright, and to let his steed pass
+from under him.  He threw the bridle to Surly Grind, who took it in his
+mouth, and lying down held it fast, the pony agreeing quietly in that
+novel mode of being tethered.  Just as Captain Maitland had risen to
+receive him, he shuffled into the room, making a bow worthy of a
+Frenchman of the old school.
+
+"Welcome to Hillswick, Mr Lawrence," said Captain Maitland; "it is not
+often that we have had the pleasure of your company of late.  Come, sit
+down and take your supper; it's a long journey you have made to-day, and
+the air on the top of Ronas Hill is well calculated to give a man an
+appetite."
+
+"Not a bad notion, friend Maitland," answered poor Lawrence.  "By the
+same token, too, little Neogle and Surly Grind will be beholden to your
+hospitality, for it is but a small allowance of food they have had since
+we left Whalsey this morning.  A bone for the dog, and a handful of meal
+for Neogle, is all I'll ask.  The pony will easily pick up enough by
+himself to finish his supper."
+
+Captain Maitland gave the necessary orders to an old man who acted as
+his servant-of-all-work, but Surly Grind would not be induced to let go
+the bridle, even though a savoury mess besides the bone was placed
+before his nose, till his master had called to him from the window and
+released him from his office.  The pony, as soon as he had had his basin
+of brose, and his bridle and saddle were taken off him, trotted off to
+the plot of greenest grass in the neighbourhood.
+
+"That is a curious name you have given your pony, Mr Lawrence,"
+observed Maitland, when his guest was comfortably seated at supper.  "It
+is what would be called in Scotland a water kelpie.  Is there anything
+of the nature of a Trow in your little animal?"
+
+"More, perhaps, than you think of, friend," answered Lawrence, gravely.
+"Neogle can do everything but speak; whatever I tell him he does it
+immediately.  He follows me like my dog; he'll step into my boat and lie
+down at the bottom of it, as readily as Surly Grind himself, or if I
+order him to swim astern, he jumps in forthwith; and if I was to take a
+cruise round the mainland, he would come after me as long as he had
+strength to swim."
+
+"He may do all that and not be a trow," observed Morton, laughing; for
+he, as well as Captain Maitland, was anxious to prevent Lawrence's
+thoughts running upon the recent events.
+
+"Right, cousin Morton, right," answered Lawrence.  "I came honestly by
+him by purchase, and called him Neogle on account of his strength, and
+sagacity, and docility.  The country people gave the name of the Neogle
+to a wicked sort of trow, whom they believe lives in the water, and
+whose great aim is to carry off people to destroy them.  On that account
+he appears in the shape of a pretty pony, bridled and saddled, and all
+ready for a pleasant gallop across the country.  He has a great fancy
+for carrying off millers.  To do this he stops the wheel of the mill.
+That makes the miller come out of the house to learn what is the matter.
+On goes the mill once more, and when he looks about he sees the pony.
+If he is a young miller, and has not heard about the Neogle, or doesn't
+believe in it, or forgets about it--`Ho, ho!' says he, `the mill is
+going on all smooth and pleasantly, so I'll just take a gallop, and be
+back before it's time to put in more grist.'  On that he leaps on the
+seeming pony, when off goes the trow, fleet as the winds.  Away, away he
+goes.  In vain the poor miller tries to throw himself off: a broken leg
+or an arm would be far, far better than the fate awaiting him.  He is
+though, he finds, glued, as it were, to the saddle.  On gallops the
+Neogle over hill and down, and bog, and loch, and stream, and voe;
+nothing stops him till the sea is reached, and then across it he flies
+till he is over the deep water, when down he dives in a mass of flame,
+with loud shrieks of mocking laughter, and never again is the poor
+miller heard of."
+
+"That's a curious notion, Mr Lawrence," observed Captain Maitland.  "I
+never heard it before; but do you say the people believe in it?"
+
+"Troth do I; and why should they not?" answered Lawrence, blinking his
+eyes.  "There are many things which you have seen in your voyages, and
+which would seem very strange to our people, if you were to tell of
+them.  As to the Neogle, I never saw one that I know of, but I should be
+very cautious about mounting him if I did."
+
+The evening was now drawing on, the storm which had for some time been
+threatening had nearly reached the island; vivid flashes of lightning
+darted from the sky, and loud thunder claps rolled almost overhead.  A
+sharp neigh was heard, and Lawrence Brindister started up.
+
+"Ah, Neogle is aware of what is coming, and has trotted up to ask for
+shelter," he observed, going to the window.  "You'll let him have a
+corner in your stable, captain, I dare say?"
+
+The request was at once complied with, and scarcely was the pony under
+shelter than down came the storm, the wind blowing furiously, with
+torrents of rain, while the lightning flashed faster and brighter, and
+the thunder broke in louder and more crashing peals.  The rain kept the
+party close prisoners in the house till it was time for them to retire
+to bed.  All night the storm raged.  At an early hour Lawrence
+Brindister was on foot, the rain had ceased, but the wind blew as
+furiously as ever.  Lawrence was seen to put on his boots, then hurrying
+to the stable he mounted Neogle, and followed by Surly Grind, he was
+trotting off, when Captain Maitland hailed him, and inquired where he
+was going.
+
+"To Navie Grind, Captain," was his answer.  "I have a fancy for watching
+the sea breaking over those cliffs, as it will be doing this morning,
+and maybe I shall get a glimpse of the Spanish ship, for she is not so
+far off our shores as some of you may think, and as those on board would
+pray they might be."
+
+"Heaven forbid that the Spaniard, or any other craft, is near our cliffs
+at this time," said Morton.  "There are good seamen on board her, and
+she must have got a good offing before she met the gale."
+
+"Still, we'll take a stroll across to Navie Grind, and have a look at
+the Western Ocean," observed Maitland.  "I love to watch it at all
+times, in storm or sunshine; but, as my days of romance are over, we'll
+have breakfast first.  Morton, you'll agree to that?  Mr Lawrence,
+you'll join us?  The sea will not go down before you have had time to
+break your fast, nor will, I trust, the Spanish ship heave in sight."
+
+Notwithstanding, however, all the hospitable old sailor's persuasions,
+Lawrence would only be persuaded to take a handful of oatcake and a
+draught of milk; and then away he trotted on Neogle, followed by Surly
+Grind, towards the west.  Morton and their host took their time in
+discussing a far more substantial breakfast, consisting of salted and
+dried haddocks, pickled pork, oaten cakes, and other substantial
+articles of food, sufficient to astonish a southern stomach.  The
+captain then lighted his pipe, inviting Rolf to join him, and they
+smoked away in that deliberate manner which showed that they considered
+it a far pleasanter pastime than battling with the fierce gale outside.
+Captain Maitland at length shook the ashes out of his pipe, and was
+considering whether he should light another, when Lawrence Brindister's
+voice was heard from below the window, shouting--
+
+"The spirits of the storm have not failed in their duty; the proud
+Spaniards will meet with their deserts.  I knew it would be so.  Hurra!
+hurra! but I'm off again.  I wouldn't miss the sight to be made Earl of
+Zetland."
+
+The two friends hurried to the window, and inquired what was the matter.
+
+"Matter!" exclaimed Lawrence.  "Why, that the Spanish corvette is
+driving ashore, and that ere many minutes are over she and all on board
+will be hurled to destruction.  I would save poor Hilda if I could, in
+spite of her pride and haughtiness, but that is beyond human power to
+accomplish."
+
+"Heaven forbid!" exclaimed Captain Maitland.  "The poor young lady, we
+must at all events try to save her and those with her."
+
+"Are you certain, Mr Lawrence, that it is the Spanish ship you have
+seen?" shouted Morton; but he received no answer, for Lawrence had
+turned Neogle's head, and was galloping off as hard as the little
+creature could lay hoof to the ground.
+
+"Whether Spanish or any other ship, we'll try what brave hearts and
+stout hands can do to help the unfortunates on board her," said the fine
+old seaman, Captain Maitland, as he hurried out of the house.  "Here,
+Sandy Neill, Davie Borthwick,--here, lads!" he shouted, and two stout
+seafaring-looking men employed on his farm came running up.  "There's a
+ship ashore, or likely soon to be, and you'll be ready to follow me, not
+to wreck and to plunder, but to save life, if so we can."
+
+Both Sandy and Davie agreed to do whatever the captain wished, and
+Morton's own crew were also quickly collected.  Before setting out they
+provided themselves with such coils of rope and long spars as the
+captain's store could provide.  Morton and his friend, armed with stout
+sticks and coats buttoned up, followed by their men, set out with the
+fierce gale blowing in their teeth, on their errand of mercy.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER NINE.
+
+NAVIE GRIND DESCRIBED--THE WRECK ON SHORE--THE SHIP DASHED TO PIECES--
+THE RESCUED.
+
+Navis Grind, or Navie Grind, the point towards which Morton and his
+friend directed their steps, is a high cliff forming the extreme western
+point of that part of Shetland called North Maven, and thus stands out
+prominently into the Atlantic Ocean, some way to the south of Ronas
+Hill.  A short way off from it, due west, like the advanced sentry of an
+outpost, is the small rocky islet of Ossa Skerry, but this in no way
+breaks the force of the seas as they rush impetuously onward from far
+far away across the ocean.  It seems, on the contrary, to have the
+effect of uniting the strength of two seas in one, and of impelling them
+with double vehemence against the bold cliff which confronts their fury.
+Solid as is the rock of which the cliff is composed, it has in the
+course of ages been rent away, quarried out as it were; huge blocks,
+many of several tons weight, being cast far away inland, while the whole
+ground, for two or three hundred yards from the edge of the cliff, is
+strewed with fragments of lesser size, so that the rocks present more
+the appearance of the ruins of some vast edifice, than, as they really
+are, masses hove there by the operation of one of nature's most potent
+agents.  At length the sea has worked a deep chasm in the cliff, and
+each successive storm seems to dig out and force upward a fresh layer of
+rock.  As the party approached this spot, so wild and desolate at all
+times, but doubly so now, the seas, dark, towering, and topped with
+crests of foam, came rolling onward in quick succession, with a
+fierceness which seemed irresistible, till, meeting the cliff, they
+rushed upwards in dense masses, making the very ground shake with the
+concussion.  Now a sea, fiercer than its forerunners, would tear away a
+huge fragment of rock, and throw it into the air as if it had been
+projected from the mouth of a volcano, or send it rolling along the
+down, making it dangerous to approach the spot; and, while dense sheets
+of spray obscured the view seaward, the great body of water was thrown
+back in a continuous cascade, increasing the tumult of the foaming
+caldron which raged below.
+
+"It was near this wild place that Lawrence Brindister obtained that
+strange dog of his," said Captain Maitland to Morton.  "It was the only
+living creature washed ashore from the wreck of a large ship--a
+foreigner, we could not ascertain of what nation.  While others were
+engaged in picking up the treasures they could find, he, at no little
+risk to his own life, assisted the poor animal, who was sadly battered
+by the fragments of wreck, and exhausted by swimming to land.  The
+creature looked up into his face, licked his hand, and, from that
+moment, claimed him as his master, and would follow no one else.  See,
+there he stands; I fear he is to-day in one of his maddest fits."
+
+The captain pointed, as he spoke, to the top of a high rocky mount which
+overlooked the sea.  Lawrence Brindister, with his two dumb animals by
+his side, was there seen gesticulating wildly, waving his hand towards
+the ocean, and shouting apparently with his utmost strength.  The roar
+of the waters, however, as they were hurled against the cliff, added to
+the howling of the tempest, created a noise so deafening that even the
+two seamen, accustomed even in the hurricane to make their voices heard,
+could with difficulty hear each other speak.
+
+Their first glance, as they came in sight of the sea, was in search of
+the ship of which Lawrence had told them.
+
+"Too true, there she is," exclaimed Morton, while a sickening feeling
+came over his heart.
+
+Morton and his friend lifted their glasses to their eyes mechanically,
+for they could scarcely have expected to have discovered more than their
+unaided sight would have told them.
+
+"She is the Spanish corvette, there's no doubt about it," shouted Morton
+to his companion, who, however, could scarcely hear what else he said,
+as he added: "All the poor fellows on board can hope to do is to put off
+this fatal moment, though I doubt not they have some notion of making
+Yell Sound; but the sight of Ronas Hill must, if they look at their
+charts, show them that they cannot fail to drive on shore long before
+they could reach it."
+
+"Even now that ship might be saved, or, at all events, the lives of her
+people, if she had a pilot on board to carry her into Yell Sound,"
+shouted Captain Maitland.  "What say you, Rolf?"
+
+"That if mortal power could carry a man on board her, I would go,"
+answered Morton.  "But what boat could live in such a sea as that?"
+
+"If a boat built and manned by human hands can live in this sea, there
+is one this moment in Hamna Voe as well able to do so as any which
+floats on water," answered Maitland.  "Some of her crew may be at their
+hut even now, though the gale will have given those who live nearest a
+holiday, and they probably have gone to their houses."
+
+The voe alluded to was a small but deep one, forming a good harbour on
+the north side of Navie Grind.  High rugged rocks formed the sides, but
+there was a pathway down them to the water.  Towards the inner end there
+was a piece of level ground, sloping up from the beach; here the
+fishermen had built a shed, which served them as a dwelling during the
+fishing season.  It was a long, low edifice, composed both of mud and
+blocks of rock, but chiefly of timber, fragments of wreck cast up on the
+beach.  The doorway was the only aperture, and this served not only for
+the ingress and egress of the inhabitants, but to admit light, and to
+allow such part of the smoke from the fire in the centre as ever found
+its way into the open air to escape; a considerable portion, it appeared
+clinging to the walls and rafters, which were thoroughly blackened by
+it, giving it a somewhat gloomy aspect.  On one side were piled up
+masts, and spars, and oars; and sails, and nets, and coils of rope were
+hung against the walls or on the beams overhead; while, on the other,
+were a row of bunks or standing bed places, formed out of fragments of
+wreck-wood.  Three or four men, seated on casks or three-legged stools,
+were busily plying their netting-needles, while several others were fast
+asleep on the bunks.  The pathway, down which Morton and his companions
+hurried, led close down to the shed.  His announcement, as he entered,
+that there was a ship in sight, partly dismasted, made all hands, the
+sleepers as well as the workers, spring to their feet.  They looked
+rather blank, however, when Captain Maitland, who entered directly
+after, added:
+
+"Remember, lads, we must have none of the old customs of the island put
+in practice, understand that.  We want to save the ship if we can, or
+the lives of those on board.  Come, lads, they are fellow-creatures--
+seamen like ourselves, in distress.  Where is the faint-hearted coward
+who would leave them to perish without lifting a hand to save them.
+Such a fellow is not to be found among Shetlanders, I hope."
+
+This appeal had an instant effect.  When the men heard that Captain
+Maitland and Rolf Morton proposed going out in their boat to assist the
+disabled ship, they agreed to lend her, and to accompany them, the
+captain undertaking to make good any damage which might accrue, even to
+the loss of the boat herself.
+
+The boat, the largest of the class used for fishing on that coast,
+pulled twelve oars, and, what with the men belonging to her, and those
+who had come from Hillswick, as fine a crew as ever manned a boat was
+collected.  The oars and other gear being placed in her, the next thing
+to be done was to launch her; and while this operation was taking place,
+Morton and his friend ascended the cliff, to ascertain the position of
+the corvette, and what prospect there was of getting on board her.  As
+they climbed up the path they observed that the wind had somewhat
+abated, and this gave them greater hopes of getting to sea.  A moment's
+glance, however, told them, when they reached the top of the cliff, that
+all hope of saving the ship must be abandoned.  Perhaps the Spaniards,
+mistaking Saint Magnus's Bay for the entrance of Yell Sound, she had
+been kept away and then hauled up again; but there she was drifting
+bodily down towards the terrific headland on which they stood.
+
+Callous and cold-hearted indeed must be the man who can witness with
+indifference a scene such as that at which the two seamen now gazed--the
+proud ship, which but the day before had left the shore in such gallant
+trim, now shattered and crippled, struggling on amid the giant seas
+which were about, in a few short moments, to hurl her to destruction.
+
+"Nothing can save her, I fear," cried Morton, his generous heart wrung
+with sorrow.
+
+"Nothing," answered his older companion; "still, by the will of
+Providence, we may be able to save the lives of some of the people on
+board; but we must wait and see where she strikes: if we were to attempt
+to get out to her now we should only involve ourselves in her fate."
+
+"If she fails to weather Ossa Skerry she will drift right down on Navie
+Grind, and then Heaven have mercy on their souls, for no human being on
+board can escape," said Captain Maitland.  "A few minutes must settle
+the point."
+
+"Luff, luff all you can, men," he exclaimed, as if those on board could
+hear him.  Probably they had caught sight of the terrific sea breaking
+over the cliffs, and still hoped to weather the little island under
+their lee bow.
+
+All this time Lawrence Brindister kept his post, with his pony and dog
+by his side, waving his arms towards the ship, and apparently shouting
+out as before.
+
+"She will weather the Skerry even now," cried Morton, but at that
+instant a squall--one of the last blasts of the tempest--struck her.
+Over went her mainmast, her head fell off from the sea, on she flew amid
+showers of foam, and in another minute she was hid to view by the rocky
+island before them.  In vain they hoped against hope to see her appear
+on the other side.  Her fate was indeed sealed.  There was only one spot
+where even in moderate weather a landing could be without difficulty
+effected on Ossa Skerry.  Still Morton and his friend resolved to
+attempt it.  There was not a moment to be lost, already, probably,
+numbers of the hapless crew were being swept to destruction.  They
+hurried down the cliff, sprang on board the boat, and shoved off.
+Morton steered: with rapid strokes they pulled down the remainder of the
+voe; even there heavy waves rolled in and showed the crew the sort of
+sea with which they would have to contend when they got outside.  Few
+but Shetlanders would have attempted to face such a sea, and the finest
+of boats alone could have lived in it.  They reached the mouth of the
+voe; their passage through the mouth was the first danger they had to
+encounter; a huge sea came thundering in.
+
+"Back off all," cried Morton; and instead of forcing the boat onward,
+she slowly receded before the wave, which broke in a loud crash directly
+before her, the foam flying over her bows and deluging her fore and aft.
+"Now, lads, give way," shouted Morton again, and before the next sea
+broke, the boat had got into deep water.  They now encountered the full
+force of the gale; and none but a boat admirably manned, as was theirs,
+could have made headway against it, nor could she have escaped being
+instantly swamped, unless steered with the greatest caution and
+judgment.  Now she rose on the top of a sea surrounded with foam, now
+she plunged down into the trough, and those standing on the rocks, at
+the mouth of the voe, feared more than once that she had sunk for ever.
+Again she rose on the side of the opposite sea; the summit was reached;
+but once more she disappeared beyond it.  At times it seemed as if
+scarcely any way was made, but still the bold seamen persevered; the
+lives of some of their fellow-creatures depended on their exertions--how
+many it was impossible to say, till they had ascertained where the ship
+had gone on shore.  They knew that in all probability in a few minutes,
+even should the ship hold together, numbers must be swept off from the
+decks.
+
+Morton's object was to get sufficiently out to sea to ascertain the
+position of the ship.  The rapid diminution of the strength of the wind
+enabled him to do this with greater ease than had at first appeared
+possible; still the sea came rolling in as fiercely as before, and
+rendered the greatest caution necessary to prevent the boat being
+swamped.  At last they got sufficiently to the westward to look along
+the outer side of Ossa Skerry.  No ship was to be seen.  Had she
+foundered, or was it possible that in so short a time she had so
+completely gone to pieces that not a particle of the wreck was to be
+seen?  If so, not a soul on board could have escaped.
+
+"Poor girl!" thought Morton; "it will break the heart of Bertha Eswick
+to hear of it; and my wife, too--it will make her very sad."
+
+"We will pull out a little further, Rolf," said Captain Maitland.
+"There is a little bay, or bight, nearly at the south-east of the rock--
+if the ship by chance drove in there we should not see her from hence."
+
+"Give way, lads!" shouted Morton, with hope revived by his friend's
+remark.
+
+In a short time they opened the little bay of which Captain Maitland
+spoke.  There lay the ship almost broadside on with the shore, her stern
+apparently under an overhanging cliff, while her bow, over which the sea
+made a clean breach, seemed to hang on a rock, and was thus prevented
+from being driven further in.  Her masts and bowsprit were gone by the
+board: and from the force with which the sea was breaking over her, it
+seemed scarcely possible that she could herself keep much longer
+together.  An attempt to approach her from the seaside would have proved
+the destruction of the boat.  The only chance of rendering assistance
+was to land on the east side of the island.  Hitherto the boat's head
+had been kept directly towards the seas as they came rolling in.  It was
+far more dangerous work crossing them as they had now to do, to reach
+the inner side of the island.  Often Morton and his friend watched the
+foaming masses of water, as they came roaring towards them, with no
+little anxiety; but by pulling round to face the larger ones, and by
+then rapidly giving way, the boat at length got under the lee of the
+islet.  To obtain footing on the slippery rock was a work of
+considerable difficulty, and still greater was it to climb to the summit
+and to convey them the ropes and spars which they had brought with them.
+Some of the men remained to take care of the boat, for that alone was
+not an easy task, as had she been carried away by the sea, the whole
+party might have been starved before assistance could have come to them.
+The remainder proceeded, as rapidly as they could, across the island.
+With more anxiety than they had often felt, Morton and the captain
+hurried towards the edge of the cliff.  Before even reaching it the
+appearance which the foaming water presented, even some way from the
+shore, told them too plainly the destruction which had already occurred;
+while the fearful shrieks, which even through the roar of the angry
+waters came up from below, warned them that every instant fresh victims
+were being added to those who had already fallen a sacrifice to the
+tempest.
+
+Among fragments of masts, and spars, and planks, and other parts of the
+ship, were seen the forms of numerous human beings, some yet struggling,
+but struggling in vain, for life; others floating helplessly among the
+pieces of wreck, or clinging to them with a convulsive clutch, while
+many, already lifeless, were tossed to and fro in the boiling caldron,
+happier than those who were seen every now and then, as they were swept
+off, to throw up their arms, and then, with a fearful shriek of despair,
+to sink from sight.
+
+On gaining the edge of the cliff, Morton and Captain Mainland threw
+themselves on the ground and looked over.  The fore part of the vessel
+had already been knocked to pieces.  A few men still clung to part of
+the bulwarks in the waist; but the sea was making a clean breach over
+it, and one by one they were torn from their treacherous hold and
+carried off by the waves.  The only part of the wreck which yet afforded
+a precarious shelter was the poop.  The mainmast, in falling, had been
+washed across it, and the end jamming against the cliff, it formed a
+breakwater, within which a group of people yet stood, almost paralysed
+with terror and despair, for the precipitous cliff above them afforded
+not the slightest prospect of escape, while the violent shaking of the
+wreck, and the rapid advances of the waves, showed them that in a few
+minutes even that uncertain foothold would be carried from beneath them.
+
+Morton and his friend beckoned to their companions to bring on the
+ropes.  It was the work of a few seconds to uncoil them and to make one
+end fast to the spars they had brought.  These they fixed in the ground,
+two of them holding on at the same time to the upper part of the spars.
+
+Not till all the preparations were made did Morton shout to those below
+to let them know that aid was at hand.  In the centre of the group was a
+female form--that it was Hilda there could be little doubt.  The rope
+was lowered with a pair of slings at the end of it.  How anxiously did
+those both above and below watch its descent!  The end dropped some way
+from the stern of the ship; it seemed a question whether it was within
+reach of those whose existence depended on clutching it.  A seaman
+sprang towards it as it swung backwards and forwards in the gale, but he
+missed his aim, and fell headlong into the seething water, which soon
+silenced his death shriek.  Another, an officer apparently, made the
+attempt; he had secured a line round his body, he clutched the rope and
+dragged it inboard.  Even at that moment Spanish gallantry was
+maintained; no undue haste was shown by any to secure their own lives.
+The first care of the men was to secure Hilda in the slings; this was
+speedily done, but it was soon seen that if she was hauled up by herself
+she would run great risk of being thrown against the side of the cliff
+and severely injured.  The officer who had hauled in the rope
+accordingly secured himself to it, and made a sign to those above to
+hoist away.  The fearful rocking of the ship made them do this with all
+the speed of which they were capable.  At any moment the ship might go
+to pieces; Morton stood nearest the edge.  At length the head of Pedro
+Alvarez appeared, and while with one arm he kept the end of the rope
+from dashing against the cliff, with the other he supported the almost
+inanimate form of Hilda Wardhill.  She was speedily released from the
+rope, which was again lowered, while Captain Maitland and one of the men
+carried her to a hollow in the downs, which afforded some shelter from
+the wind.  The brave lieutenant made signs that he was going to descend
+again, but Morton, who saw that it would be useless, refused to allow
+him.  The rope was lowered; "Haul away!" he shouted, and in a little
+time the priest, Father Mendez, appeared.  He was unloosed also, more
+dead than alive; the rope was lowered, but scarcely had it reached the
+deck when a raging sea came roaring up--fearful shrieks were heard--the
+mast was torn away from its hold in the rock--a rush was made at the
+rope; one man grasped it, but others in their haste dragged him off, and
+the next instant the remainder of the wreck which hung together was
+dashed into numberless fragments, while all who had clung to it were
+hurled amidst them, one after the other rapidly disappearing beneath the
+foaming waters.
+
+Morton and the Shetlanders looked anxiously over the cliff.  It was too
+evident that not another human being had escaped from the wreck of the
+"Saint Cecilia."
+
+"There goes the brave ship, and there go my gallant captain and worthy
+comrades," cried Pedro Alvarez, wringing his hands and pulling away at
+his moustachios in the excess of his grief, as he looked over the cliff
+and watched the utter destruction of the corvette.  The priest, when he
+had sufficiently recovered to understand what had occurred, knelt down,
+and those who watched him supposed, as he lifted up his hands over the
+ocean, that he was uttering prayers for the souls of his departing
+shipmates.  Meantime Captain Maitland was kneeling by the almost
+inanimate form of Hilda, and endeavouring by every means which his
+experience could suggest to restore her to consciousness.  At length he
+was joined by Father Mendez.  "Let her continue thus, kind sir," he
+said.  "It is better that she should not be aware of the calamity which
+has overtaken her."
+
+Morton also, followed by the Spanish lieutenant, came up.  "We can
+render no further assistance to the crew of the unfortunate ship," he
+observed; "not another person who was on board her remains alive but
+those we have here."
+
+With the most gentle care poor Hilda was conveyed to the boat, which
+pulled back towards Hamna Voe.
+
+The priest shuddered as he saw the seas from which he had so lately
+escaped come rolling up on the boat's quarter, but his compressed lips
+showed that he was resolved not to give way to his feelings in words.
+Sea followed sea in quick succession, and Morton's utmost care was
+required to save the boat from being swamped.  All breathed more freely
+when the entrance of the voe was safely reached.  As they pulled up it,
+Morton heard some shouts.  On raising his head, he saw Lawrence
+Brindister standing on a height overlooking the voe.  He was whirling
+his arms wildly about as before, and peering down to ascertain who was
+in the boat.  When he discovered a female, he apparently guessed that
+she was his cousin Hilda; and striking little Neogle, he turned the
+pony's head, and rode off as fast as the creature could gallop.  The
+boat continued her course to the head of the voe.
+
+A rough litter being formed, Hilda was conveyed to Captain Maitland's
+house; but as she continued plunged in a state of stupor, Father Mendez
+advised that she should at once be taken to her home.  His advice seemed
+so judicious, that Morton offered to carry her there in his boat.
+Captain Maitland also expressed a wish to be of the party, and the next
+morning, accompanied by Pedro Alvarez and Father Mendez, they embarked
+for Lunnasting.  The only person who appeared on the landing-place was
+Lawrence Brindister.  He stood, hat in hand, with a mocking expression
+on his countenance, and he was beginning to address the party when his
+eye fell on Hilda.  Her appearance seemed to touch his heart, for he
+said nothing, but, turning round, walked slowly back before them to the
+castle.
+
+It is needless to describe the dismay and astonishment which poor
+Hilda's return excited in the establishment.  Lawrence had evidently in
+no way warned them of what had occurred.  Bertha Eswick had need of all
+her self-possession and presence of mind to perform her duty.  It was
+many days before Hilda returned to a state of consciousness!  In the
+meantime, Father Mendez took up his abode in the castle; and, from the
+way in which Pedro Alvarez settled himself in his apartment, it looked
+as if he also intended to be a permanent guest at Lunnasting.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TEN.
+
+GUESTS AT THE CASTLE--THE HEIR OF LUNNASTING--LAWRENCE BRINDISTER'S
+CAVE.
+
+For a long time after Hilda's return to Lunnasting, Bertha Eswick feared
+that the mind of her young mistress had gone for ever.  All the aid
+which medical skill could afford appeared to be of no avail; the only
+person who had in the slightest degree the power of arousing her
+sufficiently to speak was Father Mendez--the means he employed no one
+could discover.  He would sit with her in a turret chamber for hours
+together; and after several weeks had passed, she was heard talking
+fluently and rapidly with him; but as soon as she entered the hall,
+where she took her seat as usual, she relapsed into the most perfect
+silence.  When, however, the priest addressed her, she answered him
+readily, though briefly, but seemed to be totally unconscious of the
+presence of any one else.  The condition of the unfortunate lady was a
+sufficient reason for Father Mendez remaining at Lunnasting; indeed, he
+remarked that he should consider himself guilty of the greatest cruelty
+should he take his departure till the return of her father and sister.
+There was no one besides Hilda of sufficient authority in the castle to
+request him to go, so he remained on.  No news had been received of Sir
+Marcus Wardhill and his daughter, and it was supposed that they were
+entirely ignorant of the strange occurrences which had taken place.
+Pedro Alvarez likewise continued to live on at the castle; when he had
+learned enough English to express himself, he offered several excellent
+reasons for remaining.  In the first place, he said that Don Hernan had
+confided his wife to his charge, as with a prescience of what was to
+occur, just before the shipwreck; and that at that awful moment he had
+vowed to devote himself to her interests as long as his life should
+last.  He also frankly confessed that he had no means of returning home;
+he had written to Spain for a remittance, as well as to announce the
+loss of the corvette, and till his cash arrived he could not go away,
+even if he wished to do so.  Father Mendez also stated that it was the
+wish of his late captain's widow that the lieutenant should continue a
+guest at the castle, as long as he found it convenient to remain.
+
+Pedro Alvarez and Lawrence after a time became very great friends.  They
+boated, and fished, and shot together; and Lawrence assisted him very
+much in learning English.  When, however, the days grew shorter, and the
+nights longer and colder, he shrugged his shoulders, and complained that
+the time was very dull.  He had, however, by his frank, open, and
+unpretending manners, and quiet habits, won very much upon the good
+opinion of Bertha Eswick, who declared that she would far rather have
+his society at the castle than that of Father Mendez, whose ways and
+notions she could by no means understand, although she owned that he
+spoke far better English, and that no fault could be found with the
+courtesy and gentleness of his manners.  Neither of them gave any
+trouble.  Father Mendez especially was satisfied with the simplest fare.
+Plain water formed his beverage, eggs and fish his principal food.
+Pedro Alvarez preferred as great a variety as he could get, and several
+times descended to the kitchen to instruct Moggie Druster, the cook, in
+the art of concocting dishes in the Spanish fashion, of which oil (and
+of that there was an ample supply in Shetland) formed one of the chief
+ingredients.  He was made perfectly happy too with a package of tobacco,
+which Rolf Morton obtained for him from Lerwick, and which he employed
+his leisure moments in converting into cigarettes.  Lawrence Brindister
+also still further added to his satisfaction, by putting into his hands
+five goodly volumes, on opening which he found to be Spanish; travels,
+histories, and a romance--subjects exactly suited to the worthy Pedro's
+tastes.  They were strangely battered, and stained as with salt water.
+How he had obtained them Lawrence would not say.  The priest saw the
+books, but turned away from them with a disdainful glance, as if he
+could take no interest in subjects of a character so trivial.  The
+contrast between the two strangers was very great.  Pedro Alvarez was in
+figure more like an English sailor than a Spaniard.  He was somewhat
+short, and broad-shouldered, and stout, with a frank, open, and ruddy,
+though sunburnt countenance; his large black sparkling eyes, beaming
+with good humour, spoke of the southern clime which gave him birth, as
+did his black curling moustache, and hair of the same hue.  Father
+Mendez, on the other hand, was thin in the extreme, with sallow
+complexion, and sharp features, but his countenance showed that he
+possessed a peculiarly intelligent and acute intellect.  It could not be
+said that there was anything unpleasing in the expression of his
+features; it was rather the total want of expression which they
+mechanically assumed when he was conversing, or when he was aware that
+he was observed, of which any one would complain.  It was not a stolid
+look which he put on, but rather that of a person totally unconscious of
+what was passing around; indeed, so perfect was the composure of every
+muscle of his face, that it looked completely like a mask with a pair of
+bright eyes gleaming through it.  Though he kept those eyes perfectly
+fixed, he had not succeeded in obscuring at pleasure their brightness.
+Nothing could surpass the subdued gentleness of the tone of voice in
+which he generally spoke, though he could at will raise it in a way to
+astonish his hearers.
+
+The long winter of Shetland was passing slowly by, without any events of
+interest occurring in the neighbourhood of Lunnasting; the time was
+drawing on when it would be necessary for Rolf Morton to go south to
+look out for a ship, unless he would altogether give up his profession
+and chance of promotion; but he was naturally unwilling to leave home
+till his wife had made him a father, which she expected in a very short
+time to do.  It was also generally understood that the unhappy Hilda
+would shortly become a mother, and already a very general feeling of
+compassion was expressed for the poor little fatherless babe which was
+about to be born.  How would the poor lady get through her trials?  Was
+she likely to live?  If the child lived, would it be the heir of
+Lunnasting?  Or should its father have been heir to estates, and a title
+in Spain, as it had been said he was, would it succeed instead of him?
+
+These and numerous other questions of a similar character were asked
+over and over again, but were never satisfactorily answered.  Letters
+had been received from Sir Marcus, but he fixed no time for his return
+home, and it was very evident from the tenor of his remarks that he
+believed everything was going on in his castle as he had left it.  He
+might possibly have been rather astonished had he heard what had
+occurred.  The truth was, that neither had his factor Sandy Redland, nor
+any one else, ventured to write to him, and very naturally Hilda had not
+done so; Sandy was a man who liked to live a peaceable life, and to have
+matters his own way, and he knew very well that, should Sir Marcus be
+hurried back, not only would all peace and quiet be banished from
+Lunnasting, but he would most certainly for the future have nothing
+whatever his own way.  It is possible that Sir Marcus was not the only
+head of a family who might have cause to be astonished at the doings of
+his household during his absence.  At length a packet of letters arrived
+from Spain.  It contained some for Don Hernan, as well as for other
+deceased officers of the "Saint Cecilia;" one was for Pedro Alvarez, and
+several were addressed to Father Mendez, who likewise took possession of
+all the rest.  The lieutenant read his despatch with a great deal of
+interest.
+
+"And so our poor captain would have been a marquis," he exclaimed to
+himself, "the Marquis de Medea, and owner of those magnificent estates.
+Well, truly he had something to live for, and yet he was cut off--while
+I who have not a peco beyond my pay, and little enough of that, have
+been allowed to remain in existence.  I cannot understand these
+matters--it is very strange; still, I will not forget my vow.  I
+promised that poor fellow to look after his widow, and if she has a son,
+I will, to the best of my humble power, see that his interests are not
+neglected.  Now I wonder what information Father Mendez has received.
+He must have heard that Don Hernan, had he lived, would have succeeded
+to this title and these estates.  The letters to the captain, which he
+has opened, cannot fail of speaking of the matter.  Probably they are
+written expressly to give the information.  I wonder, now, whether the
+father will say anything about it.  Well, he does not love me, and I do
+not trust him, and I will watch him narrowly, and see if I cannot be as
+close as he can.  Bah! if all men would be honest it would save a great
+deal of trouble.  If Donna Hilda's child should be a girl there will be
+very little for me to do in the affair; she cannot, I suspect, inherit
+either the title or estates.  If the child is a boy he will be the
+rightful heir, there is no doubt about that; but then he will find a
+mortal enemy in Don Hernan's cousin, Don Anibal Villavicencio, who will
+stir heaven and earth to keep the boy out of his rights; the moment he
+hears of Don Hernan's death he will take possession of the property and
+assume the title.  I must find out what tack Father Mendez is sailing
+on.  Is he in the interest of the living marquis, or of the unborn baby?
+He is never happy unless he is playing some deep game or other.  I
+suspect that he is waiting to see how things turn out.  At all events,
+though he beats me hollow in an argument, I'll try whether in a good
+cause I cannot outmanoeuvre him.  He does not want for money, that I
+know.  He has his belt stuffed full of gold pieces even now, so the want
+of means to go away does not keep him here.  Why he does not offer some
+to me to get me away I do not know.  Probably he looks on me as a rough,
+untutored sailor, and despises me too much to dread my interference with
+his plans.  Perhaps he intends to buy me over, and to make use of me to
+aid him.  He knows himself pretty well, and thinks all men are likewise
+rogues.  He will be rather astonished if he finds that he has been
+outwitted by a straightforward, honest sailor."
+
+At length the event for some time looked for, both at the castle and the
+cottage, occurred.  Bertha Morton presented her husband with a fine boy,
+and scarcely had the young gentleman--Ronald Morton he was to be
+called--given notice of his arrival in the world by a lusty fit of
+crying, and had been exhibited in due form to his father, than the wise
+woman who attended on such occasions was now moving in hot haste to the
+castle of Lunnasting, to afford her aid to Donna Hilda, who was, it is
+said, in sore pain and distress.  Alas! she had no fond husband to cheer
+and console her; no one to whom she could show with pride and joy the
+little creature about to be born into the world.  Bertha Eswick had
+expressed her hopes that the child would be a girl.  A lassie, she
+observed, would be a comfort and a companion to the poor lady, who would
+herself be able to instruct her, and would ever keep her by her side;
+whereas a boy must be sent away to school, and would then have to go
+into the world, where he would again see little or nothing of his poor
+mother.
+
+Father Mendez and Pedro Alvarez were walking up and down, but not
+together, on the sunny side of the court-yard.  It was the only spot,
+they declared, in the whole island where they could be sheltered from
+the biting keenness of the wind, and feel any of the warmth to which
+they were accustomed in their own country.  Both were anxious to hear
+whether a son or daughter was born to the lady of the mansion.  Pedro
+Alvarez was certainly the least anxious.
+
+While the two foreigners were thus engaged, Moggie Druster, the cook,
+put her head out of a window and shouted--
+
+"It's a braw laddie, sirs--a fine strapping bairn.  It's like to do
+weel, and so is it's mother, poor lady."
+
+"A what do you say it is, Mistress Moggie?" asked Father Mendez.
+
+"A braw laddie; a big bouncing boy, ye would ca' him in English,"
+answered Moggie, with a slight touch of scorn in her tone.
+
+"A boy!" exclaimed the priest and the lieutenant almost at the same
+moment.
+
+The priest took several rapid turns up and down the courtyard with
+compressed lips and knitted brow, but said nothing.
+
+"And how goes the poor lady?" inquired Pedro Alvarez.  "And good
+Mistress Moggie," he continued, going up to her and whispering, "I tell
+her that her husband's warmest friend is ready and at hand to assist and
+comfort her, as far as he has the power."
+
+"Ay, that will I, Mr Pedro; ye are a kind-hearted gentleman, that ye
+are," answered Moggie, whose heart the honest lieutenant had completely
+won, in return for the culinary instruction he had afforded her.
+
+Poor Bertha Eswick was nearly worn to death from hurrying between her
+daughter's cottage and the castle, though her young mistress required,
+and certainly obtained, by far the greatest share of her care.  Healthy,
+however, as Bertha Morton had always appeared, soon after the birth of
+her child she caught a cold, and this produced an illness which made her
+mother and husband very anxious about her, and it became too evident,
+before long, to the anxious eyes of affection, that she held her life on
+a most precarious tenure.  Hilda, on the contrary, seemed completely
+restored to health, both of body and mind.  She had now a deeply
+interesting object in existence, and all her thoughts and attention were
+devoted to her infant.
+
+Lawrence Brindister did not return to the castle till late in the day on
+which Hilda's child was born.  He received the announcement with a look
+of incredulity on his countenance.
+
+"And so you tell me that an heir to Lunnasting is born," he exclaimed to
+Bertha Eswick, whom he met as she was hurrying down for the first time
+from her mistress's chamber.  "Ha, ha, ha! how many heirs to Lunnasting
+are there, think ye?  Never mind, good Bertha, `The prince will hae his
+ain again!  The prince will hae his ain again!'  Who is the prince,
+think ye, Bertha?  Ye little ken, but I do; the fool knows more than the
+wise man, or the wise woman either ha, ha, ha!"
+
+These remarks sorely puzzled Bertha Eswick, and made her think a great
+deal; she knew Lawrence Brindister thoroughly, and seldom failed to
+distinguish between the mere hallucinations which occasionally took
+possession of his mind, and the ideas which originated from facts.  "If
+Marcus Wardhill is not the rightful possessor of Lunnasting, who can be
+the owner?" she asked herself, over and over again.
+
+Several weeks passed by, and young Don Hernan, for so Hilda's new-born
+babe was called, gave every promise of being a remarkably healthy and
+robust child.  Father Mendez seemed deeply interested in it, and took
+every opportunity of watching its progress, and examining it to
+ascertain that it was a thoroughly well-made healthy child.
+
+At length the father gave notice that he was going to Lerwick: he went,
+and some of the household declared that they breathed far more freely
+than they had done for a very long time.  Pedro Alvarez walked about
+with a more self-confident air than usual, and Lawrence sang and laughed
+and rattled away as had been his custom in former days; even Hilda
+looked as if she had been relieved of an incubus which had depressed her
+spirits.  She said nothing; she did not even mention the name of Father
+Mendez, but if by chance she heard it, she gave a slight shudder, while
+the frown which grew on her brow showed that whatever the influence he
+had gained over her, it was not of a nature to which she willingly
+submitted.  He had announced that he should not be absent more than
+three or four days; but more than a week elapsed and he did not return.
+As no one wished him back, this caused more surprise than regret.  Ten
+days, then a fortnight, passed by, and the priest did not appear.  At
+last Pedro Alvarez whispered his suspicions to Lawrence Brindister that
+the reverend father had played them a slippery trick, and left Shetland
+altogether; this idea was found to be correct, when Sandy McNab, the
+pedlar and great news-monger of the district, paid his next visit to
+Whalsey.  A foreigner who, though somewhat disguised, was recognised as
+the Spanish priest, Father Mendez, had been observed going on board a
+ship bound for the south, and he had not since then been seen in
+Lerwick.  The lieutenant was more than usually agitated when he heard
+this.  "There is some mischief brewing," he observed, the first moment
+he found Lawrence alone.  "You and I must try to fathom it, if we can.
+You can be secret, Mr Lawrence, and with such a man as that cunning
+priest to contend, with, we need all the caution we can exercise."
+
+"Mum's the word with me," answered Lawrence, looking very sagacious; "I
+love not the priest more than you do, for I believe he would not scruple
+to stick a dagger in the back of his brother if that brother stood in
+the way of any object he wished to attain.  What he aims at I do not
+know: whether or not he wishes to advance the interests of Hilda's
+child, is what I want to discover."
+
+Pedro shook his head.  "Not he, Mr Lawrence," he answered: "he cares
+not for the fatherless or the widow.  I have watched him narrowly: his
+aim was to get Donna Hilda completely under his thumb, so that he might
+rule her and her child.  While he thought that there was a prospect of
+success he remained on here, but when he at length discovered that he
+had totally failed, or that he could not depend for an instant on
+maintaining his influence, he at once altered his whole plan.  You must
+understand that when we left Spain there were three persons in existence
+who would by law succeed to the title and estates of the Marquis of
+Medea before Don Hernan de Escalante.  He often told me that he himself
+never expected to inherit the property, and that he must find some other
+means of improving his fortunes.  It is my belief, however, that Father
+Mendez, by some of the wonderful means at his disposal, knew that these
+three persons would die before our return, and that he accompanied us
+for the very purpose of obtaining an influence over Don Hernan, that his
+order might thus benefit by the wealth which would be at his disposal.
+He knew Don Hernan sufficiently to believe that he should obtain that
+influence, and he probably would have succeeded.  Now, however, he is
+playing another game; he can have no sure hold over a person of so
+uncertain a mind as Donna Hilda, and he has now returned to Spain that
+he may be able to make his bargain with Don Anibal Villavicencio, who
+has already succeeded to the property.  Just consider the immense
+influence he will have over him when he is able to prove that there is
+an heir alive, who, if produced, will turn him out of the estates and
+title.  What do you say to the question, Mr Lawrence?  Do you think I
+am right in my suspicions?"
+
+"Ay, that I do, most sagacious mariner," answered Lawrence, who had
+really comprehended the tenor of these remarks; they were of course made
+in much more broken English than has been used.  "The priest may be an
+honest priest, as he is undoubtedly a most polite gentleman; and his
+ways may be good ways, in his own sight, though they are not my ways;
+but that he is not labouring for the good of the poor little fatherless
+child up there, I am clearly of opinion."
+
+"So far we are agreed, my friend," said the lieutenant; "but when the
+boy succeeds his grandfather, and becomes the owner of the property, he
+will be able with his own right arm, or rather with his well-filled
+purse, which is better than a strong arm to him, to establish his rights
+to his Spanish estates and proper rank."
+
+"Ah, there a fool may by chance know more than a wise man, friend
+Pedro," observed Lawrence, rubbing the side of his nose with his
+forefinger.  "Come along with me, most worthy lieutenant, and I will
+show you matters which will astonish you."
+
+Pedro Alvarez accepted the invitation, and the two oddly-matched friends
+set out together, towards the east end of the island.  Lawrence turned
+several times to observe if they were watched, and then continued his
+course across heathery moorland, and valley, and swamp, as rapidly as
+before.
+
+"I know this spot, surely," observed Pedro Alvarez; "it is where the
+Catholic chapel stands."
+
+"The same, friend mariner," answered Lawrence; "but we have nothing to
+do with the chapel just now: keep close at my heels, or rather step
+exactly where I step, or you may chance to have a tumble to the bottom
+of the cliff, with a broken neck as the consequence."
+
+Lawrence, as he spoke, reached the brow of the cliff; he slid over it,
+and dropped himself down on a narrow ledge which appeared to afford
+scarcely room for his feet to rest.  He went on, leaning against the
+side of the cliff for a short distance, and then let himself down in the
+same manner that he had before done.  The Spanish officer at first
+hesitated to follow, but a laugh from Lawrence made him ashamed of
+himself, and when he reached the first ledge, he perceived that there
+were rings let into the rock, and of the same colour, which made the
+operation less difficult than it had at first appeared.  Three or four
+ledges were thus reached in succession, and then there was a very narrow
+winding path cut in the face of the cliff which led down to the very
+edge of the water.  Before, however, Lawrence reached the bottom, he
+turned off along another ledge, when Pedro entirely lost sight of him.
+
+Following in the same direction, however, he found himself in front of a
+cave; the entrance was so small, that at a distance it could scarcely be
+perceived, but on looking in he saw that it expanded into a chamber of
+considerable dimensions.
+
+"Come in, friend mariner, and survey my marine abode," exclaimed
+Lawrence from within.
+
+A few rough steps enabled him to enter, and he discovered that the cave
+was not only large, but that it contained a bed and table, some stools
+and several chests, and casks, and bales, besides sails and coils of
+rope, and spars, and pieces of wreck; indeed, it had somewhat the
+appearance of a marine store, so various were the articles collected in
+it.
+
+As he entered he was saluted by a low, fierce growl, and he saw in
+rather unpleasant proximity to his legs the savage jaws of Surly Grind,
+wide expanded in readiness to seize him.  A word, however, from his
+master, sent him growling back to his couch at the further end of the
+cave.
+
+"Never fear the dog; he is the guardian genius of the place, and is in
+duty bound to defend it against the approach of animated visitors," said
+Lawrence.  "But sit down, worthy mariner, and feel that you are in the
+abode of a friend; eatables we do not require, but I keep a store of
+some of the luxuries of life of which I know you will not refuse to
+partake."
+
+Saying this, he produced some pipes and tobacco, and a bottle of
+Schiedam, a case of which, he told his guest, had come on shore near his
+cave.  Pedro partook of the latter very moderately, but he gladly
+replenished his own tobacco-pouch, as his own supply of the fragrant
+weed was running short.  Lawrence then led him to the mouth of the cave.
+
+"Mark the appearance of that line of broken water out there, which with
+its whirlpools and eddies comes sweeping round from the north and
+strikes the base of this point.  Every object which once gets within its
+power is driven against this point.  All these things which you see
+arranged round here have reached me in that way.  What tales of
+shipwreck do they tell!  Often, too, I fancy the waifs cast up come from
+far distant shores; strange, also, the water which rushes round the base
+of this rock is quite warm at times, and I could believe that it still
+retains the heat imparted to it by the sun of a southern clime.  But all
+these things are useless to you, you will say, and so it may be; but
+these are the chests, and the bales, and the casks which Surly Grind and
+I, between us, have hauled on shore.  That reminds me I promised to show
+you the contents of one of the chests; and here--," (he opened a
+remarkably massive and well-made oaken sea-chest; the lid fitted so
+well, that although it had evidently been in the water for some time,
+none had found an entrance; Lawrence had contrived to force it open;
+lifting the lid, he took from it a tin case, and out of the case
+produced a document which he put into his companion's hand).  "Read
+that, and tell me what you think," he said; and while Pedro opened the
+paper, and slowly perused it, he fixed his eyes earnestly on his
+countenance.
+
+The Spaniard read on very slowly, and not without great difficulty.
+
+"It is in English," he said at length.  "I cannot pretend to understand
+it all, but from what I do comprehend, I see that if I could fulfil my
+promise to my dead shipmate and captain, and see justice done to his
+widow and child, I have greater reason than ever for hurrying back to
+Spain to try and counteract the schemes of Father Mendez, and to oppose
+the Marquis Don Anibal Villavicencio, who will of course stir heaven and
+earth to maintain his position."
+
+"I thought as much," said Lawrence; "you see that his friend here may
+have very little power to assist him in asserting his rights.  Give me
+back the paper.  I keep all my valuables in this cavern; there is no
+place so safe, for there is little chance of fire, and still less likely
+are thieves to break in and steal."
+
+Lawrence pointed to several other chests, but he seemed in no way
+disposed to exhibit any more of his treasures, whatever they were.  The
+lieutenant, indeed, proposed returning forthwith to the castle.
+Lawrence having charged Surly Grind to keep strict watch and ward over
+his storehouse, they set off to return by the same way they had come.
+
+Not long after this Pedro received the long-looked-for remittance from
+Spain, and prepared for his departure from Shetland.  When he went to
+pay his adieus to Hilda, he dropped on one knee, and taking her hand,
+respectfully pressed it to his lips, while he silently repeated his
+oath, to exert himself to the utmost in the cause of her and her child.
+Accompanied by Lawrence, he then set off for Lerwick, whence he
+immediately embarked on board a vessel bound for London.  He was much
+regretted by all the inhabitants of Lunnasting, but more especially by
+Hilda, who, although not aware of the extent of his devotion to her
+cause, felt that she had lost one of the few friends on whom she could
+depend for counsel and assistance.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER ELEVEN.
+
+FATHER MENDEZ IN SPAIN--THE MARQUIS AND HIS OLD SHIPMATES--CAPTAIN TACON
+THE EX-PIRATE.
+
+Father Mendez, on reaching Lerwick, found a vessel about to sail for
+Leith.  He might probably have taken a courteous farewell of the
+inhabitants of Lunnasting, had he not wished to steal a march on Pedro
+Alvarez.  He had discovered that the worthy lieutenant suspected his
+designs, and would, if he had the power, counteract them; he therefore
+resolved to deprive him, forthwith, of that power.  The Inquisition,
+that admirable institution for the destruction of heresy, existed in
+full force in those days in Spain, and the father well knew that if he
+could induce its officials to lay hands on his rival that he would give
+him no further trouble.  The father reached Leith in safety, and thence
+was able to proceed on, without loss of time, direct to Cadiz.  Not far
+off from that fair city was the magnificent mansion of the Marquis de
+Medea.  The father, on landing, did not at once hasten to visit his
+relations and friends, to receive their congratulations on his escape;
+nor did he even go to pay his respects to the superior of his order,
+but, without a moment's loss of time, he hurried off to the residence of
+the marquis.  He introduced himself without much ceremony.  The marquis
+could not at first believe the unwelcome news he brought.
+
+"I have no object in deceiving you, most noble marquis," answered the
+priest, with a calm, unruffled brow.  "I have ample proofs of the truth
+of my statements, and should I bring them forward you could no longer
+keep possession of this beautiful mansion, of yonder fertile fields, of
+the time-honoured title you hold.  But do not be alarmed; far be it from
+me to wish to dispossess you; the real heir is the son of a heretic
+woman, and will be brought up as a heretic; and I feel that I shall but
+be supporting the cause of our Holy Mother Church by saying nothing
+about this matter, and by maintaining you in possession of your
+property; you, who will, I doubt not, prove yourself one of her most
+devoted and zealous sons."
+
+The marquis was a person with a narrow forehead, small grey eyes, and
+that peculiar expression of countenance which the vice of indulged
+avarice seems generally to produce.  Though his lips denoted sensuality,
+their total want of firmness showed the astute Father Mendez that he
+would be easily moulded to his will.  The marquis was perfectly well
+aware of the way in which the church was at times apt to bleed those
+whom she designated her most devoted sons, and he winced at the thoughts
+of having to part with the large portion of his newly-acquired wealth
+which would be required.
+
+"I know not what you mean, father," he answered.  "I have always been a
+devoted son of Holy Mother Church, and shall ever be ready to pay those
+dues which she can rightly demand."
+
+The priest fixed his eyes sternly on him.
+
+"It will be as well, Don Anibal, that we come to a right understanding
+on the matter," he remarked, in a low firm tone.  "Remember, I have the
+power of depriving you of every silver piece of the wealth you enjoy; of
+stripping you of your title and estates, and reducing you to the state
+of poverty from which you have sprung; that is what I have the power of
+doing.  The heir--the real owner of this superb mansion, of these broad
+lands--is a fine healthy child; a word from me would bring him over, and
+put him, or his proper guardians, in possession of them.  Now, if I
+refrain from doing this, I am in duty bound to demand a sufficient
+recompense, not for myself--far be it from me to claim any earthly
+reward, for my labours are for the benefit of our Holy Mother Church,
+whose devoted servant I am.  Here you will see I know the exact value of
+your property, and its rental.  This paper contains my terms: if you
+agree to them, well and good--if not, you know the consequences.  I
+leave you for half an hour to consider over the matter, while I go and
+pay my respects to the marchioness; she is a wise woman and a faithful
+daughter of the church.  I doubt not how she will decide."
+
+Now Father Mendez was excessively clever and acute, but Don Anibal
+Villavicencio's cunning had been sharpened in the school of adversity.
+He looked up with an innocent expression of countenance, and asked--
+
+"How do I know that the child you speak of is in existence?  Pardon me
+for putting so rude a question, father.  Where is he to be found?  Give
+me particulars which will enable me to judge whether I am making a fair
+bargain with you."
+
+The father smiled at Don Anibal's frankness; he was in no way offended
+at the doubt cast on his veracity; he liked people to be open with him;
+it gave him, he thought, more power over them.  He knew that the marquis
+could have no interest in bringing the child from Shetland, and as that
+island was a long way off, he was not likely to set off there to verify
+the accounts he might give.  He might, therefore, have told him any
+story he pleased.  In this instance, however, as it answered his purpose
+to speak the truth, seeing that the truth would have more influence with
+Don Anibal than any tale he could invent, he told him all that had
+occurred, and gave him a full description of Lunnasting, and its
+position.  The marquis had learnt to conceal his thoughts as well as the
+priest; he assumed a dull and indifferent air as Father Mendez continued
+his account.
+
+"I see the justice of your remark, father, and rest assured that I will
+do my duty," he answered, with a twirl of his moustache and a stiff bow
+of the head.  "The child is heir, you tell me, to a good property in
+this far-off island of Shetland, of which till now I never heard; he may
+well be content with that; indeed it is clear that he would be out of
+his element as the possessor of an estate like this; besides, as you
+wisely remark, he will be brought up as an heretic.  Yes, father, my
+conscience is at rest; I feel that I am doing what must be well-pleasing
+to the church, and you assuredly shall receive the reward you demand."
+
+"His conscience!--I wonder of what that is composed," muttered the
+priest, and then added aloud, "You have not yet decided with regard to
+the paper I put into your hands, Don Anibal."
+
+"Well, do as you propose," answered the marquis.  "I hope that you have
+not been too hard on me, though."
+
+The priest gave a searching glance at the marquis, and without speaking,
+left the room.  Don Anibal's countenance did not wear a particularly
+pleasant expression as his eyes followed the priest.
+
+"I'll be even with you," he muttered, as he ground his teeth and shook
+his clenched fist towards the door at which the priest had retired.
+"What!  Does he think I am fool enough to pay him the enormous sum he
+demands?  He has given me the key to the means of settling the matter in
+a cheaper way than that.  I must, however, in the meantime, keep my
+plans secret as the grave, or he will manage to counteract them."
+
+At the end of the time Father Mendez had fixed, he returned, and was
+highly pleased with the ready acquiescence with which the marquis agreed
+to his proposals.  He then, with a conscience at rest, hastened on to
+his convent to report his arrival, and to give an account of his
+proceedings.  The marquis waited till he had assured himself that he had
+without doubt left the neighbourhood, and then set out for Cadiz.  He
+had a mansion in that city where he took up his abode.  He had been in
+his youth at sea, and had still a number of seafaring acquaintance.
+They were not all of them amongst the most respectable orders of
+society; perhaps they were the better suited to carry out the object he
+had in view.  He was a cunning man if not a wise one, and knew that he
+was more likely to succeed by doing things deliberately than in a hurry.
+He began to frequent places where he was likely to fall in with his old
+nautical associates, and when he met them he seemed to take great
+interest in their welfare, and made many inquiries as to their late
+adventures and mode of life.
+
+War had just broken out between England and France, and all the other
+nations of Europe were in consequence arming, both afloat and on shore,
+not knowing when they might be drawn into the vortex of strife.
+
+In all the ports of Spain, and at Cadiz especially, not only at the
+royal, but at the mercantile dockyards, vessels were being fitted out
+and armed ready to take a part in the contest.  People of all
+descriptions, many who had long been wanderers on the face of the globe,
+were collected there with the hope of getting employment on board the
+numerous privateers fitting out, caring nothing which side they
+espoused, provided an abundance of prize-money was to be obtained.
+Among these worthies the marquis found several old acquaintances.  He
+did not fail in the course of conversation to make inquiries about other
+former shipmates.  He invited them to his house, and treated them with
+unexpected liberality.  One and all declared that he was well worthy of
+the exalted rank to which he had attained.  He was seated one day alone,
+not having yet found the description of man of whom he was in search,
+when a stranger was announced.
+
+"He is a seafaring man," said the servant, "but he declines to give his
+name, as he says your excellency is not acquainted with it."
+
+"Let him come in--perhaps he may have business with me," said the
+marquis; and a tall, thin, swarthy personage, with a large pair of
+moustaches which totally concealed his mouth, entered the room.  He
+probably was about fifty years old, but he had as much the appearance of
+a soldier as of a sailor about him; he seated himself in a chair, and
+immediately said: "Your very obedient servant, most noble marquis.  I
+understand that you are in search of a trustworthy man to undertake some
+work or other for you."
+
+"I--I never said any such thing," exclaimed the marquis, somewhat
+confused.
+
+"Your excellency may not have said it, but the tenor of your conduct
+shows me what you require.  You would not trouble yourself with the
+company of all the people you have lately invited to your house unless
+you required something from them.  Come, be frank; I have guessed
+rightly, have I not?"
+
+"Before I answer that question I must know whom I address," answered the
+marquis, trying to look very wise.
+
+"As to that, my name is not unknown to fame," replied the stranger in a
+careless tone.  "I am Don Josef Tacon, or Captain Tacon, as I am
+generally called; we have met before now in the days of our youth; in
+the West Indies; on the coast of Africa; you remember me, perhaps.  You
+recollect how we boarded the Dutchman, and how we relieved the Mynheers
+of their cash and cargo, and provisions and water; and you haven't
+forgotten the English West Indiaman we captured and sent to the bottom
+with all her crew when they threatened to send one of their cruisers
+after us.  These and other little similar incidents have not escaped
+your memory, most noble marquis."
+
+Don Anibal winced not a little while the pirate--for such he avowed
+himself to be--was speaking; but he notwithstanding held out his hand
+and hailed him as an old shipmate, "My memory is as good as you suppose,
+my friend," he remarked; "but we will not dwell on those matters.  There
+are some things a man would gladly forget if he could.  However, there
+is an affair in which an intelligent fellow like you would be useful, if
+you will undertake it."
+
+"Name your price, Don Anibal, and I will tell you if I can undertake
+it," answered Captain Tacon; "my fortunes are somewhat at a low ebb, and
+I am ready to engage in any enterprise which promises sufficient
+remuneration."
+
+"You were always a reasonable man.  What do you say to two thousand
+dollars?  It would be worth a little exertion to gain that," observed
+the marquis.
+
+"Tell me what you require to be done, and I will then give you a direct
+answer," said the pirate.
+
+The marquis thought for some time before he replied.  "I must swear you
+to secrecy in the first place, and in the next, that you will decide,
+when I have put before you the outline of the work required, without
+obliging me to descend to particulars."
+
+"Depend on me, marquis," exclaimed the pirate.  "As I see a crucifix at
+the other end of the room, I will take the oath; and now hasten on with
+your sketch; I am a man of action, and will speedily decide."
+
+"Listen, then," said Don Anibal.  "You can, I doubt not, obtain command
+of one of the numerous vessels fitting out as privateers; I will use my
+influence.  I can speak to your character for bravery, enterprise,
+sagacity--you understand me: you must use every exertion to find a
+craft.  I know your talents--you will not fail."
+
+Captain Tacon smiled grimly at the compliments the marquis paid him.
+"But the enterprise, the work you require of me, most noble marquis?" he
+said, with a slight gesture of impatience.
+
+"I am coming to that, my friend," was the answer.  "It lies in a
+nutshell: in a northern region there exists a child, of whose person,
+for certain reasons, unnecessary now to state, I wish to obtain
+possession.  He lives in a mansion capable of defence; you may possibly,
+therefore, have to use force, but that of course will only make the work
+more agreeable to you.  On your bringing me satisfactory assurance that
+you have disposed of the child as I may direct, the reward shall be
+yours.  In the meantime, this purse, as soon as you decide, I will
+present to you.  It is but an earnest of my liberal intentions."
+
+The exhibition of the gold was a bright thought of Don Anibal's.  As the
+taste of blood whets the appetite of the wild beast, so did the
+glittering bait the avarice of the pirate.
+
+"Give me the purse," he exclaimed, eagerly stretching out his hands; "I
+will take the oath."
+
+"Take the oath, and you shall have the purse," answered the marquis,
+smiling blandly.  "No mental reservations, though; I do not forget your
+antecedents, my old comrade."
+
+Captain Tacon gave a hoarse laugh, and twirling his moustachios, while
+his countenance wore the expression of a person about to swallow a
+nauseous draught, he walked across the room towards the crucifix.  The
+marquis followed, with a self-satisfied look, as if he had achieved a
+victory.  It is not necessary to repeat the oath taken by the pirate, or
+to describe the final arrangements entered into between the two
+worthies.
+
+In a few days Captain Tacon again made his appearance, habited in a
+handsome nautical costume, with a huge cocked hat, and a richly-mounted
+sword by his side, and announced that he had become the captain of the
+privateer schooner "San Nicolas."
+
+"Never did you set eyes on a finer craft, most noble marquis," he
+exclaimed; "she will fly like the wind, and swim like a wild-fowl.  She
+carries eight guns, and an unlimited supply of small arms, with a bold
+crew of sixty men, villains every one!  There is no deed of violence
+they will not dare or do; and now we are ready to sail when we receive
+your final orders."
+
+"I knew that I could trust you in the selection of your followers," said
+the marquis, quietly.  "Here are your orders; you will open them when at
+sea, and see that you carry them out in the spirit as well as in the
+letter.  You will, of course, be well provided with flags.  It may be
+convenient, at times, to sail under some other flag than that of Spain."
+
+Don Tacon smiled.  "I have some little experience in those matters," he
+answered, "trust me."
+
+That evening the "San Nicolas" privateer was seen standing out of the
+harbour and steering to the northward.  It was announced that she had
+sailed on a cruise, and would before long return.
+
+It must not be supposed that all these arrangements took place with the
+rapidity with which they have been described.  The Spaniards love dearly
+to do everything with deliberation; the summer had ended, and the winter
+had come and gone, before the events just narrated took place.
+
+Two or three days after the "San Nicolas" had sailed, it became
+generally known that Lieutenant Pedro Alvarez, the only surviving
+officer of the unfortunate "Saint Cecilia," had arrived at Cadiz.  Such
+was the case--Pedro had obtained a passage on board an English
+man-of-war.  When some sixty leagues to the north of Cadiz, she had
+fallen in with a suspicious-looking craft, which hoisted Spanish
+colours.  An officer was sent to board her, and Lieutenant Alvarez was
+requested to go as interpreter.  The stranger proved to be the privateer
+schooner "San Nicolas," and in her captain he recognised an old
+acquaintance.  The last time they had met, it had been under somewhat
+unpleasant circumstances for Captain Tacon, who had almost got his head
+into a halter, and but narrowly slipped it out again.  The worthy
+lieutenant very naturally suspected, from his knowledge of Don Josef's
+previous history, that he was not engaged in any very creditable
+undertaking.  He at once suspected that he was not sailing on a simple
+privateering voyage, but of course he failed to ascertain the truth.
+The more questions he asked, the more mysterious and important his
+quondam acquaintance became.  The result of his conversation was, that
+he resolved, as soon as he arrived at Cadiz, to make all the inquiries
+in his power about Captain Tacon, and the "San Nicolas."  Pedro Alvarez
+was a blunt sailor, but he had a very considerable amount of sagacity.
+Before long, he discovered that his quondam acquaintance had been known
+to pay frequent visits to the Marquis de Medea, who was also known to
+have had some correspondence with the owners of the "San Nicolas."  More
+than this Pedro could not discover; but it was sufficient to make him
+suspect that the schooner's voyage was in some way connected with the
+affairs of the marquis himself.  He was not however a man to do things
+by halves, so he continued to work on in the hope that he might at last
+ferret out the truth.  However, he had not much time for this
+occupation; for having reported himself to the naval authorities, he was
+forthwith promoted, and appointed to the command of a brig-of-war.  His
+great aim, however, before he sailed, was to place in proper train with
+the legal authorities the claims of young Hernan Escalante to the title
+and estates now held by Don Anibal de Villavicencio.  He was aware that
+possession is nine-tenths of the law, and that he must expect to have a
+very tough battle to fight.
+
+"Never fear for the consequences," said he to his legal adviser.  "I
+have neither wife nor child, nor any one depending on me, and as long as
+I have a silver piece belonging to me, I will expend it in claiming the
+rights of that poor child."
+
+Having just given expression to this virtuous resolution as he was
+leaving the lawyer's door, he found himself standing face to face with
+Father Mendez.
+
+The priest looked narrowly at the house.  He recollected that a
+well-known lawyer lived there.  What could the rough lieutenant want
+with him?  He jumped at a conclusion, which was not far from the truth;
+still his countenance wore its usual calm and inexpressive look.
+
+"Ha! my old shipmate!  I did not expect to see you so soon in our own
+well-beloved native land," he exclaimed.  "These are stirring times, and
+you did well to return: you will not be long on shore, however, I
+conclude?"
+
+"Not long enough to lose my sea legs or sea manners," answered Pedro,
+bluntly.
+
+"Have you another appointment yet, my friend?" asked the priest.
+
+"My superiors think me too useful to allow me to remain long
+unemployed," replied Pedro.
+
+"That is well: take the advice of a friend, and attend to your own
+duties," said the priest, in a suppressed tone, sinking at last to a
+whisper; "you will but burn your fingers if you interfere where you have
+no concern."
+
+"Thank you for your hint, most astute priest.  Then you guess what I am
+about," thought Pedro, but he did not speak aloud.  He only tried to
+look totally unconscious of what Father Mendez could possibly mean.  He
+did not succeed as well as he wished or fancied that he had done, and
+the father saw that it would be necessary to watch him very narrowly, to
+counteract any scheme he might attempt to carry into execution.
+
+The lieutenant, meantime, fancied that he had outwitted the priest, and
+continued with the greatest energy to prosecute the work he had
+commenced.
+
+Father Mendez was not long in discovering this, and with fully equal
+resolution took steps to put a stop to his proceedings.  He also prided
+himself on performing whatever he undertook in the most effectual
+manner.  He saw that Pedro might cause him a great deal of trouble and
+inconvenience.  There were two ways which suggested themselves of
+disposing of him: he might inform the marquis of his proceedings, who
+would, without the slightest scruple, probably get him assassinated; but
+the bravo's dagger was not always sure, and if the marquis knew that he
+was dead he might be tempted to assume more independence than would be
+convenient.  He had another plan, which could not possibly fail.
+
+Pedro Alvarez, as do most captains, lived on shore while his ship was
+fitting out.  He continued to do so after she was ready for sea, and
+while he was waiting for orders.  He had made every preparation for
+sailing, and was ready to trip his anchor at a moment's notice.  At last
+his despatches arrived.  He was paying his last visit to the shore,
+when, as he was sitting in the room of his lodging glancing over a few
+accounts which remained unpaid, a stranger was announced.  Captain
+Alvarez rose to receive him, and requested to know the object of his
+visit.  As he did so, he recognised a person of whom he had caught a
+glimpse more than once, watching him as he left the house.
+
+"No matter who I am," said the stranger; "I but obey the orders of my
+superiors, and I am directed to desire you to attend at the office of
+the Holy Inquisition, there to answer certain accusations which have
+been brought against you.  This, it is hoped, you can at once easily and
+completely do, and that you will therefore not hesitate to accompany me.
+A carriage waits for us at the end of the street.  You can arrange the
+matters about which you are now occupied on your return.  I am directed
+to accompany you, and as the council is now sitting there is no time to
+be lost."
+
+"Do you expect to catch a weasel asleep?" thought Pedro, at least an
+equivalent Spanish proverb occurred to him.  Pedro was conscious that he
+had at times expressed himself, in coffee-houses and taverns, in a way
+not over complimentary, either to the priests or the Inquisition itself;
+and he felt very sure that no explanations he could give would prove
+satisfactory to the Inquisitional council.  The bold determined look he
+gave the officer was such as that worthy officer was little accustomed
+to receive from the trembling wretches on whom he served his summonses.
+
+"You have performed your duty, my friend, and now go back to those who
+sent you, and inform them that you have delivered your message, but that
+my avocations prevent me from acceding to their demands."
+
+The official looked wonderfully astonished, and, without saying another
+word, drew a pistol from his bosom, and clapping it to the seaman's
+head, told him that he must enforce obedience.
+
+"Must you, friend?" exclaimed Pedro, by a sudden movement of his arm
+striking up the pistol; "then I must resist by force."
+
+The official pulled the trigger, but the weapon had not often been used,
+and the powder flashed in the pan.  He was about to draw another, but
+Pedro's quick eye saw the man's purpose.  His own sword lay on the
+table.  He seized it with one hand, while with the other he grasped the
+barrel of the pistol about to be turned towards him.  At that instant
+the official's foot slipped, and, as he fell heavily forward, the point
+of the sword entered his throat and pierced through to the spine.  Pedro
+caught him as he fell, but the wound was mortal, and in another minute
+he was dead.
+
+Pedro Alvarez was as bold and brave a seaman as ever stepped; but he
+knew full well that killing an official of the Inquisition in the
+execution of his duty, would make the country too hot for him.  The
+instinct of self-preservation was as strong with him as with most men.
+He considered how he could avoid the consequences of his act.  There was
+a large cupboard in the room.  He dragged the body in, and locking the
+door put the key in his pocket.  The wound had not bled much, and he was
+able to get rid of the traces without much difficulty.  It just then
+occurred to him that the owners of the house would get into trouble when
+the body should be discovered; so he wrote on a piece of paper--"This
+man attempted to kill me, and in self-defence, I, against my wish, slew
+him.--Pedro Alvarez;" and, opening the door of the cupboard, pinned it
+on the stranger's coat.  He then put all the papers belonging to him
+into his pocket, and deliberately walked down to the quays.  His boat
+was waiting for him.  His heart beat much more regularly than it had
+done for the last half hour, as he sprang on board and shoved off.  His
+crew gave way, and he soon stepped the deck of his beautiful little
+brig, the "Veloz."  The next instant the boats were hoisted in, the
+anchor was weighed, the topsails were let fall and sheeted home, and the
+brig, with a fine breeze from the southward, stood out of the harbour.
+Every sail the brig could carry was pressed on her.  The officers and
+crew were delighted with the way she flew through the water.  Her
+captain turned his spyglass very often towards the town: he made out, at
+last, a boat pulling off rapidly towards the brig, and shortly
+afterwards his signal midshipman reported that one of the ships-of-war
+in the harbour was telegraphing to them.
+
+"You must be mistaken, boy; it cannot be intended for us shut up your
+book, we are beyond signalling distance," he answered.  "And so farewell
+to lovely Spain--for ever, perhaps," he thought to himself.  "It will
+take more years than I am likely to live to make those wretches forget
+or forgive the death of their official.  From henceforth I am a banished
+man.  For myself I care not; but for poor young Hernan--who is to
+advocate his cause?  Well, I fear for this time the spirit of evil and
+his imps have got the upper hand of honest folk."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWELVE.
+
+A STRANGE SCHOONER APPEARS OFF LUNNASTING--THE CASTLE ATTACKED--THE
+PIRATES ENTER THE CASTLE--YOUNG HERNAN CARRIED OFF.
+
+The winds whistled round the towers of Lunnasting, and the wild waves,
+as they were wont, washed the base of the rock on which it stood, and
+time sped on without any material change taking place among its
+inhabitants.  Hilda spent the greater portion of the day in her turret
+chamber, gazing out--when not engaged in nursing her child--on the
+wide-spread ocean, and thinking of him who slept beneath its surface.
+Her infant, however, was her constant and only source of interest.
+
+The little fatherless infant grew and flourished, and gave every promise
+of becoming a strong healthy boy.  Meantime the health of Bertha Morton
+became week after week worse and worse, and her mother began to fear,
+too justly, that her days on earth were numbered.  Rolf had been
+compelled to make a voyage to Greenland, as first mate of a ship; and he
+came back only in time to have his little boy put into his arms and to
+receive the last breath of the wife he so fondly loved.  At Hilda's
+special invitation the young Ronald was carried up to castle that his
+grandmother might have the entire charge of him.
+
+"He will make a good playmate for my little Hernan, dear Bertha,"
+observed Hilda; "so you see he will amply repay me for any advantage he
+may obtain by the arrangement.  I trust the boys may be friends through
+life.  They are of kindred blood, and Morton is a person in manners and
+conduct far above the position he holds.  From his appearance it has
+more than once occurred to me that he must be of gentle blood.  He that
+is gone, who saw a good deal of him, several times made the same
+remark."
+
+"He was brought up by a good, kind, Christian man, and it is on that
+account, rather than on account of his birth, that he possesses the
+qualities of which you so kindly speak, my dear mistress," answered
+Bertha.
+
+Hilda made no reply; affliction had not taught her to adopt the
+principles which guided Bertha's conduct.
+
+The brief daylight hours of the northern winter had once more begun to
+increase, when Hilda received a letter from her father, announcing his
+intention of returning to Lunnasting in the early part of the summer,
+with Edda.  He also spoke of her sister's engagement to a Colonel
+Armytage, remarking that the marriage would soon take place.
+
+It is scarcely possible to describe the varied, but chiefly painful
+feelings which this information created in Hilda's bosom.  Her father
+had hitherto remained ignorant of her conduct, and she felt that he
+would be very justly incensed when he heard of it.  Still she was too
+proud and self-willed to meditate for an instant asking his pardon, or
+seeking for reconciliation, and her whole thoughts were occupied in
+considering how she could best meet the storm of indignation and anger
+which she expected to burst on her.  For Edda, however, she had as warm
+an affection as it was in her nature to feel for anybody so totally
+different as her sister and she were to each other.  She could scarcely
+help despising Edda for her gentleness and her kind and affectionate
+disposition, as well as for the implicit obedience she yielded to their
+father's often imperious commands.
+
+"I pray heaven the gentleman our sweet Miss Edda is going to marry is
+worthy of her--good, and generous, and kind--or it will break her
+heart," said nurse Bertha, as they were talking over the subject
+together.
+
+"It takes a good deal to break a Wardhill's heart, or mine would have
+gone long ago," answered Hilda, with a sigh so deep and sad that it made
+Bertha's sicken as she heard it.
+
+Lawrence Brindister was as little pleased as any one with the report of
+Sir Marcus Wardhill's intended return.  Poor Lawrence had that
+instinctive dread of his guardian which a cat or a dog has of the person
+who takes every occasion of giving them a kick or a buffet when they
+meet.  He felt that he was unjustly and tyrannically treated, yet he had
+no means of breaking away from his thraldom.  Sir Marcus had a very
+simple plan for keeping him within bounds; he never intrusted him with
+money; and as poor Lawrence was known to be of unsound mind, nobody was
+found willing to lend him their gold to supply his wants, as none of it
+was ever likely to be repaid.
+
+Pending the expected arrival of her father, Hilda was seated as usual at
+her turret window; now gazing at her infant, who was sleeping on a pile
+of cushions at her feet; now casting a glance across the ocean, over
+which the sun, now declining towards the west, was casting a rich glow,
+when her eye was attracted by the white sails of a vessel which, lighted
+up by his beams, shone like driven snow.  There was a light wind from
+the south-east, before which the vessel under all sail was standing in
+towards the land.  Hilda, who from having lived all her life near the
+sea was well acquainted with the rigs of vessels, recognised the one now
+approaching as a schooner, and from her wide spread of canvas she judged
+that she was a large one.
+
+On stood the stranger, directly towards Whalsey.  At first, from the
+bold way in which she approached, Hilda thought that she must have a
+pilot on board, but as she drew in with the channel between the south
+end of Eastling and the little island known as Grief Skerry, she hauled
+her wind, and then went about and hove-to, with her head off shore.
+
+"What can possibly be her errand here?" said Hilda to herself.  "Can my
+father be on board her?  But no, he would have stood on, and brought the
+vessel to an anchor."
+
+The family retired to rest at the usual hour of ten o'clock, and
+probably not long after that were wrapped in sound sleep.  Not so poor
+Hilda.  The mistress of the mansion slept far less than any of those who
+obeyed her orders.  She invariably retired long after the household were
+in bed, rose early, and probably seldom obtained more than an hour's
+continuous sleep.  On this evening her child had been somewhat fretful,
+and Bertha insisted on carrying the little fellow off to sleep in her
+room with her grandson, Ronald Morton.  Hilda had reluctantly consented
+to the arrangement, and frequently awoke with a start of terror on
+missing her little companion from her side.  At length she had fallen
+into a comparatively sound sleep, when she was suddenly awakened by a
+loud, crashing sound.  She started up.  The noise brought to her
+recollection, with painful clearness, the moment when the "Saint
+Cecilia" struck on the rocks of Ossa Skerry.  She thought she must have
+been dreaming, but again the sound was renewed.  She felt confident that
+it was caused by heavy blows dealt against a small postern gate which
+led out on the front terrace overhanging the sea.  From the noise, Hilda
+suspected that this had already partly given way, and she feared that
+the assailants, whoever they were, would already have gained an entrance
+before she could summon any of the servants to resist them.  Besides
+Lawrence, it was not likely that there were more than five or six men in
+the house.  The bell belonging to her room led only to the chambers of
+the women, and she feared that when they awoke, they would do little
+more for the defence of the castle than scream; nor had she much
+confidence in the valour of old David Cheyne, the butler.  Still she
+herself felt no overwhelming alarm.  Throwing some garments round her,
+she hurried to the hall, where a bell rope communicated with the
+servants' room.  She pulled it violently, and then hastened on to call
+Lawrence.  She had little confidence, however, in the way he might
+behave; still, she had no reason to doubt his courage, and knew that if
+he comprehended what was required, he was likely to be of as much value
+as any other man.  He had fire-arms, and so had all the servants, and
+she hoped, if there was time for them to collect, to give the assailants
+a warm reception.  The door, it was evident, had resisted the first
+attack made on it, for again there came a succession of thundering
+blows, which echoed through the castle, and must have aroused the
+soundest sleepers.  Hilda took a turn up and down the hall to relieve
+her impatience.  She felt inclined herself to go to the gate to
+ascertain how far it had resisted the attacks made on it, but she
+reflected that this would be folly, because, should she be seized by the
+enemy, it would make all further resistance useless.  Every moment her
+impatience increased.
+
+"What! are the men turned cowards?" she exclaimed, when she found that
+no one appeared; "are they skulking in bed, afraid to encounter the
+unexpected foe?  Oh! that I were a man, to be able to fight as brave men
+do!  I thought better things of Lawrence.  If they would but come, we
+might yet drive back these marauders.  It shall never be said that the
+castle of Lunnasting was given up without a desperate struggle."
+
+Again she rang such a peal, that Davie Cheyne must have been aroused,
+had he been twice as sound asleep as he had ever been before.  It
+produced its effect, and with startled looks, his hair on end, with his
+night-cap in one hand and his coat in the other, the old butler rushed
+into the hall, followed by the other serving-men, and some farm
+labourers who slept in the castle.
+
+"Oh my lady!--oh Miss Hilda!  Oh--I beg pardon, Madame Escalante--what
+is the matter?  What is going to happen?"
+
+"That you, lazy-bones, have been snoring in bed, while the castle is
+being attacked by a band of robbers or privateers; and that, unless you
+stir yourselves to defend it, you may all be murdered as you deserve.
+Quick!--get your arms, and try to defend the place.  Where is Mr
+Lawrence?  Is he as cowardly as the rest of you?"
+
+"No, cousin Hilda, he is not," said Lawrence, who entered at that moment
+with a musket in one hand, a sword in the other, and a brace of pistols
+in his belt.  "I have been to take a look at the besiegers.  They are
+taking breath to make a fresh attack, and it's my opinion that we take
+them on the flank, and if we work our guns well, we shall be able to
+shoot them down before one of them can return to their boats."
+
+"Excellent, Lawrence," exclaimed Hilda, pleased with his unexpected
+sagacity and promptness.  "Place the men as you think best.  What could
+induce an enemy to attack this place, it is difficult to say, unless
+from its apparent strength they suppose it contains large stores of
+plate and jewels.  However, I trust to your courage and conduct to
+disappoint them."
+
+While Hilda was speaking, some of the men were loading their firelocks;
+others found that they had forgot their ammunition, and ran back to get
+it; and Davie Cheyne was putting on his coat and arranging his garments
+in a seemly manner, and stuffing a night-cap into his pouch, he armed
+himself with a huge blunderbuss, which, with its ammunition pouches,
+hung over the mantelpiece.
+
+"Give me a musket!" cried Hilda.  "Where there are not enough men, women
+must fight.  I would sooner lose my life than allow these marauders to
+enter the castle."
+
+Hilda was speaking while Davie Cheyne was getting down the fire-arm and
+handing it to her.  Not another moment was then lost, and the party, led
+by Lawrence, were hastening to the eastern tower which commanded the
+gate, when several of the women rushed with loud shrieks into the hall,
+exclaiming that the robbers were breaking into the castle, and that they
+were all going to be murdered.
+
+"Silence, wenches!" cried Hilda, indignantly.  "When I show signs of
+fear it is time for you to be afraid.  Those who have the nerve to load
+the guns come with me; the rest go and remain with Bertha Eswick and the
+children.  She will shame you, I doubt not, by her coolness."
+
+Two of the damsels alone were influenced by this address, and followed
+their mistress, while the rest, every now and then giving way to a
+shriek, ran up stairs as fast as they could go, to the nursery, where,
+surrounding Bertha, who was sitting up with the children, they said the
+mistress had sent them, and pulling away at her, entreated her to tell
+them what was going to happen.
+
+"Girls, girls; it is something very dreadful, I doubt not," she
+answered, solemnly.  "But shrieking and crying will not ward off the
+danger.  Let us rather silently pray to Him who can alone save us, for
+protection and the safety of those we best love."
+
+The girls were silent for a short time, but Bertha's address did not
+seem to have much effect on them; and the sound of a volley of musketry,
+which was soon afterwards heard again, set them off shrieking louder
+than before.
+
+The effects of the volley did not appear to have much availed the
+defenders of the castle, for, almost before it had ceased, the
+thundering blows on the gate were renewed with greater violence than
+before, and the crashing noise which followed showed that it was
+yielding to them.  There were, as Bertha well knew, two small gates, one
+within the other.  The first had, as she suspected, given way to the
+attack the assailants had first made, the crushing sound of which had
+awakened her as it had Hilda.  The second gate was the one against which
+they were now directing their efforts.  Lawrence had not been aware of
+this, and he fancied that it was the outer gate alone which had to be
+defended.  On reaching the first storey of the tower, and on looking
+from the window which commanded the space before this outer gate, he saw
+a large group of armed men, apparently prepared for attacking it.
+
+"There are the enemy!  Have no parley with them!  Fire, boys!" he
+exclaimed, setting the example by discharging his musket.  The rest
+fired likewise, and apparently several of the enemy were hit; but,
+instead of taking to flight, they fired in return, and several of the
+Lunnasting party might have been hit had they not speedily retired from
+the window.  In the chamber below, however, there were several
+loopholes, and in these they forthwith assembled, and commenced firing
+away as before.  Hilda had not used her musket; but she in no way felt
+inclined to shrink from the contest, and her presence wonderfully
+animated the rest.  They soon, however, discovered that the first of
+their defences had been taken, and that they were not in the slightest
+degree impeding the progress of the attacking party, who, in spite of
+the repeated volleys with which their comrades were saluted, continued
+to batter away at the door with an evident determination to succeed.  At
+the same time the door was a very solid one, and resisted all their
+efforts.  Several of those outside had been wounded.  One or two had
+been seen to fall.  This encouraged Lawrence and his followers.
+
+"Could you not make a sally and drive them off?" at length exclaimed
+Hilda, as the blows on the door became louder and more reiterated.  "If
+you rushed out suddenly they would not know how many men were following,
+and might take to flight."
+
+"They know well enough how many men are inside these walls, or they
+would not have dared to attack us, my lady," observed Davie Cheyne.
+"With your permission, my lady, we'll fight on till the powder is gone,
+with the thick stone between us, but there is no use in venturing our
+lives against six times our number without some such aid."
+
+The firing on both sides now became very warm till two of the servants
+were hit, and a bullet passed through the sleeve of Lawrence's coat.  On
+discovering this Hilda despatched one of the girls for bandages, while
+she endeavoured to staunch the blood of the man who was most hurt with
+her handkerchief.
+
+"Thank ye, ma'am--thank ye, my lady," said the poor fellow, looking up
+at her with an expression of gratitude in his countenance; "it will not
+be much harm done, and if ye will let me I'll be at them again."
+
+The girl was absent nearly a minute, and, as she appeared, in a voice of
+terror she exclaimed, "the gate is giving way, and they will be into the
+castle in a moment!"
+
+The courage of Hilda and her two attendants formed a great contrast to
+the behaviour of the women who had taken refuge with Bertha.  The more
+constant the firing the louder they shrieked; and, as the sound of the
+blows on the gate reached them they clung to her gown, entreating her to
+tell them what to do.  At last there came a crash louder than any that
+had preceded it, followed immediately by shouts and cries, and the
+report of fire-arms, evidently inside the castle, and the cries and
+shrieks increased, and then there was the heavy tramp of men's feet,
+some hurrying along the passages, others ascending the stairs.
+
+"Oh, they are coming here--they are coming here!" cried one of the
+servant girls.  "We shall all be murdered, and the castle will be burnt.
+Oh, Mistress Bertha, where shall we run to?--where shall we hide?"
+
+"Close the doors, girls," said Bertha, calmly.  "Perhaps they will not
+come here."
+
+The sound of the footsteps drew nearer and nearer.  One room after the
+other was entered, and at last that next to the nursery.  A moment
+afterwards the nursery door was violently shaken.  Bertha made a sign to
+the women to keep silence, but in vain: as a heavy blow was struck
+against the door, one of them shrieked out.  Some words in a strange
+language were spoken by men with gruff voices, and the next instant the
+door was burst open, and a dozen or more armed men, fierce looking
+fellows, rushed into the room.  The girls fled to the extreme corner,
+but the pirates--for that they were desperadoes of that description,
+there seemed no doubt--took at first but little notice of them, turning
+all their attention to Bertha and the two children.  A tall sinewy
+fellow, with long moustachios, stalked up to her, and, before she was
+aware of what he was about, snatched one of the children from her, and
+scrutinising its countenance returned it to her, and then seized the
+other, which he examined still more minutely.  He seemed sorely puzzled,
+and pulled away furiously at his moustachios, while he talked and
+gesticulated to his companions.
+
+They then commenced an examination of the children, and were so absorbed
+in the matter, that the serving girls were able to make their escape
+from the room, while poor Bertha was left alone with the savage-looking
+band of strangers.  However, the matter was soon decided.  The tall man,
+who seemed to be the captain, attempted to snatch the one he had first
+seized from poor Bertha's grasp.  In vain she struggled, and entreated
+him to let it go.  Both the little fellows shrieked out with terror, as,
+hugging them in her arms, she endeavoured to escape from him; but,
+tearing the child from her, he held it up to his companions, and seemed
+to be asking them certain questions.  They nodded in return; and while
+two of them held back poor Bertha, who was struggling to regain the
+child, he threw a cloak over it, and, calling to his followers, hurried
+down stairs.  Bertha attempted to follow, in the hopes of regaining the
+child, but, overcome with terror and agitation, she sunk exhausted on
+the ground.  The marauders took their way to the postern gate, by which
+they had entered the castle.  Near it was a room, at the door of which a
+number of their companions were standing, guarding the defenders of the
+castle, whom they had overpowered.  Leaving them there, he passed on,
+and, getting over the terrace parapet wall, he descended the cliff with
+his burden towards the boat which lay at the foot of it, and to which
+the men who had been wounded had been already conveyed.  The little boy
+was all the time shrieking out most lustily, and desiring to be taken
+back to his mamma.  Placing the child in the boat, with strict charges
+to one of the men who were in her not to let it out of his arms, he
+climbed the cliff again with the agility of a cat, and rejoined his
+comrades.  He addressed them in Spanish.
+
+"My men," he observed, "we have thus far fulfilled our engagement.  Now
+let us recompense ourselves in case the promised reward should not be
+forthcoming."
+
+His proposal seemed to meet with the warm approval of all the party.  It
+was necessary, however, to leave some of them to guard the prisoners, at
+which those who were to be left grumbled much.  "No matter," he
+observed; "three of you will do, and if any of the prisoners attempt to
+escape, shoot them.  It is the quickest way of disposing of those sort
+of people."
+
+Bertha had lain thus for some time, still grasping the little child, and
+in spite of his piteous cries, unconscious of his presence, when she was
+aroused by her mistress's voice exclaiming--
+
+"Bertha, Bertha! where is my boy?--where is Hernan?"
+
+"Your boy, Hilda! is he not here?" answered Bertha, scarcely yet fully
+aroused.  "Is he not here--here in my arms?"
+
+"Here?--no!  Where is he? who has him?  Give him to me!" exclaimed
+Hilda, in a tone which showed the agony of her terror.
+
+"Oh! was it not a dream?  Where is he, do you ask?  What has happened?
+Those men--they bore him away," said Bertha, trying to rouse herself.
+
+"My boy gone?  You gave him to them instead of your own," cried Hilda.
+"Oh! woman--woman!  Did you not know how precious he was to me?  And you
+let them take him!  You should have died rather than allow them to tear
+him from you."
+
+"You wrong me, dear mistress," answered Bertha.  "They chose yours--they
+had come on purpose to get him, for they rejected mine.  But have they
+gone?  Let us follow them: a mother's tears may induce them to give him
+back."
+
+"And I have lost all this time!" cried Hilda, putting her hand to her
+brow, and moving from the room.
+
+When the pirates forced their way into the castle, the defenders were
+separated; Davie Cheyne, with the two serving girls, hurrying off their
+mistress in one direction, while Lawrence and the men bravely opposed
+them for some minutes, till they were completely overpowered, and
+compelled to submit to the enemy.
+
+Having provided for their prisoners, the captain of the pirates and his
+men set off to engage in the pleasant occupation of ransacking the
+castle.  From room to room they went, injuring nothing, and breaking
+nothing, except the locks of drawers, cabinets, chests, and cupboards.
+These, as the keys were not forthcoming, they burst open to examine
+their contents.  They worked away briskly, but in no undue hurry.  They
+knew that the operation in which they were engaged should not be done
+slowly, in case of interruption; at the same time at present, they had
+no reason to expect any interference with their performances.  They were
+most of them evidently practised hands, for they were choice in their
+selections, and took only the more valuable articles.  Plate, jewels,
+and ornaments were quickly transferred to their pockets, or to bags with
+which they had come prepared; but, with the exception of a few clothes,
+to which some of them took a fancy, and a collection of eatables from
+the housekeeper's store-room, nothing else was carried off.
+
+These matters being arranged, the captain ordered a retreat to be
+sounded.  It was time, for daylight was already coming on, and they
+could not tell what assistance might be sent to the inhabitants of the
+castle, as they knew that the sound of their firing must have given
+notice to the neighbouring population that something unusual was going
+on.  With some derisive expressions, the meaning of which Lawrence
+alone, of those who heard them, could understand, they left the party in
+the room, simply turning the key on them, and took their way to their
+boats.  Just as they were shoving off through the twilight, a figure was
+seen standing on the edge of the cliff, stretching forth her arms, and
+shrieking out--
+
+"My child--my child!  Bring back my boy!  Take him not away!"
+
+In vain she cried, and those fierce men, cruel and callous as they were,
+had not the barbarity to mock her.  Without uttering a word, they pulled
+rapidly from the shore.  Giving vent to her feelings in cries, she
+uttered shriek after shriek, and would have thrown herself into the
+water, in her eagerness to follow them, had not Davie Cheyne come behind
+her, and, seizing her in his arms, drawn her back from the edge of the
+precipice.  She broke from him, and was again rushing forward, when
+Lawrence and a servant, who burst out of the room where they had been
+locked in, ran forward and surrounded her.  When they saw the boats, two
+of them, who had secured some muskets which the pirates had overlooked,
+threatened to fire on them; but as they levelled their pieces the
+captain held up the child, and three or four bullets whizzing above
+their heads, showed them that they would gain nothing by warlike
+proceedings.  Some of the men--and so did Lawrence--proposed manning Sir
+Marcus's barge, and going in pursuit of the enemy; but the proposal was
+wisely overruled by Davie Cheyne.  "How could they expect, with a single
+boat, and with but few men ill-armed, to capture two boats full of
+well-armed men, perfectly practised in warfare, and who had already
+shown their superiority?"
+
+The argument was unanswerable, and the proposal was withdrawn.  It was,
+meantime, with the greatest difficulty that Hilda was held back from the
+edge of the cliff.
+
+"My child! my child!" she continued crying out.  "Oh, bring me back my
+child!"
+
+The sound of her voice could no longer reach those she addressed.  Away
+pulled the boat towards the schooner in the offing; and as all hope of
+recovering her soon vanished, she again sunk senseless into the arms of
+those surrounding her.
+
+When daylight increased, a schooner, which hoisted French colours, was
+seen standing away to the eastward; but whence she had come, and where
+she went to, no one connected with Lunnasting was ever able to discover.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THIRTEEN.
+
+ARRIVAL OF SIR MARCUS--HILDA AND HER SISTER--A BRIG OF WAR APPEARS--
+EDDA'S MARRIAGE--ROLF MORTON SAILS ON A LONG VOYAGE.
+
+For many days after the loss of her child, Hilda remained in a state of
+such utter prostration, that Bertha, who would allow no one but herself
+to watch her, often dreaded that her mind would go altogether.
+
+"Perhaps she would be happier thus unconscious of past griefs, or of the
+dreary future in store for her," Bertha frequently repeated to herself;
+but Hilda was not thus to be spared the trials and sorrows sent to
+purify and correct her nature.  Not only did she become fully aware of
+all that had taken place, but she was made fully alive to events daily
+occurring, and was able to contemplate what the future might bring
+forth.  On what account her son was carried off, she could form no
+conjecture, but she always cherished the hope of seeing him again.  This
+hope occupied her thoughts by day and her dreams by night, and appeared
+to be the chief means of her restoration to comparative health.  At
+first she could not bear the sight of her child's playmate, Ronald
+Morton; but one day she suddenly desired Bertha to bring him to her, and
+after gazing at him for some moments, she covered him with kisses, and
+from that moment could scarcely bear him out of her sight.  At first the
+child cried, and evidently regarded her with dread; but Bertha soothed
+him, and persuaded him to go back to her; and Hilda, by gentle caresses,
+which seemed totally foreign to her nature, soon won him over
+completely, so that he quickly learned to look on her as really his
+mother.  His father had sailed, at the commencement of the year, for
+Greenland, and there was no probability of his returning till the
+autumn.
+
+In spite of the exciting incidents which had occurred, matters at
+Lunnasting returned very much to their usual condition.  Even poor
+Lawrence Brindister, who had behaved with courage and a considerable
+amount of judgment when the castle was attacked, very speedily again
+became the half-witted creature he generally appeared, and once more
+resumed his eccentric habits and behaviour.
+
+Sir Marcus had before this again put off the time for his return home;
+but at length a large cutter--a Leith smack--was seen standing towards
+the castle.  She dropped her anchor at the entrance of Lunnasting Voe,
+and a boat containing a lady and gentleman immediately put off from her,
+and pulled for the landing-place.  Hilda soon recognised her father and
+sister.  As she saw them, she felt every nerve in her system trembling
+with agitation.  Bertha entreated her to be calm, and at last, by a
+violent effort, she gained sufficient command over herself to hurry down
+to the landing-place to meet them.  Her father met her with his usual
+polite, but cold and indifferent manner; but Edda herself, blooming with
+life and health, looked deeply concerned when she saw her altered
+appearance, for physical suffering and mental anxiety had made sad havoc
+with those features.  Sir Marcus had now to learn, for the first time,
+of the piratical attack which had been made on his castle, and of the
+severe loss he had suffered.  Every one was anxious to screen Hilda; and
+probably, had it not been necessary to account to him for the
+disappearance of so many articles of property, even that event would not
+have been told him.  Of all others, he was allowed to remain perfectly
+ignorant.
+
+Thus, strange as it may appear, he heard nothing of the circumstances of
+the visit of the "Saint Cecilia," of Hilda's marriage with Don Hernan,
+or of the birth of her child.  All he heard was, that a foreign
+ship-of-war had anchored in the Sound, and that, shortly after, she had
+been wrecked on the west coast of the mainland; so sure are those who
+attempt to rule their dependents with severity or injustice, to be
+deceived or misled by them.
+
+Humbled, softened, and weighed down with grief, Hilda could not long
+keep her secret from her sister; and Edda heard, with amazement and
+sorrow, all the strange events which had occurred at Lunnasting during
+her absence.  Once having broken through the ice of reserve which had so
+long existed, the two sisters were on far more affectionate terms than
+they had ever before been.
+
+Edda did not utter a word of blame.  She well knew how little trained
+Hilda had ever been to bear it, but she gave her sympathy, and treated
+her with all the tenderness and affection of a loving sister.
+
+Meantime, Sir Marcus Wardhill, who was not a man to suffer an injury
+without attempting to obtain redress, was sending memorial after
+memorial to the government in England, to complain of the attack made on
+his castle, and was also instituting every inquiry to ascertain to what
+nation the people belonged who had been guilty of the act.  All he could
+learn with regard to the latter point was, that on the day following
+that on which it occurred, a pilot boat and several fishing vessels had
+fallen in with a large schooner of a very rakish appearance, under
+French colours, steering a course apparently with the intention of
+running between Shetland and Orkney, into the Atlantic.
+
+In the course, however, of his inquiries, information which he little
+expected came out, and which could not fail to raise his suspicions as
+to his daughter's discretion.  He was, as has been seen, a man wise in
+the ways of the world, and not at all liable to give way to sudden
+bursts of temper, great as might be the provocation.  Instead,
+therefore, of rushing into his daughter's room, and accusing her of her
+misconduct, he kept his counsel, and said nothing whatever on the
+subject.  It might have occurred to him that he should have been wiser
+had he remained at home, and looked more narrowly after his
+establishment.  He found that he had been deceived--of that there could
+be no doubt.  Information which he naturally expected would have been
+given to him had been withheld.  He knew that this being the case, he
+was not likely to force it out of his dependents.  He went on,
+therefore, quietly making inquiries, now of one, now of the other, and
+though he did not gain the whole truth, he ascertained enough to assure
+him that it would be wiser not to push his inquiries much further.  Had
+he become aware of the exact state of the case, he would have
+undoubtedly been far more satisfied than he was; but cunning men are
+often caught in their own snares, and miss the mark at which they are
+aiming.
+
+It was remarked that, after a time, he took far more interest in little
+Ronald Morton than he had at first done, and seemed not at all surprised
+at finding the child so constantly with his daughter.  He even made some
+attempts to play with it, but they were not very successful, and the
+little fellow invariably made his escape from him as soon as he could.
+
+The time fixed for Edda's marriage had now arrived, and Colonel Armytage
+was daily expected.  Sir Marcus mentioning this to Hilda, remarked, "You
+will let that child remain with Bertha Eswick while Armytage is here.  I
+do not object to your petting him, but it is fit that you should pay all
+the attention in your power to your intended brother-in-law."
+
+There might have been far more order and regularity in the castle after
+the master's return, but everybody felt an uncomfortable sensation of
+oppression whenever he was present.  The only sun which shed any light
+through the surrounding atmosphere was his daughter Edda.  Full of life
+and animation, nothing could quell her spirits, and in most cases she
+had only to appear to dispel the gloom.
+
+Poor Lawrence, even more than any one else, felt the weight of his
+guardian's presence whenever he was compelled to remain at home; but he
+had the resource--of which he never failed to avail himself when the
+weather allowed him--of going out in his boat, of wandering about the
+island on Neogle, with Surly Grind, or of visiting his cavern.  Sir
+Marcus had gained that influence over him which a man of strong mind
+usually obtains over one of weak intellect, and he was thus often able
+to make him say the very things which he purposely intended to keep
+secret.  Still Lawrence did not tell him the whole truth, and often thus
+misled him more than if he had not said a word on the subject.  Often,
+too, he would startle him as he walked away by breaking out, as if
+unconsciously, with "The prince will hae his ain again!  The prince will
+hae his ain again!"
+
+"What do you mean by that, Lawrence?" exclaimed the baronet, one day,
+with greater agitation than he usually exhibited.
+
+"The meaning, coz?" said Lawrence, turning round and looking at him
+hard.  "The true meaning is this: that the king of the land will some
+day come back, and put his own crown of gold on his head, in spite of
+the rebels and all the cunning men who try to keep him from it."
+
+A very uncomfortable sensation crept round the baronet's heart.
+
+Poor Lawrence went his way, rejoicing under the belief that he had
+frightened the stern, dignified baronet out of his wits.  He little
+understood the tough materials of which his cousin's mind was composed,
+or dreamed of the injury the hints he had thrown out would induce him to
+work against those he might suppose stood in his way.  At present it was
+Sir Marcus's wish to keep everything as smooth and pleasant at
+Lunnasting, that he might be able to give an agreeable welcome to his
+intended son-in-law.
+
+Colonel Armytage had written word that he had engaged the same cutter
+which had carried Sir Marcus and his daughter to Shetland.  It was very
+natural, therefore, that Edda should very frequently have her eye at a
+large telescope Sir Marcus had brought with him, and which he had placed
+in Hilda's room at the top of the tower.  One day, as she was looking
+through the glass, she exclaimed suddenly to her sister, "Oh Hilda,
+Hilda, there is the cutter at last!"
+
+Hilda looked, but her more practised eye told her that it was no cutter,
+but a square-rigged vessel, which, with a fair breeze, under all sail,
+was approaching the island.  She was sorry to disappoint Edda, and for
+sometime she did not tell her of her mistake.  She herself went several
+times to the glass, and was convinced, from the squareness of the
+vessel's yards and the whiteness of her canvas, that she was a
+man-of-war.  Painful feelings crowded to her heart, for the vessel
+approaching reminded her strongly of the "Saint Cecilia:" she stood on
+boldly, as if those on board were well acquainted with the coast, and in
+a short time Hilda ascertained, without doubt, that she was a
+brig-of-war.  Poor Edda, with a sigh, discovered that she had been
+mistaken.
+
+The brig-of-war stood on towards Lunnasting till she neared the south
+end of Eastling Island, when, as she hauled her wind to stand up the
+Sound, Hilda saw with a thrill that the flag of Spain was flying from
+her peak.  She brought to, at the very spot at which the "Saint Cecilia"
+had anchored.  Before her sails were furled a boat was lowered, and
+pulled towards the castle.  Hilda watched it through the telescope, and,
+as it passed under the walls, she recognised, in the officer who sat in
+the stern-sheets, the first-lieutenant of the "Saint Cecilia," Pedro
+Alvarez.  Though eager to learn what cause had brought him to
+Lunnasting, she was afraid of going down to meet him, lest it should
+excite suspicion in her father's mind.  Trembling with agitation, she
+sat still, waiting for his appearance, with the hope, though it was full
+of doubt, that he might bring her tidings of her son.
+
+Meantime, Lawrence Brindister had espied him, and hurrying to the
+landing-place, welcomed him cordially.  "But I say, old friend," he
+continued, holding his finger to his nose, "the cat has come back, and
+the mice mustn't play any more; you understand--mum's the word; don't
+talk of anything that has occurred: let old Grimalkin find out what he
+can; I delight in teasing him."
+
+Although the worthy Pedro did not comprehend all Lawrence said, he
+understood that he was not to allude to past events in the presence of
+the lord of the castle.  Lawrence hurried him on, talking in his usual
+rambling way, so that before he had time to make any inquiries, he found
+himself in the presence of Sir Marcus Wardhill.  The baronet received
+him with all due courtesy, and he was invited to stop and dine at the
+castle--an invitation he at once accepted.  Hilda had no opportunity of
+seeing him till they met before dinner.  It was not even then, without
+great exertion, that she obtained sufficient self-command to speak to
+him with ordinary calmness.
+
+During the meal little Ronald Morton toddled into the room, having
+escaped from the arms of his nurse.  Captain Alvarez gave an inquiring
+glance at the child, and at first looked puzzled, and then well
+satisfied.  Hilda was able to converse with him in Spanish, and with his
+broken English and French he managed to make himself very agreeable to
+Sir Marcus and Edda; Sir Marcus, indeed, begged that when he could live
+on shore that he would make his castle his home; he declined, on the
+plea that he must sail, probably the next day, for the southward.
+
+The attack on the castle had been spoken of, but not a word had been
+said of the child having been carried off.
+
+Hitherto Hilda had been unable to talk to the Spanish captain alone;
+fortunately, at length, Sir Marcus left the room; Ronald was sitting
+playing on the ground near them.
+
+"He is truly a noble child, though his complexion shows more of his
+northern than his southern blood," observed the captain.
+
+"That child!--oh, you are mistaken!" exclaimed Hilda, "Have you not
+heard that my own Hernan was carried off?"  And she told him all that
+had occurred.
+
+"The atrocious scoundrel!" exclaimed Pedro Alvarez; "I feared it would
+be so, and for your sake, lady, and for that of my late brave captain, I
+will pursue them round the world, and recover the boy."
+
+Hilda looked at him with an expression of the deepest gratitude:--
+
+"I was certain that you had come either to bring me notice of my lost
+one, or that you would aid me in discovering him," she exclaimed, taking
+his hand.  "I trust to you, Captain Alvarez, and I am sure that you will
+not deceive me."
+
+The captain assured her that he would be faithful to his promise, and
+explained all he knew of the plot which had been formed to carry off her
+son, to prevent him from inheriting his title and property.
+
+"But cannot we punish the treacherous marquis and kinsman?" she
+exclaimed.  "Cannot we compel him to tell us where my child has been
+carried to?  Has the law no power in your country?"
+
+"None, lady, in this matter," answered Pedro.  "I myself am an outlaw; I
+can never return as a free man to Spain.  I have been guilty of a crime
+so heinous in the eyes of the law, that should the officers of my own
+ship discover it, they would be compelled to carry me there in chains.
+My dread, therefore, is lest we should fall in with any Spanish ship,
+from which they may learn what has occurred."  He then briefly told her
+how he had killed the officer of the Inquisition who had tried to
+apprehend him.
+
+"But the priest, Father Mendez; surely he can aid us?" said Hilda.
+
+"Unless you can show him that by his aiding you he can advance the
+object for which alone he lives, he will stir neither hand nor foot in
+the cause," answered the Spanish captain.  "Besides, I am certain that
+he believes the child still safe in the castle."
+
+"Then, Captain Alvarez, I must place all my hope on you," exclaimed
+Hilda.
+
+"Place it on the justice of heaven, lady," he replied, solemnly.
+
+Hilda made no reply, but her beautiful features wore an expression of
+the deepest, the most hopeless distress.
+
+Pedro Alvarez having obtained from Lawrence, and others, every
+particular about the attack on the castle, as well as a description of
+the child, and even the appearance of the men who carried him off,
+returned on board his brig, and the next day sailed for the southward.
+
+His coming had thrown Hilda into a painful state of agitation.  She had
+not recovered from it when the smack with Colonel Armytage on board
+anchored before the castle.  Edda's joyous countenance formed a great
+contrast to her melancholy look.  Sir Marcus met her, as she was
+preparing to receive her future brother-in-law, and harshly ordered her
+to appear more cheerful.
+
+"Those lachrymose features of yours will raise suspicions in his mind
+which may induce him to make disagreeable inquiries," he said, in an
+angry tone.  "I know his disposition, and fully believe that, should he
+discover anything to displease him, he is capable of breaking off the
+match altogether.  Should he do so, remember, Hilda, you will be
+answerable for the consequences."
+
+"Can you intrust my sister's happiness with such a man?" asked Hilda.
+
+"I am the best judge on that point," was the answer.
+
+Colonel Armytage soon came on shore, attended by two servants.  He was
+decidedly handsome and gentlemanly, and though at times his manner was
+somewhat haughty and reserved, he was often so courteous and agreeable,
+that he quickly regained his place in the good graces of those with whom
+he associated.  Hilda, indeed, soon forgot her father's remarks, and
+felt perfectly satisfied as to the prospect of her sister's happiness.
+
+Colonel Armytage was accompanied by two friends, brother officers.
+Their presence made the castle far more lively than it had wont to be
+for many a long year; but all their sallies could not dispel the
+melancholy which Hilda could not hide even from them.  Sir Marcus very
+narrowly watched Lawrence, who had become intimate with them; but
+whether or not he had told them of any of the occurrences which had
+lately taken place, he could not ascertain.  It was a relief to him
+when, the day of the wedding having arrived, the castle was filled with
+the families of sufficient distinction to be invited to it.  Hilda could
+not but feel that they generally regarded her with looks of curiosity,
+and, at the same time, of compassion, excessively annoying to her
+feelings.  Often as she approached a group she found them whispering,
+and she observed that their manner was constrained, and that they either
+became silent, or had evidently abruptly commenced a fresh subject of
+conversation.
+
+Nothing, however, occurred to interrupt the marriage ceremony.  How
+different did it appear to the unhappy Hilda to that by which she had
+been united to Don Hernan!
+
+It was not till Colonel Armytage was about to take his departure, with
+his bride, for the south, that on taking his leave of his father-in-law,
+he showed that he was aware of what had taken place.  He drew himself up
+haughtily as he remarked--
+
+"My love and esteem for your daughter, and a sense of honour, compelled
+me to fulfil my engagement with her; but I must ever regard with
+feelings of distrust and contempt the man who would conceal from me
+matters of which I ought to have been informed.  We shall probably
+seldom, perhaps we shall never, meet again--our doing so can produce
+little mutual satisfaction."
+
+Sir Marcus looked confused, and could make no answer, and in silence he
+handed his daughter into the boat which was to convey them on board
+their vessel.  His feelings were not soothed by hearing Lawrence give a
+loud laugh, and sing--as he hopped and skipped up the causeway--
+
+"The prince will hae his ain again!  The prince will hae his ain again!"
+
+The summer passed away, and business compelled Sir Marcus to visit
+Scotland.  During his absence Rolf Morton returned to Shetland.  How
+different was his home to what it had been!  Its chief ornament, its
+only attraction was gone.  He frequently came up to the castle to see
+his child; but he was soon convinced that he could not, as usual, spend
+the winter at home, and he determined to go to Leith to seek for the
+command of some ship sailing to southern latitudes.
+
+A few days before he took his departure Sir Marcus returned to
+Lunnasting.  They met, and the baronet eyed him with so sinister an
+expression that an uncomfortable sensation crept over the heart of the
+bold seaman, and he felt that he was in the presence of one who would do
+him an injury if he had the power.
+
+Bidding farewell, however, to Bertha Eswick and his boy, he sailed for
+Leith, believing that for this time, however, he had escaped the malice
+of his enemy.  He was mistaken.  He had not been at Leith many days
+before he had the offer made him of the command of a fine ship bound
+round Cape Horn.  The preliminary arrangements were soon made, but the
+usual papers were not yet signed.  As he walked through the streets of
+Leith he more than once observed a man, who, he felt certain, was
+dodging his steps, and whom he observed watching him as he entered his
+lodgings.  The matter, however, did not make much impression on him.  He
+was on his way to the owner's office to conclude the arrangements for
+his taking command, when, as he was passing along the quays, he was
+accosted by the individual he had remarked following him, and who now
+asked him if his name was Rolf Morton.
+
+"That is my name," he answered.
+
+"Then you are the very man I want to see," was the reply.  "Come along
+under this archway."
+
+Morton unsuspectingly followed his guide, but no sooner had he reached
+the arch, than a body of seamen rushed out of a door close at hand.  He
+was wondering where they were going, when he found himself surrounded by
+them, and dragged off to a boat lying at a jetty not far off.
+
+He was in the hands of a press-gang.  He had no power of making any
+resistance.  He was forced into the boat, which pulled away to a
+ship-of-war at anchor in the Forth.  He explained that he was virtually
+master of a merchantman, and that the owners would suffer loss should he
+be detained.  He was ordered to exhibit his protection.  He had none.
+His remonstrances were unheeded.  He found that with his will, or
+against his will, he must serve his Majesty.  Many other men had been
+brought on board in the same way that he had been.
+
+"It matters little, if a man does his duty, in what condition of life he
+is placed; he may be equally happy in one as the other," he said to
+himself; "I shall have fewer cares and responsibilities as a
+man-of-war's man, than as a master of a ship.  Why should I sigh and
+moan thus over my lot?  What can't be cured must be endured.  Yes, sir,
+I'll serve his Majesty, and serve him well, I hope," he exclaimed aloud,
+turning to the officer who was examining the pressed men.
+
+Rolf Morton kept his word.  He was soon known as one of the best men in
+the ship, and he had not been long on board before he was raised to the
+rank of a first-class petty officer.  He saw much service in various
+parts of the world.  Wherever work was to be done he was foremost in
+doing it.  Had he been younger, he would probably have been placed on
+the quarterdeck: but he was unambitious, and contented with his lot,
+though he, at last, was made a warrant officer, and ultimately became
+boatswain of a dashing frigate, under as gallant a captain as ever took
+a ship into action.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER FOURTEEN.
+
+THE FLEET AT SPITHEAD--ROLF MORTON'S VISIT TO SHETLAND--ROLF TAKES
+RONALD TO SEA--THE THISBE AND FRENCH FRIGATE--RONALD MORTON'S FIRST
+BATTLE--THE ENEMY STRIKES.
+
+One of the most beautiful sights on the ocean, to the eye of a sailor,
+is the spectacle presented by a large fleet, when the signal for
+weighing is seen flying from the flag-ship.  The boatswain's whistle
+sends its shrill sounds along each deck; the capstan bars are shipped,
+the merry pipe strikes up, with sturdy tramp round go the men--others of
+the crew swarm upon the yards, the broad folds of canvas are let fall,
+and, as if by magic, those vast machines, lately so immovable, now
+looking like tall pyramids of snow, begin noiselessly to glide over the
+blue surface of the water.
+
+Such was the sight witnessed by numerous spectators, both on the Isle of
+Wight shore and that of Portsmouth, when early in the year 1794 one of
+England's noble fleets sailed from Spithead.  A fine breeze from the
+northward enabled the ships to be well out round Saint Helen's, when
+hauling their tacks aboard they stood down channel under all sail.  In
+the centre were the heavy line-of-battle ships, exhibiting a dense mass
+of shining canvas; while scattered around on either side were the
+lighter frigates, like skirmishers on the field of battle feeling the
+way for the main body of the army.  Among the fastest, the finest, and
+most dashing of the latter craft, was the thirty-eight gun frigate
+"Thisbe."
+
+She had only lately been put in commission, and her captain, officers,
+and crew, were mostly strangers to each other.  Captain Courtney, who
+commanded her, had the reputation of being brave and enterprising, but
+his present crew had yet to learn what he was made of.
+
+The day was closing; the fleet had made good progress down channel, and
+the "Thisbe" was one of the southernmost look-out frigates; the crew
+were enjoying a short relaxation from their duties, which were pretty
+severe, for when a ship first gets to sea there is much to be done to
+put her in order, to encounter an enemy or a gale.
+
+The captain and two of his lieutenants walked the weather side of the
+quarter-deck, while the other gun-room officers and some of the
+midshipmen, paced the lee side.  Captain Courtney's appearance was much
+in his favour; though his firm mouth and the general expression of his
+features showed that he was accustomed to command, the pleasant smile
+occasionally playing over his countenance relieved them from too great
+sternness.
+
+The first lieutenant, Mr Strickland, looked like his chief, the perfect
+officer and gentleman, while the second, well known in the service as
+Tom Calder, was more of the rough-and-ready school.
+
+Tom was broad-shouldered and short, with an open countenance, and a
+complexion which once had been fair, but was now burnt nearly to a
+bright copper, but neither winds nor sun had been able to change the
+rich golden tint of his hair, which clustered in thick curls under his
+hat, which hat he managed to stick on the very back of his head; whether
+cocked hat, or tarpaulin, or sou'-wester, he wore it the same; it was a
+puzzle, though, to say how it kept there.  But to see Tom as he was, was
+to catch him at work, with knife and marlin-spike, secured by rope-yarns
+round his neck, his hands showing intimate acquaintance with the tar
+bucket, while not a job was there to be done which he could not show the
+best way of doing.
+
+Tom Calder, as was said of him, was the man to get work out of a crew,
+and where he led others were ever ready to follow.  Altogether, he was
+evidently cut out for a good working first lieutenant, and there seemed
+every prospect of his becoming one.  He had entered the service at the
+hawse-hole, and worked his way up, by his steadiness and gallantry, to
+the quarterdeck, a position to which he was well calculated to do
+credit.
+
+On the forecastle the three warrant officers sauntered slowly up and
+down, stretching their limbs after their day's work was over.
+
+They were accompanied by a fine intelligent-looking boy, apparently of
+about fifteen, who was attentively listening to their conversation.  The
+likeness which the boy bore to one of them, made it pretty evident that
+they were father and son.
+
+The boatswain was Rolf Morton.  When once pressed into the navy, by the
+management of Sir Marcus Wardhill, he had, from want of the energy
+required to take steps to leave it, remained in the service till a
+warrant had been almost forced on him.  Just before the "Thisbe" was
+commissioned he had paid a visit to Shetland; he had found his boy
+Ronald grown and improved beyond his most sanguine expectations.  The
+Lady Hilda, as she was still called, had devoted herself to his
+education, and treated him as her son; and in the more important matters
+which she unhappily was unable to teach him.  Bertha Eswick had afforded
+him instruction.  But Ronald had another instructor, though an eccentric
+one, in Lawrence Brindister.  Not a more daring or expert boatman, a
+finer swimmer, or a better shot of his age, or much above his age, was
+to be found in all Shetland.
+
+Poor Hilda had never heard from Pedro Alvarez, nor had she received
+tidings of her son, though, hopeless as it might seem, she lived on in
+the expectation of one day recovering him.  Both she and Bertha had so
+earnestly entreated Rolf to leave Ronald in Shetland, that he would have
+done so, had he not received a warning, not to be neglected, from
+Lawrence Brindister, to be off and to take his boy with him.
+
+He had often suspected that Sir Marcus Wardhill was his enemy, and now
+he learned from Lawrence, that he was the enemy of his son also, and
+would work him ill if he had him in his power.
+
+"Then I will take him out of his power," observed Rolf; and before the
+next morning he was away to Lerwick.  Sir Marcus sent a fast rowing boat
+after him, but when she reached the capital of Shetland, Rolf and his
+son had already taken their departure.  Sir Marcus Wardhill was reaping
+where he had sown.
+
+From his younger and best-loved daughter he had long been almost totally
+estranged.  Colonel Armytage had for years held no direct communication
+with him, while Edda's letters were very brief, and she, having become
+the mother of a daughter, offered this as an excuse for not paying a
+visit to the north.
+
+It was not till now that Hilda revealed to him the whole history of her
+marriage and the loss of her boy.  His rage knew no bounds when he
+discovered that no certificate of this marriage was forthcoming.  But
+one witness, who was forthcoming, survived--Bertha Eswick: she, however,
+had been in a declining state for some time, and but a few days had
+passed after Rolf and Ronald had quitted Lunnasting before she expired,
+leaving Hilda more solitary and miserable than ever.
+
+Ronald Morton had commenced his life at sea with the greatest zest, and
+although he had a few difficulties to contend with, and not a few older
+boys to fight, he invariably came off victorious, and was altogether a
+general favourite.  Rolf devotedly loved his son, and though not
+ambitious for himself, his great desire was to see Ronald on the
+quarter-deck, and rising in his profession: he certainly looked as if it
+were more his proper place than was the forecastle where he now was.
+
+"Father," he said, turning his beaming countenance, "I do long to be in
+a battle.  Are we likely soon to fall in with an enemy?"
+
+"No hurry for that, boy," answered the boatswain, who had been in many a
+desperate fight, and knew what fighting was; "we shall fall in with one
+before long, depend on that."
+
+"I hope so, indeed," exclaimed Ronald; "those Frenchmen who have cut off
+their king's head deserve to be thrashed round and round the globe till
+not a man of them remains alive."
+
+This sentiment was warmly applauded both by the gunner and carpenter.
+
+"I don't say as how I 'zactly hates the Frenchmen," observed Mr
+Rammage, the gunner; "but it's my opinion that the sea is not big enough
+for both of us, and the sooner we drives them off it, the sooner we
+shall be friends again."
+
+Ronald had not long to wait before he saw, though chiefly at a distance,
+one of the most important of England's naval battles.  The "Thisbe"
+formed one of Lord Howe's fleet, when he gained the glorious victory of
+the 1st of June which taught the Frenchmen, by a lesson often to be
+repeated, that they must expect defeat whenever they might venture to
+contend with England's navy on the ocean.
+
+As the "Thisbe" was employed as a look-out frigate, she took but little
+part in the action.  What she did do, far from damping Ronald's ardour,
+only made him the more eager to fight again.  He had not long to wait.
+The "Thisbe," with the rest of the fleet, returned to Spithead to
+receive the marks of honour the sovereign and the nation showered on the
+heads of the gallant chiefs, who had led their ships to victory; but
+before long she was again on a cruise down channel.  Rounding Ushant,
+she steered to the southward, boldly standing along the French coast,
+and making what the French probably considered a very impertinent
+examination of their forts and harbours.
+
+She approached the place to be examined during the night, and at early
+dawn the required information having been obtained, she was again
+standing off shore, under all sail, before any of the enemy's ships
+could get under weigh to pursue her.  She proceeded as far south as
+Rochelle.
+
+Looking one morning into the harbour of that place, a frigate was
+discovered in the outer roads, apparently ready for sea.
+
+"She seems about our size; if we could draw her out, we might take her,"
+observed Captain Courtney to his first lieutenant, Mr Strickland.
+
+"No doubt about it, sir," was the answer; "she is, however, I suspect,
+rather larger, but so much the better.  There is little honour in
+capturing a Frenchman of one's own size.  That we are of course expected
+to do.  We should be thankful when we fall in with an antagonist of
+superior strength."
+
+"You are right, Strickland," exclaimed the captain, warmly.  "Back the
+maintopsail and fire a gun towards her.  The signal of defiance will be
+understood, and if her captain has a spark of courage, he'll come out
+and meet us."
+
+With colours flying, the British frigate lay-to off the Frenchman's
+port.  While thus defying the enemy a large schooner was seen standing
+along shore and apparently making for the harbour.
+
+"We'll take her before their very noses, and if that does not rouse
+them, I do not know what will," observed the captain, as he gave the
+orders to make sail in chase.
+
+The schooner, little expecting to be snapped up by an enemy in the very
+sight of port, endeavoured in vain to escape.  The "Thisbe," like an
+eagle towards its prey, flew after her, and in a short time she was a
+prize.
+
+Taking out the prisoners and putting a prize crew on board, Captain
+Courtney stood back, with the schooner in tow, towards the mouth of the
+harbour; then again firing another shot of defiance, he bore away to the
+westward.
+
+"The Frenchmen will bear a great deal, but they will not bear that,"
+observed Morton to his son.  "Before this time tomorrow we shall either
+be inside that harbour, feeling very much ashamed of ourselves--and I
+don't think that is likely to happen--or we shall have that frigate in
+there for our prize, and be standing away with her for old England."
+
+The "Thisbe" had got some eight miles or so away from the land, when the
+French frigate was seen under sail and standing towards her.  Captain
+Courtney was anxious to draw the enemy as far from the coast as
+possible, lest, when the hoped-for result of the action should become
+known, notice might be sent of the event to other ports to the
+northward, and a superior force despatched to capture him.  He
+accordingly hove-to occasionally, and then stood on to entice the enemy
+after him.
+
+When the evening closed in, the Frenchman was in sight about two leagues
+off, coming up astern.  The "Thisbe," now casting off the prize, stood
+towards her.  At this time there was no other sail in sight, with the
+exception of a small boat, apparently a fishing boat, which kept as
+close as she could to the "Thisbe," possibly to watch what was going to
+take place.
+
+Captain Courtney's object was, of course, to obtain the weather gauge;
+and in consequence of having to manoeuvre to obtain it, it was not till
+past midnight that the two ships got within range of each other's guns.
+Not a man of the "Thisbe's" crew had turned in.  The drum beat to
+quarters.  The men flew to their stations with pistols in their belts
+and cutlasses by their sides, eager to begin the fight.
+
+The "Thisbe" was on the starboard tack, when the enemy, on the larboard
+tack, slowly glided past her to windward, looking like some dark phantom
+stalking over the surface of the deep.
+
+Ronald, who stood on the forecastle with his father, watched her with
+intense eagerness.  Presently a sheet of flame burst from her side,
+followed by the loud thunder of the guns and the whizzing of shot.  A
+few came near the English frigate, but none struck her.
+
+"Return the compliment, my lads.  Give it them!" exclaimed Captain
+Courtney.
+
+The crew, with a cheer, obeyed the order, the flashes of their guns
+throwing a ruddy glow on the bulwarks and the figures of the crew, as
+stern and grim they stood at their quarters.
+
+"Hands about ship!" was the next order issued; and the "Thisbe," tacking
+in the wake of her opponent, stood after her.
+
+"Father," asked Ronald, as he stood by Morton's side on the forecastle,
+"will the Frenchman try to escape us?"
+
+"No fear of that, he would not have come out at first if he had intended
+to play us that trick," was the answer.  "He has made one slight
+mistake, though; he fancies that he is going to take us; and it's my
+firm belief that we are going to take him."
+
+"I hope so, father," answered Ronald.  "I would sooner die than be taken
+by a Frenchman."
+
+"That is the right spirit, my boy," exclaimed Rolf, warmly.  "But little
+fear of what will happen--our captain is not a man to throw away a
+chance of victory."
+
+While they were speaking, the "Thisbe" was rapidly coming up with the
+enemy; and as her guns could be brought to bear they were fired in quick
+succession--the French frigate returning them with right good will,
+though as her shot flew high, the "Thisbe's" masts and spars suffered
+more than her hull, and few of her men had hitherto been hit.
+
+Morton looked anxiously aloft.  "It will be a bad job if they go," he
+muttered to himself.  He then sent Ronald aft to ascertain the condition
+of the main and mizenmast, which he believed had been struck.
+
+His son soon returned with a very bad report.  The masts were already
+badly wounded.
+
+Soon after this the "Thisbe" got within musket-shot of the starboard
+quarter of her opponent; and the marines opened their fire, while the
+firing of the great guns became warmer than ever.
+
+Captain Courtney had never, for a moment, taken his eye off the French
+ship, that he might watch for the least indication of any manoeuvre she
+might be about to perform.  Suddenly he exclaimed, "Up with the helm!--
+square away the after yards!"
+
+Quickly the manoeuvre was executed, though only just in time to prevent
+the enemy who wore the instant before, from crossing the "Thisbe's"
+bows, and pouring in a raking fire.  The two frigates now ran on before
+the wind, closely engaged, broadside to broadside.  Fast came the round
+shot, crashing on board.  Splinters from the torn bulwarks were flying
+about, from aloft some rattling blocks and shattered spars; while
+showers of bullets were raining down death and wounds in every
+direction.
+
+Ronald Morton felt his spirits rise to an unnatural pitch as the fight
+grew hotter and hotter.  Not the remotest thought of death, not a shadow
+of fear crossed his mind.  Others were struck down, but those missiles
+of destruction were not for him.  Others might be hit, but he bore a
+charmed life.
+
+There is something far more terrific and trying to the nerves in a night
+action than in one fought by day.  The dark, mysterious form of the
+enemy, the flashes of the guns, the irregular glare, the dim light of
+the fighting lanterns, the cries and groans of the wounded, the
+uncertainty as to who is hit or what damage has been done, all combine
+to produce an effect which the most desperate fight by day can scarcely
+exhibit.
+
+The crew of the "Thisbe" could see that their shot was producing great
+effect on their antagonist.  Her masts still stood, but several of her
+spars were shot away, and her rigging appeared a mass of wreck.  The
+English frigate was also much injured aloft, but her masts were still
+standing.
+
+By this time the "Thisbe" had shot ahead of her antagonist.  "Starboard
+the helm!" exclaimed Captain Courtney.  "Cease firing, my lads!  Be
+ready to give her a raking broadside as we cross her hawse."
+
+The frigate luffed up into the wind; and, as she did so, her larboard
+guns were discharged in quick succession into the bows of the Frenchman;
+but amid the roar of the guns a loud crash was heard, and the mizenmast,
+unable to bear the additional strain on it, went by the board, but
+falling to starboard, did not impede the working of the guns.  As the
+crew were running from under it, the tall mainmast was seen to totter,
+and with all its yards and sails, over it went on the same side.  With a
+groan the boatswain saw what had occurred.  He feared, too, that the
+enemy might escape, as her masts were still standing; but as the
+"Thisbe's" mainmast went, the French frigate ran stern on to her, on her
+larboard quarter, her bowsprit passing directly across her deck over the
+capstan.
+
+"She is our own if we can but keep her," exclaimed the boatswain; and,
+followed by Ronald, he hurried aft, calling to some of his mates to
+assist him.
+
+The officers and crew had enough to do at that moment, for the Frenchmen
+trusting to their number, which appeared to be very great, were swarming
+on the forecastle, and rushing along the bowsprit with the intention of
+boarding the "Thisbe."
+
+"Boarders! repel boarders!" shouted the captain, setting the example in
+attacking the first Frenchmen who presented themselves as they sprang
+forward.
+
+Now the clash of steel, the sharp report of pistols, intermingled with
+the roar of the great guns--those on the quarter and main-decks still
+continuing to pour a destructive fire into the enemy's starboard bow as
+they could be brought to bear the Frenchmen, from the position in which
+their ship was placed, being only able to reply with musketry.  Their
+critical position made them rush on and on again with the greatest
+frenzy, but each time they were driven back with heavy loss, many of
+them falling overboard from off the bowsprit, or being cut down by the
+British seamen.  Meantime Rolf Morton and his followers were busily
+engaged in lashing the enemy's bowsprit to their capstan with such ropes
+as they could lay hands on.  Captain Courtney looked round, and saw how
+they were engaged.
+
+"Admirably done, Mr Morton," he cried out.  "Keep her there, and we
+will give a good account of the Frenchmen in her."
+
+At that moment the enemy, with loud shouts and _sacres_ and other oaths,
+came rushing forward in greater numbers than before, intending to drop
+down on the "Thisbe's" deck, and hoping to overwhelm her crew by their
+numbers.  Again they felt the effect of British cutlasses.  Desperately
+as they fought, they were once more driven back with diminished numbers
+to the ship.  In vain the Frenchmen endeavoured to free their ship from
+the position in which they had placed her.  The "Thisbe" stood on,
+towing them after her.  Scarcely one of their guns could be brought to
+bear, but the marines, however, kept up a hot and destructive fire of
+musketry on the deck of the frigate, from the tops as well as from some
+of her quarter-deck guns which had been run in midships fore and aft.
+Though the darkness prevented their taking good aim, no sooner was it
+known that the bowsprit was being made fast to the capstan of the
+English frigate, than the whole of their fire was turned in that
+direction.  The lashings were not yet completed.  Showers of bullets
+fell around the brave men engaged in the work.  Several had fallen.  The
+boatswain did not think of himself, but he dreaded lest his son should
+be hit.  He was considering on what message he should send him to
+another part of the ship, when he felt a sharp blow, his fingers relaxed
+from the rope he was grasping, and he fell to the deck.  He had the
+feeling that he had received his death wound.  Ronald saw what had
+happened, and in an instant was on his knees supporting his father's
+head.
+
+What thought he then of the fierce contest raging?  What did he care who
+gained the victory?  All his feelings were concentrated on his father.
+Was he mortally wounded, or would he recover?  He entreated some of the
+men to carry him below, but they were at that moment too much occupied
+to attend to him.  Rolf recovered slightly.
+
+"No, no, boy; let me remain here," he said in a firm voice.  "All hands
+have work enough to do; I am but hit in the leg, and if they would set
+me on my feet again I could still be of use."
+
+But Ronald did not heed him, and continued imploring the men to carry
+the boatswain below.  Just then the lashings were torn away, and the
+French frigate floated clear of the "Thisbe."  Cries of disappointment
+escaped from the English crew, but they redoubled their efforts to
+cripple their opponent, so as once more to get hold of her.  Meantime
+several of the men, being now at liberty, offered to take the boatswain
+below, but he desired to be left on deck.
+
+"I'll see the fight out, lads," he answered.  "Help me up, some of you,
+and pass this handkerchief round the limb.  Cheer up, Ronald, I'm not so
+badly hurt as you fancy, boy."
+
+"Hurra, lads! here she comes again; we'll have her fast this time,"
+shouted the captain at this juncture.
+
+The "Thisbe," deprived of her after-sail, paid off before the wind, and
+thus the French frigate ran directly into her, on the starboard quarter,
+the enemy's bowsprit hanging over the stump of her mainmast.  The
+opportunity of securing the French ship was not lost, though her crew
+attempted to rush on board, as before, to prevent the operation.
+
+While the captain and most of the superior officers who had escaped
+wounds or death were engaged in repelling them, Rolf caused himself to
+be brought nearer to the mainmast, that he might superintend the crew in
+lashing the bowsprit to it.
+
+This time they took care that it should not again break away; and now
+the "Thisbe," running directly off before the wind, dragged the
+Frenchman after her.
+
+The fight had been hot before, but it became hotter still.  Again and
+again the Frenchmen endeavoured to cut away those second lashings, but
+the English marines kept up so hot a fire, that each time the attempt
+was frustrated.  Still the enemy showed no signs of yielding.  Something
+must be done.  Wounded as he was, Morton dragged himself up to where the
+captain was standing.
+
+"I beg your pardon, Captain Courtney, but if we could get a couple of
+guns run out abaft on the main-deck, we could silence that fellow pretty
+quickly," he said, touching his hat with all due formality.
+
+It was somewhat out of rule for the boatswain to offer his advice
+unasked to the captain, but under the circumstances the irregularity was
+easily overlooked by such a man as Captain Courtney.
+
+"You are right, Mr Morton," he answered; "send the carpenter and his
+crew aft, Mr Calder," to the second lieutenant.  "Get the two after
+guns on the main-deck ready to run out astern as soon as we have some
+ports made for them."
+
+Having given this order, the captain descended to the main-deck.
+
+Mr Gimbol, the carpenter, soon made his appearance there from below,
+where he had been going his rounds through the wings, to stop any
+shot-holes which might have been made between wind and water.
+
+With axes and saws he and his crew set to work, but the upper transom
+beam resisted all their efforts.
+
+"We must blow out some ports," exclaimed the captain.  "Send the firemen
+here."
+
+A gang of men with buckets were quickly on the spot.  The guns were
+pointed aft.  "Fire!" cried the captain.  The two guns went off
+together, and as the suffocating smoke blew off, two holes with jagged
+edges were seen in the stern, but flames were bursting out around them.
+These, however, the firemen with their buckets quickly extinguished, and
+the guns, being again loaded, opened their fire through them on the deck
+of the Frenchman.  The effect produced from this unexpected quarter was
+terrific.  Fore and aft the shot flew crashing between the decks, seldom
+failing to find some victims, and oftentimes carrying off the heads of
+half-a-dozen men, as they stood at their guns, in its course from one
+end of the ship to the other.  Never were guns more rapidly worked than
+were those two twelve-pounders on board the "Thisbe."  The captain stood
+by, encouraging the men.
+
+Rolf Morton went about, badly wounded as he was, to ascertain where his
+services were most required.  Ronald followed his father, dreading every
+moment to see him fall from the effects of his first wound, or to find
+that he was again hit.  Once more they returned to the upper deck.
+Their numbers were falling, wounds were being received, and havoc was
+being made aloft and on every side.  The masts of the French ship were
+still standing, but from the shrieks and cries which proceeded from her
+decks, there seemed little doubt that she was suffering even more than
+the "Thisbe."  Ronald kept watching the enemy.
+
+"See, father!--see!" he exclaimed.  "Down, down they come!"  He pointed
+at the Frenchman's foremast.  It bent on one side, the few ropes which
+held it gave way, and crash it came down over the side.  The mainmast
+stood, but the mizenmast in an instant afterwards followed the foremast,
+preventing the crew from working the greater number of the guns.
+However, with those still unencumbered they continued to fire away with
+the greatest desperation.  The English seamen fought on with the same
+determined courage as at first.  They had made up their minds that they
+would take the enemy, and there was not a man on board who would have
+given in till they had done so, or till the ship sunk under them.
+Half-an-hour passed away.  It seemed surprising that either ship could
+float with the pounding they gave each other, or that any human beings
+could survive on their decks amid the storm of shot and bullets rushing
+across them.  At length a loud cheer burst from the throats of the
+English seamen, the Frenchman's last remaining mast was seen to lean
+over, and down it came with a tremendous crash, crushing many in its
+fall, and completely preventing the crew from working any of their guns.
+
+"They will give in now, father, to a certainty," exclaimed Ronald.
+
+"Not so sure, boy; see, they are going to make a desperate attempt to
+revenge themselves."
+
+"Here they come!" he answered, and then the cry arose from the English
+ship of, "Boarders! repel boarders!"
+
+Once more the Frenchmen came on with the most determined courage.
+Captain Courtney and some of his officers and men who were aft threw
+themselves before the enemy, to stem the torrent which threatened to
+pour down on the "Thisbe's" decks; but with such fury and desperation
+did the Frenchmen come on, that many of the English were driven back,
+and there seemed no little probability that the former would gain their
+object.  Rolf Morton, on perceiving this, and forgetting his wound,
+seized a cutlass, and calling on all the men at hand, followed by
+Ronald, sprang aft to the aid of his captain.  His assistance did not
+come a moment too soon.  Captain Courtney was brought to his knee, and a
+French officer, who had led the boarders, was on the point of cutting
+him down, when Ronald sprang to his side, and thrusting his cutlass
+before him, saved him from the blow intended for his head.  Ronald would
+have had to pay dearly for his gallantry, had not Rolf cut the Frenchman
+down at the moment he was making, in return, a fierce stroke at his son.
+
+More of the English crew, led by their officers, now came hurrying aft,
+and the Frenchmen, disheartened by the loss of their leader, again
+retreated to their ship, leaving eight or ten of their number dead or
+dying behind them.  Still no one cried for quarter; and though not a gun
+was discharged, the marines and small-arm men kept up as hot a fire as
+before.
+
+All this time the "Thisbe's" two after-guns on the maindeck kept
+thundering away at them, fearfully diminishing their numbers.  And thus
+the fight continued: they made, however, no signal of yielding.
+
+The Frenchmen had scarcely retreated from their daring attempt to board
+the frigate, when the lashings which secured their bowsprit to her began
+to give way.  The boatswain had, however, got a hawser ready ranged
+along the deck, and this, in spite of the fire kept up at them, he, with
+his mates and others of the crew, secured to the gammoning of the
+Frenchmen's bowsprit.
+
+"Now the lashings may go as soon as they like!" he exclaimed, almost
+breathless with the exertion; "the Frenchmen will gain little by the
+change."
+
+So it proved: the enemy's ship, when the lashings gave way, dropped
+astern a few fathoms, and there she hung, towed onwards, as before, by
+the "Thisbe," whose crew were thus enabled to rake her decks with more
+deadly effect.  Still the battle raged as at first.
+
+At length some voices were heard from the bowsprit of the French
+frigate.
+
+"Quarter! quarter!" was the cry.  "We have struck! we yield!"
+
+"Cease firing, my lads!" shouted the captain; "we have won the night!"
+
+The order was obeyed.  For an instant there was a perfect silence, a
+contrast to the uproar which had so long continued; even the wounded
+restrained the expression of their sufferings; and then there burst
+forth one of those hearty cheers, which few but English seamen can give,
+and which they so well know how to give with effect.  And now many of
+the brave fellows who had hitherto worked away at their guns without
+flinching, sank down with fatigue, Rolf Morton even then would not go
+below.
+
+"I'll stay on deck and see the enemy secured, and get the ship put to
+rights a little," he answered; "I am only just showing my boy how I wish
+him to behave.  While there is duty to do, and a man has strength to do
+it, he should not shrink from it, whatever it may cost him."
+
+Ronald listened to what his father was saying.
+
+"That's it, father; I'll try and stick to that," he observed, looking up
+in his father's face.
+
+It was now necessary to board the French ship to take possession of her,
+but how that was to be accomplished was the question, for not a boat
+that could swim remained on board either of the combatants.
+
+The second lieutenant--one of the few officers unwounded--volunteered to
+work his way along the hawser, and a midshipman and several of the men
+offered to accompany him; Ronald begged leave to go also.
+
+In those days, strange as it may seem, many seamen could not swim.
+
+The boarding-party commenced their somewhat hazardous passage from one
+ship to the other.  The "Thisbe" had but slight way on her; the hawser
+was consequently somewhat slack, and the weight of the people on it
+brought it down into the water.  The lieutenant and several of the men
+clung on, but the midshipman was by some means or other washed off.
+Unable to swim, he cried out loudly for help, but no one could afford
+it, till Ronald let go his own hold of the rope, and swam towards him.
+Of course to regain the hawser was hopeless, and it was equally
+difficult to swim back to the "Thisbe."  Ronald had practised swimming
+from his childhood, and was as much at home in the water as on shore.
+He struck out with one hand while he supported the young midshipman with
+the other.  His first fear was that the French ship would run them down,
+but a few strokes carried him and his charge clear of that danger.  He
+next attempted to get alongside her.  He looked up, and saw her dark
+hull rising up above him.  There were plenty of ropes hanging overboard;
+he found one that appeared secure above; he put it into the midshipman's
+hands.
+
+"There, Mr Glover," he exclaimed; "we shall be the first on the enemy's
+deck after all."
+
+He was not long in finding another rope for himself, and to the surprise
+of the Frenchmen they found two stranger boys standing on their
+quarter-deck.
+
+"Have you come to take possession?" asked a lieutenant in tolerable
+English.  "What! are all your superior officers killed?"
+
+"Oh, no, monsieur," answered the midshipman; "they will be on board
+presently; but we are somewhat lighter craft, so made quicker work of
+it."
+
+The second lieutenant of the "Thisbe" and his companions soon made their
+appearance, having clambered in over the bows; and the French frigate,
+which was found to be the "Concorde"--one of the largest class in the
+French navy--was formally taken possession of.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER FIFTEEN.
+
+MORNING AFTER THE BATTLE--RONALD PLACED ON QUARTERDECK--RONALD SENT ON
+BOARD THE PRIZE--A SUSPICIOUS SAIL IN SIGHT--GALLANT DEFENCE OF THE
+"THISBE"--NIGHT CLOSES ON THE FIGHT.
+
+As the bright cheerful light of morning broke on the world of waters,
+there lay the two frigates, which, when the sun went down, looked so
+gallant and so trim--now shorn of their beauty, shattered and blackened
+wrecks.
+
+The foremast of the "Thisbe" was alone standing, while all the masts of
+the French frigate, with their sails, and yards, and rigging, hung in
+masses of wreck and confusion over her sides.  The decks covered with
+blood and gore, and the shattered remnants of mortality, presented a
+horrible and disgusting scene; while the broken bulwarks, the decks
+ploughed up, the wheel shot away, and the ruined condition of every part
+of the ship, showed the desperate nature of the conflict, and told of
+the bravery of the gallant French crew who had endured so much before
+they had consented to yield.
+
+Onboard the "Thisbe" the carpenters were busily employed in patching up
+some of the boats, so that the prisoners might be removed from the
+prize, while the rest of the crew were engaged in clearing away the
+wreck of the masts, and in preparing to make sail on the ship.
+
+Ronald was in attendance on his father in his cabin.  The boatswain had
+been more hurt than he supposed; but he did his utmost to conceal his
+suffering from his son.
+
+The shout was heard: "All hands on the quarter-deck!"
+
+The captain was about to address the crew.
+
+Rolf Morton tried to rise, but he soon found that he could not.  "Go,
+Ronald, and hear what the captain has to say.  It will be something
+pleasant, I doubt not," he said, pressing his boy's hand.  "Come and
+tell me when you are dismissed."
+
+Ronald sprang up the hatchway.  The men were mustering aft.  The captain
+and all the officers stood on the quarter-deck--not as usual, in those
+bright and shining uniforms, but in the dress in which they had fought,
+most of them still bearing about their persons the marks of the battle.
+
+"My lads, I have called you aft to thank you for the gallant way in
+which you have fought this ship, and captured an enemy with more men,
+more guns, and of larger tonnage than ourselves," he began.  "I do from
+my heart thank you; and our king and countrymen will thank you, and you
+may well be proud of what you have done.  I wish that I could reward you
+as you deserve; but when all have done their duty it is difficult to
+pick out any for especial notice.  Still there is one man who much
+helped us in capturing the enemy.  That is the boatswain.  He caught,
+and kept him, by lashing his bowsprit to our mainmast, and by his advice
+we blew open the stern ports which so mainly contributed to our success.
+His son, too, saved my life, and afterwards saved the life of Mr
+Glover, and was, with him, the first on board the prize.  The boatswain
+will, I hope, receive his reward hereafter; but as I have the means of
+showing my appreciation of his son's gallantry, I gladly do so at once:
+I have therefore rated him as a midshipman on board this ship.  I am
+sure that no one will think that I have done more for him than he
+deserves.  Come aft, Mr Ronald Morton, and receive the welcome of your
+new messmates."
+
+Ronald came forward almost with a bound, though perfectly unconscious
+that he was moving more rapidly than usual.  The wish of his heart was
+accomplished.  His countenance beamed with satisfaction, and he frankly
+put out his hand towards the midshipmen and the other members of their
+berth.  They all in turns took it and shook it warmly; but none grasped
+it more heartily than did young Glover.
+
+"I must thank you for myself, Morton," he exclaimed, in a tone which
+showed that he spoke from his heart.  "If it had not been for you I
+should have been among the missing, to a certainty."
+
+Morton's own heart was too full to answer.  Numberless emotions were
+working in his bosom.  He felt a proud satisfaction at having obtained
+the rank for which he was conscious he was fitted; he sincerely rejoiced
+at having been the means of saving his captain from a severe wound, if
+not from death; and scarcely less so at having prevented Glover from
+being drowned.  All these feelings kept him silent: but his silence was
+understood; and perhaps no one felt more pleased at seeing him on the
+quarter-deck than did Captain Courtney himself.
+
+"Now back to your duty, my lads," he exclaimed; "we have plenty of work
+before us."
+
+Three hearty cheers burst unpremeditatedly from the throats of the
+crew--and then in high spirits they separated to their respective
+duties.  The work was accomplished, as the captain knew it would be, all
+the better for this little interruption.
+
+Ronald hurried below.  He wanted to be the first to tell his father of
+his good fortune, as he called it.
+
+Rolf Morton was less surprised than he expected.  "I was certain it
+would be so some day, if your life was spared," he observed.  "And now,
+my boy, that your foot is on the first ratline, mount upwards by your
+own exertions.  Be thankful to others who help you, but trust to
+yourself for success."
+
+Ronald had got his father to select a little fellow called Bobby Doull,
+as his boy, whom he had, when he first came on board, taken under his
+protection.
+
+Bobby had been sent to sea from a workhouse.  If not an orphan he was in
+the condition of one; for his father, who was a seaman, had deserted
+him, and had not, since he was an infant, been heard of.  Ronald had, at
+first, frequently to do battle in his cause; but he at length taught the
+other boys to respect him, and to let Bobby alone.
+
+Bobby did his best to repay the kindness he had received, by his
+constant attention to the wants of the wounded boatswain.
+
+Ronald had now to mess with the midshipmen.  One of his first duties was
+to visit the prize, as soon as the boats had been got ready to transfer
+the prisoners to the "Thisbe."
+
+Glover had insisted on lending him a uniform, jacket, and dirk, till he
+could obtain a suit of his own.
+
+Ronald did not hesitate about accepting the offer; and, as Doull told
+the boatswain, he looked every inch a midshipman.
+
+Very little had been done when Ronald returned to the prize towards
+getting her into order; and as he looked fore and aft along the decks,
+it seemed scarcely possible that she could ever be put in a condition at
+sea, to make sail, so as to reach a British port in safety.  Some of her
+crew were already mustered on deck, but others were keeping below.  He
+was accordingly directed to take a party of men round the decks to send
+them up.  As he passed it, he looked into the midshipman's berth, where
+a boy, whose life he had probably been the means of preserving at the
+time of boarding, still lay.
+
+The French midshipman recognised him immediately.  "Ah! come in, my
+friend!" he exclaimed, in broken English: "I want to recompense you for
+what you did for me: but--they told me that you were a ship's boy, and
+now I see that you are of the same rank as myself."
+
+"I was a ship's boy when I found you under the masts, but now I am a
+midshipman," answered Ronald.  "But tell me your name--I shall be glad
+to help you in any way I can."
+
+"My name--ah--they call me Alfonse Gerardin," answered the French
+midshipman.  "I am obliged to you for your kindness.  A prisoner is
+little able to requite it.  Perhaps I may some day--as I should wish to
+do."
+
+"I have done nothing to deserve even thanks," said Ronald.  "But I must
+not stay.  I will come and see you again as soon as I can."
+
+Mr Strickland, the first lieutenant of the "Thisbe," being badly
+wounded, Mr Calder, the second, was directed to take charge of the
+prize.
+
+Robert Rawson, an old master's mate, was ordered to go as his second in
+command, with Glover and Morton as midshipmen, and a master's assistant
+called Twigg.
+
+Ronald wished to have remained to look after his father; but Rolf would
+not hear of it.
+
+"You'll be better in another ship, away from me, boy," he remarked.
+"The doctor and Bobby Doull will look after me.  I shall return to my
+duty in a few days--never fear!"
+
+The peculiar talents of the prize-master of the "Concorde," honest Tom
+Calder, were now brought into full play.  Head and hand were busily
+employed from morning till night, and neither grew weary.  Where the
+hardest work was to be done, there Tom's cheery voice was heard and his
+helping hand was to be found, and before the two, difficulties, at first
+deemed insurmountable, vanished like magic.
+
+Tom had naturally a strong fellow feeling for Ronald.  He remembered his
+own annoyances under similar circumstances, and he fancied that Ronald
+would have to undergo the same.  He had, hitherto, scarcely spoken to
+Ronald, but no sooner did he take the command of the "Concorde," than he
+singled him out to superintend any work requiring more than usual care
+and judgment.
+
+Ronald in no way disappointed him; everybody, indeed, on board the
+prize, worked well, and with a will, and in a wonderfully short space of
+time jury-masts were rigged, and sails were ready for hoisting.
+
+It was evening; the two frigates lay within a few hundred fathoms of
+each other: the "Thisbe," from having her foremasts standing, had a far
+wider range of vision than her prize.  "The `Thisbe' is signalling us,
+sir," said Morton to Mr Calder.
+
+"Get the signal-book, and see what she is saying," was the answer.
+
+The meaning of the signals was soon ascertained.
+
+"A sail in the south-west," Morton read; "An enemy--Prepare for action."
+
+"That's just like him," exclaimed Mr Calder; "if the stranger was a
+seventy-four he would prepare to fight her.  It is to be hoped, though,
+that she is only another frigate, and then, in spite of the loss of our
+masts, we may be able to give a good account of her."
+
+Ronald was ready enough to fight, but could not help thinking that they
+just then had had enough of it, and therefore hoped that the stranger
+might prove a friend.
+
+Some time must elapse before the point could be ascertained, and during
+the interval every effort was made to get sail on the two ships, not for
+the purpose of flying, but to enable them the better to manoeuvre,
+should fighting be the order of the day.
+
+At length Ronald went below to snatch a mouthful of food, and took the
+opportunity of paying a visit to the wounded midshipman, Alfonse
+Gerardin.  He had been placed in the gun-room with the rest of the
+French officers; he lifted up his head as Ronald entered the cabin.
+
+After returning the salutation, he remained silent, and then he
+exclaimed, somewhat bitterly, "Ah, how different are our lots! you have
+gained a victory, have come out of the battle unhurt, and have been
+placed on the first step of the ladder, up which you may climb to the
+highest--while here I lie, a prisoner badly wounded, and, alas! have
+just discovered that I have lost the only friend I had in the world."
+
+"Oh, you are mistaken; I am sure that I have many, and so would you if
+you proved them," said Ronald, in a cheerful tone.  "You are wounded and
+ill; when you recover you will be in better spirits; but tell me, who is
+the friend whose loss you mourn?"
+
+"He was the second lieutenant of this ship, and he was killed early in
+the action with you," answered young Gerardin, with a sigh.  "He was a
+brave man.  I loved him as a son loves his father, and for long I
+thought he was my father.  Only just before we were going into action
+did he tell me that I should find all the particulars about myself in a
+box, in a house where we lived when we were on shore, near Brest.  I
+thought at first that he was jesting, and asked no questions, and it was
+only after he was killed that I believed he spoke the truth.  Poor dear
+Pierre Gerardin! you were always kind and good to me, and I shall never
+see you again."
+
+The young foreigner gave way to his grief with a vehemence which
+somewhat astonished Ronald, accustomed to the more phlegmatic
+temperaments of the north.  He tried to comfort him, but in vain, and
+when the surgeon came he intimated to Ronald that he had better leave
+him, as talking to a stranger seemed to agitate him in an extraordinary
+degree.
+
+"He seems very sorry for the loss of his guardian, but he is an odd
+fellow, and I don't quite like the look of his countenance," said Ronald
+to himself, as he left the cabin.
+
+As soon as he reached the deck he looked out to ascertain what progress
+the stranger had made.  Her courses were already seen from the deck,
+appearing above the horizon.  The work on board the two frigates was
+going forward as energetically as ever.  Still there was yet much to be
+done before they could be put in good fighting order.  The "Thisbe" was
+by far the most advanced of the two, still the bravest on board would
+rather have avoided than sought a fight just then.  On came the
+stranger.
+
+"Well, Morton, just say what you think of her?" said Dicky Glover,
+handing a telescope to Ronald; "there's a mighty Frenchified look about
+those topsails."
+
+"I have not much experience in the matter," answered Ronald, modestly;
+"but she looks very like the `Concorde,' as she appeared when standing
+out toward us."
+
+"That's what Mr Calder and the rest think," observed Glover.  "Well, we
+are ready for the fellow whoever he may be; and for my part, I'd sooner
+blow our prize up into the sky than let her be taken from us; wouldn't
+you, Morton?"
+
+Ronald was not quite so sure of that, and he suspected that Dicky
+himself, if put to the test, might change his mind.
+
+The stranger in a short time drew near enough to see the signals which
+the "Thisbe" began to make.  Her answers were watched for with intense
+interest on board both ships.  Mr Calder had his signal-book open on
+deck.
+
+"There goes up the stranger's bunting," he exclaimed; "now we shall see
+what he has got to say for himself."  Again and again his glass was at
+his eye: at length he shut it up with a loud slap.
+
+"I thought as much," he added; "he's a Frenchman; but he will find the
+`Concorde' a tough morsel if he attempts to swallow her, after she has
+belonged to us."
+
+Captain Courtney arrived before long at the same conclusion, and ordered
+the prize to stand to the northward, under all the sail she could carry.
+
+Tom Calder received the order with a very bad grace.  "I thought that he
+would at least have let us stop to help him to fight it out," he
+muttered to himself as he put his hand to his mouth to issue the
+necessary orders to his scanty crew.
+
+Sail was made on the prize, while the "Thisbe" hauled up her courses,
+and stood slowly after her to draw the enemy more away from the land
+before the commencement of their expected contest.
+
+Mr Calder felt that he had no right to question his commander's
+judgment; he could not help seeing, also, that could he effect his
+escape, he might possibly fall in with another British cruiser, and send
+her to the "Thisbe's" assistance.
+
+Even with more intense interest than at first, the approach of the
+stranger was watched from the deck of the "Concorde."
+
+The prize had got a mile from the "Thisbe" when the French surgeon made
+his appearance on deck, to enjoy a mouthful of fresh air, after his
+fatiguing duties below.  His eager glance, and the sudden lighting up of
+his eye, showed that he fully comprehended the state of affairs.
+
+Among the many accomplishments Ronald had obtained at Lunnasting was a
+certain amount of French.  He could not speak fluently, but he could
+understand what was said.  He could not help asking the surgeon what he
+thought about the stranger coming up from the southward.
+
+"That she is one of the fastest frigates belonging to our navy," was the
+answer.  "We were expecting her here about this time; you have no chance
+of escaping her.  We were to have cruised together; perhaps we shall do
+so now."
+
+"Ask him what sort of a man is her captain," said Mr Calder, who saw
+Ronald talking to the surgeon.
+
+Ronald put the question.
+
+"There are two opinions," said the surgeon, making a face.  "He would be
+a coward who would refuse to attack our late antagonist in the condition
+to which we have reduced her."
+
+"All right," observed Mr Calder, when he heard the remark; "if there
+are two opinions about a man's courage it is seldom that the favourable
+one is the right; we shall see, though."
+
+In accordance with his orders, though much against his inclination,
+Lieutenant Calder stood away from the scene of the approaching combat.
+
+A flash and a puff of smoke was seen, and soon afterwards a low
+thundering noise boomed along the waters.  The French frigate had fired
+her first shot at the "Thisbe."
+
+"I hope it did not hit her!" exclaimed Morton.  "Oh, how I wish we were
+there to help her!"
+
+The same sentiment was expressed by all on board.
+
+It seemed probable that the first shot did hit, for the Frenchman now
+luffed up and fired his broadside at the "Thisbe."  She waited till he
+bore away again, and then returned the compliment.
+
+For a few minutes the firing ceased.  Probably neither of the combatants
+had committed as much damage to each other as they expected, and were
+not desirous of throwing away their shots.
+
+Ronald thought all the time of his father, and the danger to which he
+was exposed, for considering the comparatively defenceless state of the
+"Thisbe" he could not help dreading the result.
+
+The breeze increased, and the "Concorde" got further and further from
+the scene of contest.  Again the firing commenced.  All hands knocked
+off work to watch the progress of the fight.  The officers forgot even
+to recall them to their duty.  The French surgeon and several of the
+wounded prisoners crawled up on deck to watch it also.
+
+"There they go at it!  Well done, `Thisbe'!" exclaimed Tom Calder.
+"Never saw a more rapidly delivered broadside.  If she had all her spars
+she wouldn't be long in taking that ship, too.  Not certain that she
+won't do it now.  Hurra! there's one of the Frenchman's spars shot
+away."
+
+"Hurra for the `Thisbe'!" shouted the crew.  "She's the girl to win the
+day.  Hurra! hurra!"
+
+"Not so sure of that," muttered Rawson, an old mate, who seldom saw
+things in a pleasant light.  No wonder, for he had seen numbers who had
+come to sea long after him promoted over his head, and were now
+commanders and post captains, while he remained almost without hope in a
+subordinate position.  He was pretty certain to be senior of the mess in
+whatever ship he sailed, and that was his only consolation, as it gave
+him some little authority, and full licence to growl to his heart's
+content.
+
+The firing became hotter than ever, though at the distance the
+"Concorde" was now from the two combatants it was difficult to observe
+the changes of the fight.  Still all the glasses were kept in that
+direction.
+
+"There! there!  I said it would be so!" exclaimed Rawson, still keeping
+his eye at the glass.
+
+"What has happened?" inquired Ronald, eagerly.
+
+"Why, the Frenchmen have shot away the `Thisbe's' foretopmast, as far as
+I can make out--her jury-masts, too," answered Rawson.  "The `Thisbe's'
+done for, I'm afraid."
+
+"What's that you say, Rawson?" exclaimed Lieutenant Calder.  "Done for!
+not she; she's not done firing, at all events."
+
+Rawson said no more; still it was very evident that the "Thisbe" was
+again almost a complete wreck, while the Frenchman had her rigging
+comparatively uninjured.  The firing on both sides began to decrease.
+Evening was now drawing on, the wind was increasing, and dark clouds
+were coming up from the westward.  For several minutes not a shot had
+been heard.  Flashes there were, but they were from the clouds, and
+heaven's artillery now rattled through the sky.  The combatants could
+now scarcely be discerned in the distance.
+
+"The `Thisbe' has struck," cried Rawson.  "I said it would be so.  I
+knew I should never have such luck as to take a prize like this, and to
+keep our ship."
+
+"I don't believe it," exclaimed Mr Calder.  "Captain Courtney would
+never have given in to the Frenchman without a harder tussle for it."
+
+"Perhaps Captain Courtney has been killed," croaked out poor Rawson, who
+was very bitter at the prospect of losing his long-looked-for promotion,
+which he would have obtained as soon as the prize was carried into port.
+Tom Calder, too, had every reason to wish to escape the enemy, with the
+same object in view, and he was not a man to throw a chance away.
+
+The wind was fair, and the coming darkness and the rising gale would
+favour their escape.  He now clapped on every inch of canvas which could
+possibly be set, and did his utmost to keep up the spirits of his crew,
+rating Mr Rawson soundly for his expressing his forebodings of ill.
+
+The wind increased, and howled through the rigging; the seas came
+roaring and hissing up alongside, as the frigate, driven onward by the
+gale, went surging through the foaming water.
+
+Thus on she went for some time.
+
+"If we had but our masts the enemy would have a hard job to come up with
+us," observed Dicky Glover to Ronald.  "As it is, I doubt whether she'll
+find us, after all."
+
+The two midshipmen were standing aft, looking over the taffrail.
+
+"I wish that I thought we should escape her," answered Ronald; "but I
+say--look!--look!--what's that out there?"
+
+At that moment there was a break in the clouds, and through it a gleam
+of light fell on the lofty sails of a ship coming up within gunshot
+astern.
+
+"The French frigate!  I knew it would be so," said the rough voice of
+old Rawson.
+
+There could be little doubt that he was right.  The stranger was
+supposed by the French officers on board to be the "Atalante," a frigate
+of the same size as the "Concorde."  What hope then that the latter
+could successfully resist her?  Not many men besides Tom Calder would
+have had any hope of escaping.
+
+"Never cry out till you are caught," was his motto on similar occasions.
+
+"That vessel astern has not yet made us out," he observed to Rawson.
+"Though should she prove to be the `Atalante,' perhaps we may still
+escape her, or she may be a friend after all."
+
+"Not likely that last, sir," said Rawson, "but whether friend or foe,
+here she comes!  She has made us out clearly enough, too, that I'll be
+sworn."
+
+For a short time the clouds had closed in, and the stranger was hidden
+from view, but they again breaking, she was seen like some huge dark
+monster, towering up towards the sky, surging onwards on the starboard
+quarter of the "Concorde."
+
+"We shall soon see now, sir, what she is," observed Rawson to his
+superior.
+
+The bright flash of a gun, and an eighteen-pound shot, which came
+crashing into the side of the prize left that point very little in
+doubt.
+
+"Man the starboard guns!" cried Mr Calder.  "We'll show the Frenchmen
+that though we have lost our wings we have still got our beaks."
+
+With a hearty cheer--though, from the paucity of their numbers, not a
+very loud one--the men went to the guns.
+
+Could they beat off the enemy?  They would try, at all events.  Rawson
+in a moment forgot his forebodings, and was all life and courage.  The
+enemy was seen to be shortening sail, so as not to pass the "Concorde."
+
+"Fire!" cried Lieutenant Calder.  The men obeyed with alacrity, but
+scarcely had the shot left the mouths of the guns than the enemy replied
+with a crashing broadside, which shot away several of the stays of the
+jury-masts, knocked over three or four of the crew, and reduced the
+frigate almost to the state of wreck in which she had been found when
+captured.
+
+Rawson was the only officer wounded, but still he cheered on the crew.
+
+"We'll not give in lads!  Old England for ever!" he exclaimed, putting
+his right hand to a gun-tackle, and hauling away.  The other arm had
+been hit.
+
+In vain were all the efforts of those gallant men.
+
+"Here she comes!" was the cry.  "Boarders! repel boarders!"
+
+The enemy gave a sheer to port, and with a loud crash ran alongside the
+"Concorde."  Grappling-irons were hove aboard her and the next instant
+the Frenchmen, in overpowering numbers, rushed like a torrent along her
+decks.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
+
+THE "THISBE'S" CREW PREPARE FOR A FRESH FIGHT.
+
+The chief anxiety of Captain Courtney when he ascertained that the
+approaching ship was an enemy, was to secure the escape of the prize.
+She would indeed have been of very little use to the "Thisbe" in
+repelling an attack, as the French frigate from having all her canvas
+would have been able to manoeuvre so as to engage each of them singly.
+
+"There she goes, and I'll engage Tom Calder's heart is heavier than any
+one's aboard here at having to run away!" exclaimed Captain
+Courtney--"Good luck go with him.  We'll try and keep the enemy engaged,
+and wing him, if we can.  You'll do your best, I know, my lads."
+
+A cheerful shout was the answer to this appeal, the last part of which
+was addressed to the crew.
+
+The men were now seen fastening their handkerchiefs round their heads,
+tightening their waistbands, most of them having thrown off their
+jackets and shirts, standing at their guns with their brawny arms and
+shoulders bare, like pictures of Hercules prepared for battle; not a
+countenance that did not exhibit a cheerful alacrity for the battle.
+
+As the captain took a walk round the decks, he felt assured that what
+men could do they would to maintain the honour of old England's flag.
+
+Many bore marks of their recent combat, and several still pale from loss
+of blood, had insisted on rising from their hammocks and going to their
+guns.  Among them stood the boatswain, Rolf Morton; the captain shook
+his head at him.
+
+"What! you could not trust us to fight the ship without you, Mr
+Morton?" he said, in a kind tone of reproof.  "I must let you stay now
+you are on deck, but I would rather you were snug in your berth."
+
+"While I've breath for my pipe, and legs to stand on, I'd rather be
+here, Captain Courtney, thank you, sir," answered Rolf.  "I would lose
+an arm rather than let our prize be retaken."
+
+"So would I, Mr Morton, and we will do our best to help her escape,"
+said the captain, and he passed on.
+
+With like kind words of encouragement both to officers and men, the
+captain passed along the guns; not a man of the crew who would not have
+dropped at their quarters, or gone down with the ship, rather than yield
+as long as their brave chief bade them fight on.
+
+By the time Captain Courtney regained his post on the quarter-deck, the
+enemy had got within gun-shot, and commenced firing with her longer
+pieces at the "Thisbe," but the shot fell wide.
+
+"The enemy's gunners want practice," observed the captain to the third
+lieutenant, who was doing duty as first, though he himself was severely
+wounded.  "We'll reserve our fire till they get a little nearer, and
+then give it them with a will.  They probably expect that we shall haul
+down our colours after we have satisfied the calls of honour with a few
+shots."
+
+"They don't know of whom they have got hold then," answered Mr Trenane,
+the lieutenant.  "In a light wind they might have had too much the
+advantage of us, but with this breeze, the loss of our masts will matter
+less, I hope."
+
+The enemy was now coming up rapidly on the "Thisbe's" quarter.  A shot
+from her bow chasers whistled through the latter's rigging; several
+others followed as the guns could be brought to bear.
+
+On she came.
+
+The "Thisbe" had not fired.
+
+"Down with the helm and give it them, my lads!" suddenly shouted the
+captain.
+
+The English frigate luffed up, and poured her whole broadside into the
+bows of the approaching enemy.  The Frenchman put down his helm and
+returned the compliment, and now the two ships stood on for some time
+exchanging broadsides as rapidly as they could.  At length a shot struck
+the "Thisbe's" fore-topmast; it had been wounded in the previous
+engagement.  Down it came with a crash, but so eagerly were the crew
+engaged that few discovered what had happened.
+
+The master with a few hands flew aloft, and quickly cut away the wreck;
+the crew redoubled their efforts.  Still the uninjured condition of the
+enemy's rigging gave her an important advantage; her shot came crashing
+on board the "Thisbe."
+
+Whatever Captain Courtney might have thought, he appeared as cheerful
+and confident as ever.  His courage kept up that of the crew.  The enemy
+was frequently hulled.  Now one spar was shot away; now another; his
+fire slackened.  The British crew cheered lustily.  That hearty cheer
+must have been heard along the Frenchman's decks.  It showed him that
+though his enemy was almost dismantled, the courage of the people was as
+undaunted as ever.
+
+"We may not take him, but we may prevent his taking us," observed
+Morton, as he moved among the crew.
+
+Just then the Frenchman's bow was seen to move up closer to the wind;
+his tacks were hauled aboard, the breeze was freshening, and away he
+stood on a bowline under all the sail he could set, leaving the
+astonished crew of the British ship rubbing their eyes and wondering
+what he was about.  They, however, did not cease sending their shot
+after him, as a parting compliment.
+
+"She has but hauled off to repair damages," observed the third
+lieutenant to the captain.
+
+"Not so sure of that, Trenane," answered Captain Courtney; "probably her
+captain and other superior officers have been killed or wounded, and the
+rest suspect that we should prove too tough a morsel for them to
+digest."
+
+Captain Courtney seemed to be right in his conjectures; the French
+frigate stood on.
+
+All hands were instantly set to work to repair damages, to be ready for
+her in case she should return.  Many an eye cast an anxious glance in
+the direction in which she was steering.  The brave crew would have
+welcomed her back, but they wished to be ready first to receive her.
+
+Again she was observed to alter her course.
+
+"She is coming back!" was the cry.  "Hurra, lads, we'll give it her if
+she does."
+
+They watched her eagerly.  She was steering to the northward under all
+sail.  There could be little doubt that she was in pursuit of the
+"Concorde."  More energetically than ever the crew worked away, in the
+hopes of being in a condition to go to the aid of their consort; but
+every instant the wind was increasing, the sea was getting up, and their
+task became more difficult.  Dark clouds were gathering in the western
+horizon.  It was evident that a gale was brewing, and there were
+appearances that it would be a severe one.  The safety of the ship
+demanded all the care of the officers and the redoubled exertions of the
+men.  The guns were secured, the shot holes stopped, the rigging knotted
+and spliced as strongly as time would allow; everything moveable below
+was lashed, and the ship's head was brought to the wind to meet the
+expected blast.  Had she had sea room she might have scudded, but, with
+the land under her lee, that was out of the question.  As a brave man
+girds himself for an inevitable and deadly contest, so was the gallant
+ship prepared for the desperate conflict with the elements.
+
+The British crew had not prepared unnecessarily to meet the gale,
+although delayed; down it came at length upon them with even greater
+fury than was expected.  More than once it seemed as if the masts and
+rigging would give way, and that the frigate would be driven helplessly
+before its fury.  Had a sail gone, had a rope given way, she might have
+been hurried to destruction; but careful hands had secured the rigging,
+every rope held, and there she lay nobly breasting the storm.  Still she
+drifted to the eastward, and, should the gale continue long, she after
+all could not escape destruction.
+
+As the morning approached, the wind blew harder and harder.  Daylight
+exhibited no sign of its abating.  All that day it continued, its fury
+in no way decreased.  The weary crew began to faint with their
+exertions, but the officers went among them, and with cheering words
+reanimated their spirits.  The carpenter had often sounded the well.  He
+now reported that the ship had sprang a leak; the pumps must be manned;
+the demand on the energies of the crew was increased.  Still they worked
+cheerfully.  Even some of the wounded insisted on coming up to take
+their spell at the pumps.
+
+Night again came on, but not for a moment during the whole course of it
+did Captain Courtney leave the deck.  Often and often did he look out
+astern.  He had good reason for so doing.  The order was given to range
+the cables.  It might be necessary to anchor, to make, at all events,
+the attempt to bring up the ship before she was driven on the enemy's
+shores.
+
+The morning returned at last, and away to the leeward, amid the thick
+driving spray, and through the pale cold cheerless light, a line of
+coast rose above the tumbling waters.  Calm, as if no storm was raging,
+Captain Courtney walked the deck, his eye now turned astern--now at the
+rigging of his ship.  He sent Mr Trenane forward to see that the
+anchors were ready for letting go.  The lieutenant reported all ready.
+
+"Then we have done all that men can do to save the ship, and to
+Providence we must trust the rest," observed the captain.
+
+Few words were exchanged by any on board, the crew were at their
+stations, ready to perform any duty required of them; those told off to
+labour at the pumps were working manfully; and thus they would have
+continued till the noble ship had struck on the rocks, or gone down
+beneath the waves.
+
+Hours passed by.  Slowly but certainly she drove stern on towards the
+land.  The captain after a time was seen to look frequently over the
+side, and to watch the land more earnestly.  His countenance brightened.
+
+"There is hope for us yet," he observed to Mr Trenane; "the wind is
+dropping."
+
+Such was the case.  Rapidly the gale abated, the ship no longer laboured
+as before, the leak was easily kept under, the sea quickly went down,
+the wind got round to the southward, and by nightfall the "Thisbe,"
+under all sail, was steering a course for England.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
+
+THE "CONCORDE" RECAPTURED BY THE "ATALANTE"--THE SHIPS IN A GALE--THE
+"ATALANTE" WRECKED--RONALD SWIMS ASHORE--COMMUNICATION ESTABLISHED--THE
+ENGLISH SHUT UP IN A TOWER.
+
+In vain Lieutenant Calder and the prize crew of the "Concorde" attempted
+to resist the onslaught of the enemy.  Several were killed, others were
+wounded, and they soon found themselves completely overpowered.  No time
+was lost in conveying them on board the ship which had captured them,
+which proved to be the "Atalante," a consort of their hard-won prize.
+Most of the wounded French prisoners were removed likewise, that they
+might be under the care of the chief surgeon of the ship, and among them
+was Alfonse Gerardin.  He had somewhat recovered his strength and
+spirits, and now that he found himself no longer a prisoner, he talked
+away freely as well with the young Frenchmen of his own rank as with the
+English midshipmen.
+
+When the transfer of prisoners had been accomplished, the "Atalante"
+took the "Concorde" in tow and made sail, but the wind increasing, the
+hawser broke, and both ships had to look out for their safety
+independently of each other.
+
+In consequence of the comparatively small number of the English
+prisoners they were not very strictly guarded, and the officers were
+allowed to go about the decks by themselves.
+
+The gale increased during the night, and when early in the morning
+Ronald Morton went on deck, he found the French ship scudding before it
+under bare poles.
+
+There was a good deal of confusion on board; the crew were labouring at
+the pumps, but in anything but an energetic manner; some would suddenly
+knock off, and halloa and bawl at their shipmates to come and help them,
+but it was often long before their places were taken.  On looking aloft
+he saw, too, that the masts were wounded in several places, and though
+the ship was placed in much greater peril by the way she had been
+knocked about, it was with no little satisfaction that he observed the
+battering she had received from the "Thisbe's" and "Concorde's" guns.
+Before long he encountered Mr Calder, whose eyes were engaged as his
+had been.
+
+"What do you think, sir, of the state of affairs?" he asked.
+
+"That they are as bad, Morton, as well can be," was the answer.
+"Neither captain nor officers know what they are about, and it will be a
+miracle if they do not cast the ship away."
+
+"Of course they will," observed Rawson, who had just then joined them;
+"I said from the first that we should have no good luck, and what I said
+has come true."
+
+"But other chaps among us said that we should have good luck," remarked
+Twigg, the master's assistant, who was always fond of putting Rawson in
+the wrong.  "Now, you see, old fellow, it was just heads or tails--even,
+you'll understand--and as ill-luck would have it, you happened to win."
+
+"It's the only thing I ever did win, then," answered poor Rawson, in a
+melancholy tone.
+
+"Well, well, Rawson, the next time you prophesy ill, we'll all pray that
+you may prove a false prophet," observed Mr Calder.  "But, my lads, it
+may before long be of very little consequence to most of us who is right
+and who is wrong; unless these Frenchmen are steering for some shelter,
+and know the coast perfectly, they will run us hard and fast on it
+before the world is many hours older."
+
+Ronald on this said he would go and learn what he could from young
+Gerardin, who would probably be able to ascertain what the Frenchmen
+proposed doing.
+
+Ronald found his way to the sick-bay, where Alfonse was in his cot, able
+to sit up and talk without difficulty.
+
+"What we are going to do, you demand?" he answered.  "Why, let the ship
+drive and go to destruction, for what I can tell; all on board seem to
+have lost their wits, from the captain downwards.  They would pitch me
+out of the ship if they heard my remarks, so do not repeat them."
+
+When Ronald returned on deck he found things in no way mended.  The
+French crew appeared to be obeying their officers very slowly and
+unwillingly; indeed, the ship was already in a state of semi-mutiny.
+The officers, too, seemed to be issuing contradictory orders.  Ronald
+saw them examining a chart, but it was evident from their gestures that
+they differed very much in opinion as to the course which should be
+steered.  No decision was arrived at, and the ship drove onwards towards
+the coast of Finisterre.
+
+There were harbours and shelter there in abundance; but judgment and
+good pilotage was required to take advantage of them, and these
+qualities were wanting on board the "Atalante."
+
+The English officers stood grouped together, affording a strong contrast
+to their French captors.  Mr Calder was cool and collected as ever.
+
+"If the Frenchmen won't let us try and save the ship, we must do our
+best to save our lives," he remarked.  "Remember, in the first place,
+let us all hold together and help each other.  We may make a harbour and
+run no risk of losing our lives, or we may drive on the rocks and have a
+desperate struggle for them, but in either case, prisoners we shall
+remain, only in the last we shall have a better chance of making our
+escape in the end--let us keep that in view, whatever happens.  Now,
+lads! there is the land; it won't be long before we become more nearly
+acquainted with it."
+
+Rawson, Morton, and the rest promised implicitly to follow Mr Calder's
+directions.  It was agreed that the instant the ship struck, Morton and
+Twigg should hasten down to release their own men below, and to tell
+them what had been resolved on.  There was little doubt, even in the
+expected extremity, that they would willingly follow Mr Calder's
+directions.
+
+"In ten minutes we shall know our fate," said Mr Calder, calmly
+watching the shore, towards which the helpless ship was rapidly driving.
+
+It consisted of a sandy beach, the ground rising a little beyond it,
+with here and there a low building, and in the centre a ruined mill, or
+fort, or watchtower--it was difficult to say what.
+
+The sandy beach might have offered some prospect that their lives would
+be preserved, but in front of it rose among the foaming breakers a line
+of dark rocks, and no break was perceived in them through which the ship
+might force her way.
+
+"Few of those on board this ill-fated craft will see another day,"
+observed Rawson, as he eyed the threatening coast.  But he no longer
+spoke in a desponding tone; the moment of action was at hand, and such a
+prospect always roused him up.
+
+"There's a fresh hand at the bellows, to help us along to our fate," he
+added.  "Well, let it do its worst; Jack Rawson won't flinch as long as
+he has a head on his shoulders."
+
+Morton was what is called constitutionally brave, and the calmness of
+his companions increased his courage.  His friend, Dicky Glover, looked
+at him with admiration; Morton's bearing gave him confidence.  If one
+who, so short a time before, was a ship's boy, was so cool and brave, of
+course he who was born a gentleman, and had long been a midshipman,
+ought to exhibit even more calmness and resolution.  So in reality, at
+this trying moment, Glover appeared as much the hero as did Morton.
+
+Mr Calder noted both of the lads, and his heart warmed with pride as he
+marked the courage of his young countrymen, though he grieved at the too
+great probability of their being cut off.
+
+The greater number of the Frenchmen were all this time agitated in the
+greatest degree, each man following his own devices; the officers having
+lost all shadow of control.  Some had hurried below to put on their best
+clothes, or to secure what valuables they possessed; others had broken
+into the spirit-room, and with cans and bottles in their hands, came
+reeling on deck, insisting on their officers drinking with them.  Some
+were dancing furiously; others were singing at the top of their voices,
+but except a very few, no one was preparing for the inevitable
+catastrophe.  More than half were below when it came.
+
+"Secure that coil of rope, and hold on for your lives!" shouted Mr
+Calder.
+
+The ship struck, the foremast instantly went by the board; the seas
+furiously dashed up the frigate's sides, and washed through her ports
+and over her deck.  Each time she was struck, she shivered as if about
+to be wrenched asunder.
+
+Numbers of the hapless crew were washed away.  Men and officers shared
+the same fate; some were seen for a time struggling between the beach
+and the ship, but the cruel seas as they rushed back, carried them off,
+and hurled them among the dark rocks, where life was speedily crushed
+and washed out of them.
+
+Ronald, Glover, and Twigg, as directed, had instantly the ship struck,
+hurried below to release their countrymen.  The seamen, knowing what had
+happened, were making desperate efforts to get out of the hold in which
+they had been battened down.  A capstan bar, which Morton and his
+companions found outside, enabled them to accomplish their object.  The
+English seamen rushed upon deck, for the terrific sounds which reached
+their ears, and the fierce concussions the ship was receiving, warned
+that no time was to be lost, if they would preserve their lives.
+
+Morton was hurrying up with the rest, when he recollected the wounded
+midshipman, Alfonse Gerardin.
+
+"His countrymen won't help him, of that I am pretty certain, and I
+cannot leave the poor fellow to perish," he exclaimed to Glover, who was
+near him.
+
+"I'll help you, whatever you do," answered Dicky Glover, who was as
+ready to do a good deed as a mischievous one, if it was suggested to
+him.
+
+"So will I, Mr Morton," said a seaman who had kept by the two
+midshipmen from the moment he had got his liberty, and had moreover
+possessed himself of the capstan bar, to serve him as a trusty weapon in
+case of need.
+
+"Thank you, friend Truefitt," said Morton: "come along."
+
+Ronald was well pleased to get such an ally as honest Job Truefitt, for
+there was not among the crew of the "Thisbe" a better seaman or a more
+trustworthy, better-hearted fellow.
+
+While the rest were rushing on deck, Ronald and his companions made
+their way along the deck to the sick-bay.  Many of the wounded were
+calling on their shipmates to come to their assistance, and uttering
+imprecations fierce and terrible, when they found that they called in
+vain.
+
+Gerardin was attempting to get up, but his strength failed him, and he
+lay back, his countenance betokening a proud resignation to his own
+fate, and scorn at the terror of the wretches who surrounded him.
+
+"What!" he exclaimed, when he saw Morton and Glover with Job Truefitt,
+"have you Englishmen found time, amid all this confusion, to come and
+look after a wounded wretch like me; an enemy too--who has been taught
+with his utmost strength to hate the English?"
+
+"We Englishmen have been taught to help our enemies in distress,
+mounseer," observed Job Truefitt, as, without waiting a moment to ask
+leave, he lifted the wounded lad on his shoulders.  "There's no time for
+palavering.  Come along, sirs."
+
+The midshipmen sprang on, helping Job to support his burden, and they
+soon reached the upper-deck, when the scene of horror and confusion was
+indescribable!  Not without difficulty, and in great danger of being
+washed off, they made their way to the after part of the quarter-deck,
+where Mr Calder, with the other Englishmen, were assembled.
+
+The ship had driven with her larboard side to the shore, and as she
+heeled over they were partly sheltered from the force of the seas, which
+dashed in arches of foam high above her.
+
+The English lieutenant and his party had made fast a cask to the end of
+the line they had secured, and were endeavouring to float it towards the
+shore, where three or four people stood ready to receive it.  In vain
+they tried.  Several times the cable got almost within their reach, and
+was carried back again with the reflux of the wave.  Morton, however,
+observed to his satisfaction, that just at that part there were no
+rocks, and that the seas rushed on without any break till they reached
+the beach.
+
+"If I could but do it," thought Morton to himself.  "I have swum through
+some tolerably heavy seas on the Shetland coast."
+
+He at once made the proposal to Mr Calder.
+
+"Impossible!" was the answer.  "You would be drowned, my boy, to a
+certainty."
+
+"But I could do it, and whether I'm drowned or not, it matters little,"
+exclaimed Job Truefitt.  "Here, who'll take charge of this here young
+Frenchman?"
+
+Rawson offered also to make the attempt, but he was known not to be a
+good swimmer.
+
+A thundering crash was heard.  It was the fall of the remainder of the
+foremast, and the breaking up of the fore part of the ship.  It was a
+strong hint to the English party to hasten whatever they might
+undertake.
+
+"You'll let me go, Mr Calder?" said Morton again.
+
+He and Job Truefitt had secured some light line to the cask, which had
+just been hauled up.  It was again lowered, and the lieutenant nodded
+his head, but his countenance was very sad, as if he had little hopes of
+the success of the expedition.  The instant his permission was gained,
+Ronald and Job slid down the side of the ship, and were quickly borne on
+with the cask towards the shore.  They both struck out bravely, and soon
+reached the cask.  They had little at first to do, except to keep
+themselves afloat.  All those who anxiously watched them, knew that the
+trial would come as they neared the beach, and got within the power of
+the under suck of the receding waves.  At first they merely accompanied
+the cask, and supporting themselves by it, husbanded their strength.
+
+"They will be lost to a certainty, I know," observed Rawson.  "If they
+don't succeed, I don't know who will.  I never saw a finer swimmer than
+that man Truefitt."
+
+"Oh, I hope they will!  I hope they will be saved!" cried Glover, in an
+agony of terror for Morton, who had inspired him with the sincerest
+affection.
+
+"There they go! bravely they swim!" cried Mr Calder.  "They are ahead
+of the cask--they dart forward--the undertow has got them.  No!--they
+are struggling desperately with it--they don't lose ground--on they
+go!--No!"
+
+There was a cry that the sea had carried them back, but the next moment
+their heads appeared on the top of a foaming sea, and on it rushed
+towards the beach.
+
+Now was the critical moment.  Their shipmates on board the wreck held
+their breath as they watched their progress.  One was seen to rise up on
+the beach from out of a sheet of foam, and to hurry upwards; but there
+was only one.  He did not stop a moment.  Down he dashed again.  He had
+a grasp of a rope, though the other end of which was held by the people
+on the shore.
+
+Without hesitation, he plunged once more into the seething waters; he
+did not again appear--there was a cry of despair--all thought he was
+lost--but no--the next instant he was seen, and this time with a
+companion, and aided by the people, who were on the watch for them, they
+both together hurried up the beach, and the cask, with the line, was
+hauled up after them.
+
+The great object was accomplished; a communication was secured with the
+shore.  The passage, however, was still full of danger.
+
+More line was procured.  A traveller and slings were fitted, and Rawson
+volunteered to lead the way.  Should he succeed, the passage would be
+somewhat less dangerous.
+
+The people on shore now tightened the rope.  He took a supply of line
+with which to haul the next person on shore.  A shout from the English
+seamen proclaimed that he was successful.
+
+It was now according to rule, under such circumstances, the privilege of
+the youngest to proceed.  Dicky Glover was ordered into the slings.
+
+"If I must go, may I take the young Frenchman?" he asked.  "I know
+Morton would wish it."
+
+"Yes, be sharp," answered Mr Calder, assisting himself to secure them
+both.  Away they went on their perilous passage.  It was near sun-down
+when the ship struck.  It was now rapidly getting dark.  What a night of
+horrors was there for those who were compelled to spend it on board the
+wreck.
+
+When Dicky Glover had nearly reached the shore, the surf almost tore
+young Gerardin from the slings, and the hold he had of him.  Almost
+hopelessly he struggled.  In another instant they both would have been
+carried away, when Glover saw some one making his way through the
+foaming water towards him.  A friendly hand grasped his, and in another
+minute he and his charge were hauled up out of the power of the sea.
+
+Ronald Morton, with a rope round his waist, had been the means of
+rescuing him and Gerardin from death.  Dicky began to thank him.
+
+"Only obeying orders--helping each other," answered Ronald.  "But lend a
+hand, Glover, we have plenty to do."
+
+Morton and his companions became very anxious for the fate of their
+gallant superior.  Had the frigate been his own ship, he would have been
+the last to leave the wreck; but now, having seen his own people on
+shore, he would have no hesitation in coming.
+
+Ronald applied to Gerardin, but he could get no information from his
+confused countrymen as to what had become of the English lieutenant.
+The Englishmen, notwithstanding this, continued to assist energetically
+in hauling the people on shore.  Each time a man reached the beach, they
+hailed him, hoping to find that he was their officer.
+
+Suddenly, as they were hauling in on the line made fast to the
+traveller, the main line became slack: alas! all communication with the
+ill-fated ship was cut off.
+
+"Haul on it, lads!" shouted Rawson and Morton in concert.
+
+"It is heavy; there is some one on it," cried the men.  "Steady, lads,
+steady."
+
+Gradually they hauled in the line.  The life of one more fellow-creature
+might be saved.  They hauled away.  Yes, a man was there! was he still
+alive, though?
+
+They hailed as he neared them.  An English voice answered, "All right,
+lads!"  It was their own lieutenant.  They welcomed him with a joyful
+shout, which showed that he had won the honest affections of his men, a
+prize worthy of an officer's aim.
+
+"I had a struggle for it," he observed, as soon as he was somewhat
+recovered.  "No sooner was I on the rope, than some of the wretches in
+their madness cut it, and have so lost all means of reaching the shore
+in safety.  Still we will do what we can to help them."
+
+The Englishmen kept to this resolution.  With unceasing watchfulness
+they moved up and down along the beach, saving the lives of many who
+would otherwise have fallen victims to the waves.
+
+The wearied seamen, their labours over, threw themselves on the sands to
+rest, scarcely allowing the thought to trouble them of what next they
+should do.  They had not enjoyed many minutes' repose before they were
+roused up by a party of soldiers, who, without much ceremony, marched
+them all off to a tower in the neighbourhood, which Ronald recollected
+observing before the ship struck.  Here, in spite of all Mr Calder's
+expostulations, they were locked up in an upper chamber without food or
+water, and left to their own devices.
+
+It is not surprising if their remarks and reflections were not very
+complimentary to the people on whose shores they had been thrown.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.
+
+JOB'S PLAN FOR ESCAPING--A HINT FROM GERARDIN--A ROPE BROUGHT IN A
+BASKET--DESCENT FROM THE TOWER--THE GUARD MADE PRISONER--GET ON BOARD A
+FISHING-BOAT.
+
+"If I'd my way I'd break out of this here hole, knock the mounseers down
+that stands guard, and cut and run," observed Job Truefitt, as he woke
+up after a sound sleep on some straw, in the afternoon of the day on
+which he and his companions had been shut up in the tower.  "We might
+get hold of some fishing craft or other, and make good our escape.  I've
+heard of such things being done afore now."
+
+The sentiment was warmly echoed by the speaker's shipmates.
+
+Mr Calder and the other officers had overheard what was said.  It was
+intended that they should.  Probably the same idea was occupying the
+lieutenant's mind; he got up and took a survey of the interior of the
+tower.  The upper part was of wood, and through a chink came a ray from
+the setting sun, and cast a bright light on the opposite wall.  It
+showed the prisoners the direction of the ocean, and the point towards
+which they must make their way if they could escape from the tower.
+
+Mr Calder, with no little exertion, climbed up to the chink to look
+out; the chamber was without any window; there had been one in the stone
+wall, but that had been blocked up.  From the dome shape of the roof it
+appeared, too, that the chamber was the highest in the tower.  Mr
+Calder having completed his survey of the surrounding country, as far as
+his position would allow him, descended to the floor.  He said but
+little; he was pondering the means of escape.  To be kept a prisoner
+now, almost at the commencement of what everybody said would be a long
+war, was more than his philosophy would enable him to bear with
+patience.  Morton guessed what was passing in his superior's mind.
+
+"It would, indeed, be terrible to be shut up," he observed.  "It is only
+just what I ought to have expected," said Rawson.  "My ill-luck will
+stick to me to the end; no fear of that going, though everything else
+leaves me."
+
+His remark produced a laugh among his companions, who, if they even
+believed in ill-luck, had very little compassion on him when he
+complained of it; indeed, it was suspected that he rather liked to be
+joked on the subject.
+
+"I should like to have a look out too," said Ronald, climbing up by the
+inequalities in the stone wall and the planks which formed the side of
+the tower.
+
+The sun was just sinking in the ocean, and casting a rich glow over the
+whole western sky.  The storm had completely ceased, though the waves
+still rolled in with a loud roar, lining the coast with a fringe of
+foam.
+
+The tide was low; a few ribs on the reef, almost abreast of the tower,
+was the only remnant of this once beautiful frigate, with the addition
+of the broken timbers and planks which strewed the shore, and which the
+peasantry had not yet carried off.  The appearance of the coast indeed
+in the immediate neighbourhood of the tower offered no hopes of escape
+to the Englishmen, even should they succeed in getting out of their
+prison.  To the north, however, Morton observed a high reef of black
+rocks, running out into the sea, and circling round so as to form a
+secure harbour.  Two or three small craft were floating on the surface
+of this little haven, either launched after the gale, or which had
+ridden it out in safety, while several boats, appearing like black dots
+on the yellow sand, lay drawn up on the beach.
+
+Ronald was still employed in making his survey, when steps were heard
+ascending the rickety creaking stairs of the tower, and Mr Calder
+ordered him down, that he might not excite the suspicion of the
+Frenchmen that they entertained the idea of escaping.
+
+The door opened, and two soldiers entered with a jar of wine, and some
+bread and cheese and fruit.  Placing the provisions before the
+lieutenant, they made signs that he might divide them among his people.
+Ronald, thinking it might be politic to get into conversation with them,
+mustering all his knowledge of French, thanked them warmly for what they
+had brought.
+
+The man answered, somewhat gruffly, that they were only obeying orders,
+and that they had been directed by a young officer of the marine, who
+had been wrecked, to bring the provisions.
+
+"Pray thank him for us, and say how grateful we feel for his gift," said
+Ronald.
+
+"We may not see him again," answered one of the men.  "He is ill in bed,
+and he will be going away into the interior, as soon as he is able to be
+removed."
+
+The men said that they did not know the young officer's name.  There
+could be little doubt, however, that Alfonse Gerardin had sent the
+provisions.
+
+Ronald in vain tried to ascertain if the soldiers knew how they, the
+English prisoners, were to be disposed of, but the Frenchmen only
+shrugged their shoulders, and replied that that was no business of
+theirs.  It was not likely that they would be kept for ever in the
+tower, which, as the rats had already deserted it, was very likely to
+tumble about their ears.
+
+"It is a wonder, then, that it did not come down during the late gale,"
+observed Ronald.
+
+"Ah," said one of the men with a shrug and a wink, "it is a wonder
+truly, considering how rotten it is from the top to the bottom.  But we
+must not stop here, talking with you Englishmen, or we shall be
+suspected of wishing to help you to escape.  Adieu, adieu,--_au revoir_.
+You don't seem much cast down.  Perhaps you would be, if you knew the
+fate prepared for you."
+
+With another wink from the chief speaker, a corporal, by his uniform,
+the man took his departure.
+
+"I am certain, sir, they had meaning in what they said," observed Ronald
+to Mr Calder, explaining the Frenchman's remarks.  "Gerardin is not
+ungrateful, and wishes to help us to escape."
+
+Rawson laughed at the notion of a Frenchman being grateful, and even Mr
+Calder seemed to doubt that he, or any one else, had the slightest idea
+of helping them to escape.
+
+"People are not fond of putting their lives in jeopardy, to help those
+in whom they have no interest," he remarked.
+
+It seemed too likely that the lieutenant was right, for the night
+passed, and noon of the following day arrived, and no one came near
+them.  At that time the two soldiers who had before appeared brought in
+their food, but left it without saying a word, and again hurried down
+the stairs.
+
+Ronald was persuaded that the corporal gave a significant look at him,
+as he followed his companion out of the door.  It was probable that the
+two men did not trust each other.
+
+"It is all your fancy, Morton," said Rawson, gloomily.  "Depend on it we
+shall be marched off to some horrible out of the way fortress, and be
+shut up for the next ten years of our lives, while our old shipmates are
+crowning themselves with laurels, or what is better, making no end of
+prize-money, and rising to the top of their profession.  When we get
+back once more to the shores of old England, there we shall be wretched
+white-haired old mates and midshipmen, forgotten by our friends, and
+cared for by nobody.  There's one consolation,--I'll not learn a word of
+their beastly lingo, they may depend on that."
+
+Although the picture Rawson had drawn was very melancholy, and too
+likely to be true, his latter observation so tickled the fancies of his
+hearers, that they all burst into a loud laugh, in which Rawson himself
+could not help joining.
+
+"Well, my lads, though we may have some difficulty in breaking out of
+this, and more in making our escape, there's no doubt that the
+alternative, as Rawson describes it, will be a very unpleasant one,"
+exclaimed Mr Calder.  "We must all go, or none; and yet I would force
+none to go, for the attempt may cost us our lives."
+
+"Never fear, Mr Calder, sir; there'll be no skulkers among us,"
+exclaimed Job Truefitt, from among the seamen.  "Just you give the word
+as if you was on the quarter-deck of our own tight little frigate, and
+there is not a man here who won't obey you as smartly, whatever you
+thinks fit to order, whether it is to jump off the top of this here
+tower, or to knock over every Frenchman we meet."
+
+"Yes, sir,--yes, sir,--that's it.  Job speaks the truth," exclaimed
+several of the men simultaneously.
+
+The men required no incitement to induce them to attempt escaping,
+although there was but little fault to find with the provisions which
+had been sent them.  There was excellent bread and cheese, and fruit of
+various sorts, and some fried fish, though certainly there was neither
+beef nor pork, while the _vin du pays_ was of a somewhat thin and sour
+description.  A few bottles of fiery hot _eau de vie_ would have suited
+the taste of the honest tars much better.
+
+This day, like the former one, passed away, and nobody came near the
+prisoners; they all wished that the time was come when they were to make
+the attempt to escape.  The next day, at noon, a much larger supply of
+provisions was brought to them.  Two men accompanied their friend, the
+corporal, to carry them.  He also carried a good-sized basket, which he
+deposited in a corner of the chamber, and then nodding, without saying a
+word, hurried down the steps; as if their friends outside had divined
+their wishes, there were half-a-dozen bottles of brandy!
+
+Morton and Rawson were examining the contents of the corporal's basket.
+
+"I thought so," exclaimed Ronald, joyfully; and he pulled out a long
+rope, amply strong enough to support the weight of a man.  There was no
+longer any doubt that they had friends outside, anxious to assist their
+escape.
+
+The weather had now become perfectly serene.  A light south-easterly
+breeze, and smooth water, would enable them to run along the coast just
+out of sight of those on land, while several small vessels in the
+harbour would supply them with a craft suited to their purpose.
+
+The prospect in view put them all in high spirits, and with infinite
+relish they discussed the viands which had been brought them.  While
+thus engaged the door of their prison opened, and two persons in naval
+uniform appeared before them.  One Morton at once recognised as Alfonse
+Gerardin, though he looked even more pale and sickly than when he had
+been rescued from the wreck.  Ronald sprang up to greet him.  His
+companion, on whose arm he rested, was a strongly-built middle-aged man.
+Alfonse gave his hand to Ronald.
+
+"I could not bear the thought of your going away without seeing you once
+more," he said.  "I could not have obtained leave had it not been for my
+father, Lieutenant Gerardin, of whom I told you."
+
+"What you told me was merely that he had been killed," said Ronald.
+
+"So I thought, but happily I was mistaken.  He had been knocked
+overboard, but he was picked up by a boat, and unable to regain the ship
+was brought to shore, not far from this, when hearing of the shipwreck
+he found us out."
+
+"And you are the young gentleman to whom my dear boy here is indebted
+for his life," said Lieutenant Gerardin, in broken English, grasping
+Ronald's hand warmly.  "I am grateful to you.  Though my nation is at
+war with yours, I love your countrymen.  I would serve you gladly at the
+risk of my life.  You are to be removed into the interior to-morrow, and
+a far-off fortress will be your habitation.  This night you must make
+your escape; I have provided part of the means.  There is a fishing-boat
+in that little harbour to the north; she pulls fast, and has oars and
+sails aboard, as also some water and provisions, but not sufficient.
+Carry all you can with you.  I have bribed some of the guards, but not
+all; you may meet with opposition; you will know how to deal with your
+enemies.  Do not think me a traitor to France; I owe her no allegiance,
+and yet I am bound to her.  Now farewell!--we may never meet again, but
+you will at least not think that he whom you so bravely saved from death
+is ungrateful."
+
+Alfonse Gerardin said but little; he warmly shook Ronald's and Glover's
+hands, and then he and his father hurriedly took their departure.
+
+The rest of the day was spent by the party in talking over their escape,
+and the best mode of meeting all possible contingencies, and then most
+of the old hands lay down to sleep, that they might be fresher when the
+moment of action arrived.
+
+No sooner was it dark than Mr Calder set to work to remove some of the
+planks above the brickwork.  It was, as the corporal had hinted, very
+rotten, and quickly gave way to their pulls.  An aperture of size
+sufficient to allow a man to force himself through was soon made.  Mr
+Calder then securing the rope, and lowering it to the ground, directing
+his men to stand in the order they were to descend, told Rawson to bring
+up the rear, went himself through the hole, and slid down noiselessly to
+the ground.  The midshipmen followed, and then came the men; not a word
+was spoken, but they imitated their leader's example in picking up some
+large stones with which to defend themselves, should they be suddenly
+attacked.  One after the other the men came gliding down in the rapid
+way none but seamen could have done; not the slightest noise was made;
+their feet, as they touched the ground, made no more sound than those of
+cats.  All had descended except Rawson, when a noise was heard in the
+room above, as of a door opening.  There was a scuffle, but no one cried
+out; in an instant Job Truefitt was swarming up the rope hand over hand;
+Morton, the most active of the party, followed him.  Whatever there was
+to be done was to be effected quickly.  With the deepest anxiety the
+rest of the party waited to ascertain what had happened, while two or
+three prepared to follow.  Job crept in at the hole in the wall, and
+looked round the prison.  At first he could see nothing.  At last he
+fancied that he could distinguish something moving on the other side of
+the room.  He sprang towards the spot, and so did Morton.
+
+"Here we are, Mr Rawson; here we are, come to help you," whispered Job.
+A deep groan was the response.  It was soon evident that there were two
+people on the ground, struggling in a deadly embrace--but which was
+friend or foe, was the question.  They had tight hold of each other's
+throats, and were actually throttling each other.
+
+"You catch hold of one, Mr Morton," whispered Job, who had recognised
+Ronald.  "I'll take t'other, and then we'll settle with the mounseer,
+whichever he may be."
+
+Ronald found by his jacket that he had got hold of Rawson, but it was
+not without digging his nails into the Frenchman's wrist that he was
+able to make him relax his hold of Rawson's throat.  Still more
+difficult was it to induce the latter to take his gripe off his
+opponent's neck.  To bind the legs and arms of the Frenchman, and to gag
+his mouth, was the work of a few moments.  Ronald stumbled against his
+lantern, at which Rawson must have struck when he entered.
+
+"It may prove of service," thought Ronald, as he hung it round his neck.
+
+Rawson soon recovered.  Two more seamen had come in by this time.  Their
+first care was to barricade the door.  At first they thought of leaving
+the Frenchman in the room, but it was agreed that, as he might make some
+noise, and give the alarm, it would be better to take him part of the
+way with them.  He was speedily lowered down, much to the astonishment
+of those below, and to his own annoyance.  Then Morton and the rest of
+the party followed.  Who their prisoner was it was impossible to
+ascertain, for fear lest the moment the gag was removed he might cry
+out.  He was a soldier, but not their friend the corporal, as he was a
+shorter and stouter man.
+
+There could be little doubt that the guard was in the room below them,
+and when their comrade was missed, others probably would go up to look
+for him.  No further time was to be lost.  Mr Calder, therefore,
+ordered the men in a whisper to close up together, carrying their
+prisoner among them, and to move off in the direction of the harbour.
+As they began to advance, Morton recollected the rope which they ought
+to have taken with them, as should it be left behind and recognised, it
+might betray the friends who had supplied it to them.  As the rope was
+long enough to allow of its being slipped round a beam, and then again
+to reach the ground, he was on the point of ascending once more to
+execute his project, hoping quickly to overtake his companions, when a
+noise in the room immediately above him arrested his movements.  The
+guard was on the alert.  His delay, contrary to the orders of his
+superior, might cause the ruin of the whole party.  He let go the rope
+and sprang after his companions.
+
+"It cannot much matter," he thought; "our friends would have warned us
+to carry off the rope."
+
+The English seamen hurried on till they came to a deep hollow in the
+sands.  Here Mr Calder ordered them to leave their prisoner.
+
+"Remember, mounseer, if you hallo or make any row, we'll be back and
+blow your brains out for you," whispered Job Truefitt, as he placed him
+on the ground.
+
+A grunt was the only answer.  It was doubtful whether the prisoner
+understood what was said, though he might have guessed the meaning of
+the remark.
+
+The seamen pushed on as fast as they could move.  It was no easy matter
+to find their way, for the night was very dark, and though the sky was
+clear, there was a slight mist, which concealed all objects, except
+those close at hand, from view.  This was, however, an advantage, as
+well as a disadvantage, to the fugitives.  Though they had, in
+consequence of the mist, greater difficulty in making their way towards
+the shore, it assisted to conceal them from any persons who might chance
+to cross their path.  They had made their escape at an early hour, that
+they might have longer time to get an offing before daylight.
+
+Mr Calder strode on ahead, Rawson brought up the rear, Ronald pushed
+on, and ranged up alongside his lieutenant.  He had a fancy that if
+there was danger, it would be there, and he wished to be near him.  The
+road lay chiefly over sand-hills, very heavy walking.  Now and then they
+came to rocks, which still further impeded their progress, but there
+were bits also of hard ground, over which they passed at a run.  The
+wind being from the south, they kept at their backs, while the gentle
+ripple of the sea on the beach, assisted still further to guide them.
+At last Mr Calder stopped.
+
+"We ought to be up to the harbour by this time," he observed in a low
+voice.  "I see no signs of it."
+
+All the party had now pulled up.  As they did so, the sound of voices
+from no great distance reached their ears.  The speakers were to the
+north of them.  It was not likely that they were pursuers.  Still, if
+they passed near, they might discover them.  The seamen crouched down to
+the ground.  The voices grew louder and louder.  They seemed to be
+coming towards the very spot where the Englishmen were collected.
+
+"Lads, we must master them, whether many or few," whispered Mr Calder.
+"Take care none escape."
+
+Morton had been attentively listening to the speakers.  "They are
+fishermen just landed," he said, in a low tone.  "They are on their way
+to their homes.  I doubt, from what they say, if they have landed their
+fish."
+
+"Be ready, lads," said Mr Calder, expecting that the next instant they
+would be grappling with the Frenchmen.  "Each of you seize his man,
+bring him to the ground, and gag him.  Take care none get away."
+
+Suddenly the voices ceased.  Morton thought that they had been
+overheard, but once more the fishermen went on talking; their footsteps
+were heard, but gradually the strength of the sound decreased, their
+voices became less and less distinct, till they were altogether lost in
+the distance.  The lieutenant now led the way rapidly onward.
+
+"If we had been a minute sooner we should have been discovered," thought
+Morton.  "All is for the best."
+
+They had now reached the little harbour.  Several boats were drawn up,
+but all at a considerable distance from the water.  It would be
+difficult to launch one of them without making a noise.  A small boat
+was distinguished a short distance from the shore.  Ronald offered to
+swim off to it, and bring it in.  His clothes were off in an instant.
+
+"Stay, I may have to cut the cable," he observed, putting his clasp
+knife between his teeth.
+
+The water was somewhat cold, but he did not heed that.  Excitement kept
+his blood in circulation.  He soon reached the boat.  His knife came
+into requisition, and though there were no oars, he found a loose bottom
+board, and managed to paddle in with it to the beach.
+
+It was still necessary to be very cautious.  Lights were seen in some
+huts not far off, and the inmates might hear them and suspect that
+something was wrong.
+
+The boat would not hold the entire party, so Mr Calder and Glover, with
+some of the men, embarked first, to select the craft most likely to suit
+them.
+
+It was an anxious time for those on shore.  The crews might be on board
+some of the boats, and if one of those was selected, the alarm might be
+given.
+
+"We shall have to knock some of the fellows on the head if they are,
+that will be all," observed Rawson, coolly.
+
+The boat, however, returned without any disturbance, and the rest of the
+seamen got into her, bringing her gunwale almost flush with the water.
+Scarcely had they got twenty yards from the shore, when a voice hailed
+in French, "Yes, you were before us; don't wait--_bon soir_," answered
+Ronald, promptly, in the same language.
+
+They pulled out as fast as they could, and got on board a a large
+half-decked boat, with her sails on board, and pulling eight oars.
+
+The question was now, how to get out of the harbour.  Rawson in the punt
+went ahead, to pilot the way, while the anchor was noiselessly weighed.
+The oars being got out, the little craft stood after the boat.
+
+The mouth of the harbour was discovered, they were in the open sea.  How
+joyously beats the hearts of all to find themselves free!  As they drew
+off the land, the breeze freshened, the punt was cast adrift, and sail
+was made; just then there were lights seen on the beach; shouts were
+heard.  There was a grating sound as of a boat being launched.  They
+were about to be pursued, there could be no doubt about that.  Still
+sharp eyes would be required to see them.  Impelled by wind and oars the
+boat stood out to the westward.
+
+The wind was fair, the sea was smooth.  Of course in the darkness it was
+impossible to select the best boat, but they had happily hit upon one
+which at all events seemed a fine little craft, and they hoped she might
+prove the fastest.  The seamen bent their backs to the oars with right
+good will; the water hissed and bubbled under the bows.
+
+"The mounseers must be in a precious hurry to catch us, if they do catch
+us," exclaimed Job Truefitt.  "Give way, mates: if we can't keep ahead
+of a crew of frog-eaters, we desarves to be caught and shut up in the
+darkest prison in the land, without e'er a quid o' baccy to chaw, or a
+glass o' grog to freshen our nip."
+
+The men, however, required no inducement to exert themselves to the
+utmost.
+
+"Avast pulling!" exclaimed Mr Calder, after they had made good three
+miles or more from the harbour.
+
+There was no sound of oars.  The Frenchmen, it was supposed, had thought
+the pursuit useless, and had given it up.  Still daylight must find them
+far away from the coast, and spell and spell throughout the night the
+undaunted seamen laboured at their oars.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER NINETEEN.
+
+A SAIL IN SIGHT--A GALE COMES ON--REACH THE FRIGATE--RONALD REJOINS THE
+"THISBE"--MADE LIEUTENANT.
+
+When morning dawned, and hunger reminded the escaped prisoners that it
+was time for breakfast, they looked about and discovered in the forepeak
+a supply of water and provisions, and what was of most consequence, a
+compass.  She was evidently, then, the very craft the Gerardins had
+intended for their use.
+
+"I hope they won't get into a scrape for what they have done for us,"
+observed Ronald.  "Though he is an odd fish in some respects, I liked
+that fellow, Alfonse Gerardin; and from the glimpse I got of his father,
+I should say he is first-rate."
+
+The health of their friends was therefore drunk in some very fair
+claret, which was found among the stores, and never has a merrier party
+floated in an open boat out in the Atlantic.
+
+Two days passed, and Mr Calder calculated that they were well into the
+Chops of the Channel.
+
+Several vessels had been seen, but none had been approached.  Mr Calder
+did not care about this; he hoped to carry the boat into Falmouth or
+Plymouth harbour in safety.
+
+The evening was drawing on.  "A sail on the starboard bow!" was the cry.
+She was a ship standing across channel; unless she or they altered
+their course, she could not help falling in with them.  From the look of
+the vessel it was impossible to say whether she was a friend or an
+enemy.
+
+"If them there tops'ls weren't cut by an English sail-maker, I'm ready
+to pass for a Schiedam drinking big-breeched Dutchman for the rest of my
+born days," observed Job Truefitt, in a decisive tone, as standing up on
+the forecastle deck, and holding on by the mast, he shaded his eyes with
+his hand, and took a severe scrutiny of the stranger.
+
+"Maybe I've handed them more than once and again."
+
+"What do you make her out to be, Truefitt?" asked Mr Calder from aft.
+
+"Why, sir, maybe I'm wrong, and maybe I'm right; but if I'm right, then
+I take it she's no other than the thirty-two pounder frigate, `Thetis.'
+I served aboard her better nor twelve months, so I don't deserve to have
+eyes in my head if I shouldn't know her again," answered Job.
+
+"I think that you are very likely to be right, Job, and I'll trust that
+you are," said Mr Calder.  "Take a couple of reefs in the mainsail as
+you hoist it, lads.  The sky gives promise of a blowing night, and we
+shall do well if we can have a stout ship under our feet."
+
+As the lieutenant was speaking, a heavy squall passed over the boat,
+which, had her sails been set, she would have felt severely.  As it was,
+the spray which it carried drove over her in thick masses, as she
+drifted before it.  Dark clouds were breaking up heavily to the
+southward, while others drove across the sky, their outer edges glowing,
+like red-hot coals, with the beams of the setting sun.  The squall,
+however, passed away, sail was made, and the boat sprang briskly over
+the rising seas towards the frigate.  All were now as anxious to be seen
+by those on board her, as they were before to escape observation.  It
+was very evident that a storm was brewing, and a pretty heavy one--such
+a gale as the French fishing-boat they were in could scarcely weather.
+Every instant the wind increased, and the seas rose higher and higher.
+The frigate, it was very probable, was outward bound, for as the wind
+got round she trimmed sails and steered to the westward.  The boat was
+now close hauled.  If not seen by the frigate, it was scarcely to be
+hoped that she would cut her off on the other tack.  The gloom of
+evening was coming on also, causing the small sails of the boat to be
+less discernible.
+
+"They'll not see us," sighed Rawson.  "And as to this wretched little
+craft living out such a night as we are going to have, that's a sheer
+impossibility."
+
+"The craft has carried us thus far in safety, and may carry us into
+Penzance or Falmouth harbour, I hope, even if we do miss the frigate,"
+observed Morton.  "We shouldn't so mistrust Providence, I think."
+
+"You think, you youngster!" said Rawson, contemptuously.  "You haven't
+been tried as I have."
+
+"But Rawson, suppose we are preserved.  What will you Bay then?"
+
+"That we have obtained more than we deserve," answered the old mate, as
+if involuntarily.
+
+"The frigate sees us," shouted Job Truefitt, from forward, making use of
+a very common nautical figure of speech.  "There's port the helm--square
+away the yards--she'll be down to us in a jiffy."
+
+"Time she was too," observed Rawson, and he was right, for the gloom was
+increasing, the rising sea was tumbling and pitching the boat about, and
+even with two reefs down she could scarcely look up to her canvas.
+
+The frigate, however, had not shortened sail, and on she came, looming
+large through the midst as she ploughed her way with irresistible force
+across the intervening space of tumbling foam-covered seas.  Mr Calder
+gave the necessary orders to prepare for going alongside.  It was a work
+of no little danger.  The frigate had now got within a few hundred
+fathoms of the boat.  Her canvas was reduced, and the helm being put
+down she rounded-to, and there she lay, dipping away heavily into the
+seas, making it appear to a landsman an utter impossibility to get near
+her, and even to a seaman a dangerous undertaking.  The boat's sails
+were lowered, and, if it could have been done, the mast would have been
+unstepped and pitched overboard; the oars were got out, and the boat
+approached the side of the frigate.  Numerous friendly hands were ready
+to heave ropes for their assistance from various parts of the sides,
+from the chains and ports.
+
+"Now give way, my good lads!" shouted Mr Calder, seeing that not a
+moment was to be lost.
+
+The men pulled on, but the ship at the moment plunged forward, and the
+boat dropped astern.  Should this again occur they might lose the chance
+of getting alongside altogether.  With renewed efforts they again pulled
+up.  A rope was hove on board and secured to the bits, and by its
+assistance they at length got alongside.
+
+"Now, lads, up with you!" shouted the lieutenant.
+
+The men caught hold of the ropes thrown into their outstretched hands.
+The greater number sprang up the side like cats, but Morton, with the
+right feeling that it is the officer's duty to see his men in safety
+before seeking his own, hung back.  Now the frigate rose on the side of
+a sea, leaving the boat in the trough far below her, then in another
+instant down she came striking the boat with a terrific crash.  The side
+was crushed in, and the water rushing over her, down she went.  More
+ropes were hove to those still on board.  Morton caught hold of a rope
+with his left hand, but, at the same time, a spar struck his right a
+blow which rendered it powerless.  He held on with all the energy of
+despair, for he knew that if he let go he should be lost.  A poor
+fellow, one of his companions, was washed away close to him.  His own
+was an awful position.  He had received a second blow from a fragment of
+the boat.  The sea was surging up round him.  Should the ship roll over
+he must be submerged, and would inevitably be torn from his hold.  He
+tried to cry out.  The spray rushed into his mouth and almost choked
+him.  Already it was so dark that he feared no one would see him.  He
+believed that his last hour had come.  The loud roar of waters was in
+his ears; he was losing all consciousness, and in another instant would
+have let go his hold, when his arm was grasped by a vice-like clutch,
+and he found himself lifted upwards till he was safely deposited on
+deck.  He looked round to ascertain who had been his preserver.  A tall
+gaunt young man was standing and shaking the water from his jacket, but
+just then an order was issued for all those who had been rescued from
+the boat to muster aft.
+
+Lanterns were brought, and no sooner did the light of one of them fall
+on Mr Calder's countenance, than one of the lieutenants, who proved to
+be the first of the ship, stepped forward, and grasped him warmly by the
+hand.
+
+"What, old ship, is it you?" he exclaimed, almost wringing his hand off,
+and speaking rapidly, as if unable to restrain his feelings.  "Where do
+you come from?  What has happened to you?  Tell me all about it."
+
+This Mr Calder briefly did, and warm and hearty was the reception he
+met with in the gun-room, to which Rawson was also invited, while the
+other midshipmen were taken care of in the berth.
+
+The gale continued to increase in fury.
+
+"We should have found ourselves in a bad way by this time on board the
+French fishing-boat," observed Mr Calder.  "Ah, Rawson! we have reason
+to be grateful, man, and we should do well if we left off grumbling for
+the rest of our lives."
+
+"You would deprive all poor old mates of the only privilege they
+possess," answered Rawson; "that would be hard indeed."
+
+The frigate, it was found, was bound out to the North-American station.
+This was a great disappointment, as Mr Calder, especially, was anxious
+to rejoin the "Thisbe" as soon as possible, not to lose his chance of
+promotion.
+
+However, although the gale continued to increase, Captain Markham was
+not the man to put back into port as long as he could possibly keep the
+sea.  He had a good deal of the Flying Dutchman spirit about him,
+without the profanity of that far-famed navigator, which has so justly
+doomed him to so unenviable a notoriety.
+
+The frigate was rolling and pitching somewhat heavily, as Ronald and his
+companions found their way into the midshipmen's berth.
+
+"Take your seats.  You are welcome here, mates," said the caterer as
+they entered.  "We shall have food on the table in a jiffy.  There's
+cold beef, and salt pork, and soft tack, and here is some honest Jamaica
+rum.  Not a bad exchange for the Frenchman's wish-wash claret, I
+suspect."
+
+The reception, altogether, given to the new comers was cordial, if
+unrefined, and not many minutes had elapsed before they were all
+perfectly at home.  Ronald, less accustomed than the rest to a
+midshipman's berth, felt more inclined than usual to be silent.  He
+found himself seated next to a midshipman, who differed considerably,
+both in manners and in many points, from his companions.  His appearance
+was not at the first glance in his favour.  He was red-haired, and tall,
+and thin; so tall, indeed, that when he stood up his shoulders touched
+the deck above, and his head and neck formed an arch over the table.  He
+must have been eighteen or nineteen years old at least; indeed, he might
+have been older, though he still wore the uniform of a midshipman.
+Ronald thought that he was rather dogmatical, though his remarks were
+characterised by shrewd, good sense, not destitute of humour.  It was
+not till he stood up that Ronald, who had been looking round the berth
+to discover the person who had just rendered him such essential service,
+felt sure that he was the one.  Ronald suddenly put out his hand.
+
+"I have to thank you for saving my life just now," he exclaimed with
+genuine warmth.  "If it had not been for you I should be floating away
+dead astern."
+
+"It cost me but little to haul you up, so say no more about it,"
+answered the tall midshipman.  "I happened to be looking over the side,
+and caught a glimpse of your head as you were hanging on like a codfish
+just caught by a hook.  Besides, I find you come from the far north, and
+we Scotchmen always help each other."
+
+Ronald had detected a slight Scotch accent in his new friend.
+
+"You must let me be grateful, at all events," he answered.  "And you
+won't heave me overboard again when I tell you that I am not a
+Scotchman, but a Shetlander."
+
+"I knew that when you began to speak," observed the tall midshipman; and
+they went on to talk about Shetland, and before long the latter had
+learned several particulars of Ronald's history.
+
+"We must be friends for the future," he observed, as the master-at-arms
+appeared at the door of the berth, with the announcement that it was
+time to douse the glim, and the various members whose watch it was below
+hurried off to their hammocks with as little concern as if the ship lay
+snug at her anchors, instead of being exposed to the full fury of a
+heavy gale.
+
+The frigate was kept thrashing at it, in the hopes that she might hold
+her own till the storm abated.  The important result of the first
+lieutenant's constant care and attention to the fitting of the rigging
+was now fully exhibited.  Not a strand of a rope parted, not a spar was
+sprung.
+
+Ronald soon saw that the tall midshipman was a great favourite with Mr
+Lawrence, the rough diamond of a first lieutenant, nor was he surprised
+when he found that he was a lord, and yet the most attentive to his
+duty, and most eager to master all the details of his profession.
+
+Lord Claymore, the tall midshipman, and Ronald soon became fast friends.
+Ronald admired him especially for the good sense and judgment he
+displayed in conversation, and the coolness and courage he exhibited in
+danger.
+
+The gale continued, and the frigate lay her course to cross the
+Atlantic.
+
+"She has been making much lee-way," Ronald heard the master observe to
+the captain.
+
+"We shall weather Cape Clear for all that," was the answer; "once free
+we may run before it with a flowing sheet to the banks of Newfoundland."
+
+"Ay, if we are once free," muttered the master, who was not at all of
+the touch-and-go school.
+
+On stood the frigate.  It was night.  The midshipmen who had been
+rescued from the fishing-boat were allowed, after their fatigues, to
+remain below without doing duty for some days.  Ronald could not sleep.
+This was very un-midshipmanlike; he knew that it was Claymore's watch on
+deck, and he thought he would take a turn with him.  He dressed and went
+on deck; it was not a tempting night; it was still blowing very hard,
+and the frigate under close-reefed topsails was heeling to the breeze
+till her lee-ports were deeply submerged, while the spray in thick
+showers flew over her.  Ronald soon found his tall friend.
+
+"I like this," observed the latter with enthusiasm, rubbing his hands;
+"the wind is strong enough to blow every inch of canvas out of the bolt
+ropes, if it wasn't all good and new, or to send the masts over the side
+if they were not well stayed up.  We have the land under our lee, and if
+anything was to go we should in all probability drive on to it.  Now,
+just consider the satisfaction of knowing that everything is as strong
+and good as wood, iron, and hemp can be, and of feeling that one has
+contributed to that end.  There isn't a block, or a spar, or a rope,
+that Jack Lawrence or I haven't overhauled.  See the advantage.  He
+sleeps as soundly as if we were in harbour, when most other first
+lieutenants would have been up and down fifty times to ascertain that
+all was going right, and not have slept a wink.  Take a leaf out of his
+book, Morton--it's what I am doing, and intend continuing to do."
+
+"Land on the lee-bow!" cried one of the looks-out forward.
+
+Had any one been drowsy, that sound would have made them rouse up very
+rapidly.  All eyes were directly turned towards the quarter indicated.
+The clouds had broken away in that direction, and a gleam of light fell
+on the threatening headland.  The officer of the watch sent a midshipman
+down to call the captain and master.  They were on deck almost as soon
+as he was.  The compass was consulted, and the bearing of the land
+taken.  The master then went below to consult the chart.  Claymore
+begged Morton to go and call the first lieutenant.
+
+"We take things coolly aboard here, but he would not like to be below at
+this time, and would thank you for summoning him."
+
+Mr Lawrence sprang on deck after Morton.  A consultation was held; it
+was the general opinion that the land seen was Mizen Head, and that if
+there were light sufficient, Cape Clear would be seen on their quarter.
+They might take shelter in Crook Haven; but under the uncertainty that
+the point seen was Mizen Head, the master refused to undertake the
+fearful responsibility.  The determination to keep the sea was also more
+in accordance with the captain's inclinations.
+
+"She has drifted to leeward more than I suspected; we must yet shake
+another reef out of the topsails," he observed.  "What say you, master--
+do you think she will bear it?"
+
+"She must bear it," was the answer.
+
+"She will bear it," said Jack Lawrence, positively.
+
+The united strength of all the crew was required to perform the
+operation.
+
+"All hands on deck!" shouted the boatswain, giving emphasis to the
+summons with his shrill whistle.
+
+Directly the order was given one of the first aloft was Claymore; Morton
+followed him on to the main-yard; it was not his duty to go aloft, but
+he could not resist the impulse which made him do so.  It was fearful
+work, holding on to that yard, up in the darkness, with the fierce gale
+howling round their heads and the ship pitching furiously, while at the
+same time she heeled down over the roaring seas.  The word was given to
+let go; but before the sail could be sheeted home it shook and
+struggled, almost freeing itself from the sturdy crew who were hauling
+away on the sheet.
+
+Morton felt as if he should be shaken off the yard, but a hand with a
+firm grasp held him, nor let him go till he had reached the top.  They
+descended on deck.
+
+"Thank you, Lord Claymore," said Morton, warmly; "had you not held me I
+might have lost my life."
+
+"I don't say you would have deserved it," said the tall midshipman; "but
+why rush to a post of danger without necessity? stronger and older men
+are better fitted for the task you attempted.  It was my duty, and I
+went.  However, I like your spirit, Morton.  If we weather this cape we
+shall know more of each other; if our masts go over the side, or we
+otherwise fail, we may none of us see another sunrise."
+
+He spoke as coolly and calmly as if talking on some ordinary topic.
+
+Away the ship plunged through the seas more furiously than ever, bending
+down till it seemed as if her yard-arms literally touched the foaming
+tops of the seas as they came rolling and hissing by.  Every officer was
+at his post: the captain, with his lips compressed and teeth clenched,
+stood watching, now the bending masts, now the compass, now the dark
+threatening land.  The frigate drew nearer and nearer to it; still she
+flew ahead.  A quartermaster and two of the best seaman in the ship were
+at the helm; Jack Lawrence stood near them; they were doing as well as
+he could desire.
+
+"Keep your luff, lads," he said once in a quiet tone; "steady--that will
+do."
+
+Not another word was spoken by him, or by any one on deck; all eyes were
+riveted on the land.  The ship seemed to be making no progress, for
+there it still lay on the lee-bow.  Some thought they could hear the
+roaring of the surges, as with the whole force of a south-westerly gale
+they were hurled against the cliffs.  Still the canvas held the fierce
+wind, and the well-set-up rigging supported the masts.
+
+"Morton, the land is drawing abeam," exclaimed Claymore suddenly; "the
+ship will be saved.  I did not think so at one time, though."
+
+He was right: gradually it seemed to rise up more broad on the lee-beam;
+but as the ship surged onward amid wildly-leaping waves, the water,
+lashed into masses of foam, was seen over the lee-quarter leaping over
+the cliff from which she had so narrowly escaped.  Still there were
+other points and headlands farther to the north, from which she was not
+altogether clear.  For another two hours or more the same press of
+canvas was kept on her.  Few breathed freely till the order was being
+given to take another reef in the topsails; the order was accomplished
+without a casualty, and the watch below were allowed to turn in.
+
+Some days after this the "Thetis" fell in with a line-of-battle ship
+homeward bound: she took Mr Calder and his companions on board.
+
+"We shall meet again, I hope," said Lord Claymore, as Morton was about
+to go down the side.
+
+"I should be sorry if I did not think so," answered Morton, as the young
+men grasped each other's hands.
+
+Westward steered the "Thetis," and eastward the huge old "Thunderer;"
+the latter reached England, and the officers and men of the "Thisbe"
+once more rejoined her, to the satisfaction of most of their friends,
+who had given them up for lost.
+
+The "Thisbe" finished her commission with considerable credit to her
+captain, officers, and crew, who had likewise not a small amount of
+prize-money to boast of.  Ronald Morton on his being paid off joined a
+sloop-of-war in the West Indies; here he especially distinguished
+himself, and, to the great delight of his father, obtained his
+promotion.  He returned home, and was immediately appointed second
+lieutenant of his old ship, the "Thisbe," now commanded by Captain
+Calder, and bound out to the East Indies.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY.
+
+RONALD SECOND LIEUTENANT OF THE "THISBE"--A BALL AT CALCUTTA--RONALD'S
+GALLANTRY--A CHALLENGE--HIS REPLY.
+
+Ronald Morton had gone through the usual vicissitudes of a midshipman's
+career, during the full swing of a hot and somewhat bloody war.  He had
+run a good many chances of being knocked on the head, but he had done a
+good many things also to be proud of, though he was not overmuch so, and
+he had gained a fair amount of credit.
+
+Once more he was on board his old ship, the "Thisbe."  When he first
+joined he was a ship's boy; he was now her second lieutenant.  The first
+was Rawson--he was a totally changed man.  He had performed a very
+gallant action under the eye of the admiral, had been highly spoken of
+in the "Gazette," had in consequence at once received his promotion, and
+had been an active, enterprising officer ever since.  He seldom or never
+grumbled now, or talked of his bad luck; indeed he seemed to think that
+the world was a very good sort of place for some men to live in, and
+that the British navy was not a bad profession after all for a fellow to
+belong to.  He and Ronald Morton had not met for some years.  They were
+glad to find themselves once again shipmates.
+
+The "Thisbe" was commanded by one they both loved and respected--honest,
+gallant, fighting Tom Calder.  Tom had won his upward way by courage and
+zeal, rarely surpassed.  The Lords of the Admiralty could not refuse him
+his promotion, had they wished it.  The whole navy would have cried out
+at the injustice.  Happily, honest Tom had no one to whisper evil
+against him.  He had not an enemy in the world--so, to be sure, it is
+sometimes said of a goose, but then the goose is his own enemy.  Tom, on
+the contrary, had proved true to himself, and that, in fact, lay at the
+bottom of his success.
+
+Of the old "Thisbes," as they were pleased to call themselves, Dicky
+Glover was the only officer.  He was, however, still a mate.  He was
+senior mate, though he could not help now and then just thinking that it
+would not be so very unfortunate--only a merciful dispensation of
+Providence--should they go into action, seeing that somebody must be
+killed, should a shot happen to knock over the third lieutenant, and
+give him a chance of promotion--not but what Dicky had a very kind
+feeling for the said third lieutenant.  He was always ready to do him
+any service, to lend him his books or money; the latter the lieutenant
+was most fond of borrowing: still Dicky and he were very good friends;
+Dicky had plenty of money, and Peter Sims, the third lieutenant, had
+none.  How he had got his promotion was surprising to those who knew
+him, till it was whispered about that he had a very near relative in a
+high position, who had no difficulty in obtaining it for him.  Sims was,
+however, generally liked; he was very inoffensive, he never talked about
+himself or his friends, seemed to wish to be let alone, and to let
+others alone.  He was always ready to do a good-natured action, to take
+a brother officer's watch, or to give up his own leave to accommodate
+another.
+
+Before the mast there were several hands who had served in the "Thisbe,"
+when commanded by Captain Courtney.  Two had attached themselves
+especially to Ronald--one was Job Truefitt, and the other Bobby Doull.
+No men could have been more faithful or attached than they were to him--
+Job regarded him as his son, and constituted himself his guardian, while
+Bobby looked up to him as to a superior being whom it was an honour to
+follow and obey.
+
+The frigate was bound out to the land so famed for tigers, and curry,
+palanquins, pagodas, and prize-money--the East Indies; she had a quick
+run down Channel, when a northerly breeze carried her almost to the
+tropics.
+
+Rio was visited; the frigate touched at the Cape, and finally anchored
+at the mouth of the Hooghly, near the flag-ship of the admiral on the
+station.
+
+The usual compliments passed, the sails were furled, and shore-boats,
+manned by strange-looking natives, with stranger-looking fruits and
+vegetables, chattering unknown tongues intended to be English, came
+alongside.  The admiral himself was up at Calcutta, and everybody on
+board the "Thisbe" was anxious to pay a visit to the city of palaces.
+Sims offered to stop, but Rawson bluntly told him that he could not
+trust the ship to his charge; so he, pocketing the compliment,
+accompanied the captain and Morton, with two or three more of the
+gun-room officers, and Glover and several of the midshipmen, up to the
+city.  They luckily took their full-dress uniforms with them; and having
+lionised the city in palanquins all the day, they found themselves in
+the evening at a magnificent ball, given by one of the principal
+officers of the Company's Civil Service.
+
+The officers of the "Thisbe" stopped near the entrance to admire the
+brilliant spectacle.  Superb chandeliers hung from the ceiling or
+projected from the walls, amid gay coloured banners, and wreaths of
+exquisite flowers; while below them moved the fairest of Eve's daughters
+to be found in the capital of the East, amid numerous military officers
+in various handsome uniforms; and rajahs, and nabobs, and princes, and
+chiefs of every description, habited in the richest and most picturesque
+of oriental costumes, with turbans and daggers and sword-hilts sparkling
+with gold and silver, and gems of fabulous value.
+
+The gallant captain of the frigate, and most of the officers who
+accompanied him, were more accustomed to the quarterdeck, and the battle
+and the breeze, than to ball-rooms or palaces, and they stood for some
+time totally entranced, and scarcely able to express their surprise to
+each other at the gay scene.
+
+Morton had in his boyhood learned most of the dances then in vogue, and
+a quick eye and perfect self-possession enabled him to appear to
+advantage when at rare intervals he entered a ball-room.  Still, feeling
+himself a stranger among a crowd, he very naturally preferred remaining
+in a quiet spot, that he might at his leisure watch what was going
+forward.  Captain Calder felt very much as he did, for he was even still
+less accustomed to ball-rooms, though his true gentlemanly feelings and
+innate sense of propriety prevented him from committing any solecism in
+good manners.  Sims and Dicky Glover stood together.
+
+"This is very slow work, sir, I think," observed Dicky to his superior,
+with whom, bye-the-bye, he felt himself in a ballroom on the most
+perfect equality.  "I vote we shove forward, and look out for partners.
+There are lots of pretty girls, and I flatter myself that if they were
+asked they would prefer us blue-jackets to the red-coats."
+
+"As to that I am not quite certain," answered the lieutenant.  "You see
+these soldier officers out here, at all events, are generally
+matrimonially inclined, while such would be a very inconvenient
+inclination for us to indulge in; and so not from superior merit but
+from the force of circumstances the soldiers are likely to carry the
+day."
+
+"That argument of yours is irresistible, but still I don't see that it
+should make us give up our chance of a dance," answered Glover, pushing
+a little more forward.
+
+Like riflemen they advanced, skirmishing, one supporting the other.
+Dicky, however, was the most adventurous; without him, probably, Sims
+would have remained in the background.  Sims had some modesty.  Glover
+had the allowance with which, for wise ends, midshipmen are usually
+gifted.
+
+"There's a pretty girl! she hasn't footed it for a long time; there's
+nothing like trying it.  I'll go and ask her," exclaimed Dicky, as if
+suddenly seized with an irresistible impulse; and before Sims could make
+any remark he had crossed the intervening space to where the lady at
+whom he had pointed was sitting, and was bowing and scraping, and
+smiling with the greatest self-confidence.
+
+The young lady looked rather astonished, and not over well pleased, but
+this did not in any way abash Mr Glover.  While he with praiseworthy
+perseverance was still scraping away, requesting the hand of the lady
+for a cotillion, a minuette, or a country-dance, a gentleman came up and
+spoke to her.  Glover looked at her earnestly, and spoke a few words;
+she put out her hand, he took it, and wrung it till she almost cried
+out.
+
+"Cousin Susan!" he exclaimed.  "Well, I didn't think it was you, and yet
+I ought to have known you among a thousand.  But you know you were but a
+little girl when we last met, and now you are grown up and married.
+Well--but I'm so very glad!--how jolly!  I didn't expect to enjoy this
+ball; but now I shall like it very much."
+
+Thus Glover rattled on, and to the surprise of Morton and Sims, and his
+other shipmates, who had not overheard the conversation, was seen
+standing up to dance with an air of conscious superiority and perfect
+self-satisfaction.  Sims was rather jealous.  Morton was highly amused.
+Glover flew up and down the room, enjoying the dance to the full.  What
+cared he for the heat.  What mattered to him that he trod on the toes of
+innumerable rajahs and nabobs, who would gladly have stuck their
+jewel-hilted daggers into him, or given him an embrace with a tiger's
+claw; an instrument worthy of Asiatic invention.  His cousin, however,
+had soon introduced Glover to a more active partner, and so engrossed
+was he at first that he quite forgot to come back to his friends.
+
+While Morton was watching the dancers an officer with a young lady stood
+up near him to join them.  His eye was attracted to her countenance, and
+he was struck by its excessively pleasing expression.  He looked and
+looked again: he thought her exquisitely beautiful, and while he looked
+he could not help half fancying that he had seen that countenance
+before.  Still where it had been he could not discover; he had seen so
+few ladies during his sea-life that he was convinced he should, before
+long, remember.  Yet what puzzled him was, that he felt so very familiar
+with the countenance.  Eyes have a remarkable sympathy for each other;
+after a time the lady knew that she was observed--not with idle,
+careless admiration, but especially noticed.  She looked up for a moment
+and observed a countenance of manly beauty and intelligence not easily
+forgotten.  There were none in that vast assemblage to be compared to
+it, she thought, and yet she tried not to allow herself to dwell on the
+thought; her partner carried her off in the rapid dance.
+
+Morton stood watching her with greater interest than he would have
+allowed even to himself.
+
+"Yes, I must have seen her--but where?  In my dreams--in my fancy," he
+muttered to himself as his eyes continued following the fair young girl.
+"Nonsense!  I am allowing my imagination to run away with me.  And yet
+I do know that countenance, I am certain of it."
+
+Perhaps the young lady saw his eyes following hers.  She seemed at all
+events to be paying but very little attention to the observations of her
+partner.
+
+Morton at length noticed him; he was a young man, and had the air of a
+person thoroughly well satisfied with himself; but as Ronald watched him
+more narrowly he was convinced that he had taken more wine than his head
+could bear; his flushed countenance and unsteady movements after a time
+showed this.  His partner probably had made the same discovery; and
+though in those days his condition would not have excited the disgust it
+would at the present in the mind of a well-educated girl, she was
+evidently anxious to obtain a seat, and to release herself from his
+society.  Still he held her hand with a look of maudlin admiration, and
+insisted on forcing her once more down the dance.  It was evident that
+she would have to struggle to escape from him, and rather than attract
+observation she allowed herself to be dragged once more towards the
+bottom of the room.
+
+Such was the interpretation Morton put on what he witnessed, and he felt
+strongly inclined to rush forward to assist her.  The couple had got
+close to him, by which time the gentleman had become still more excited
+and unsteady--his foot slipped--the fair girl looked up imploringly at
+Morton's countenance, so he thought--her partner fell to the ground, and
+would have dragged her with him, when Ronald sprang forward and saved
+her from the threatened catastrophe.
+
+"Thank you--thank you!--oh take me to my friend!" she exclaimed, her
+voice trembling with nervousness.
+
+Ronald led her through the crowd; her partner picked himself up, and
+uttering an exclamation would have followed them, had not some
+acquaintance near at hand held him back, and ultimately persuaded him
+quietly to retire to another room; leave the ball altogether, he would
+not.
+
+"To be cut out by a sea-monster, a porpoise, a mere nautilus--that will
+never do!" he hiccupped out.  "No, no--I must have my revenge on the
+fellow.  I'll insult him; drill a hole in him; my honour requires it.
+Couldn't show my face again until I have killed my man."
+
+The young man did not give vent to these expressions until his more
+sensible acquaintance had retired; but two or three much of his own
+character remained, who partly from a love of mischief, utterly
+regardless of the consequences, persuaded him that he had received so
+gross an insult that it could be atoned for only by mortal combat.
+
+"We'll settle matters for you," said Lieutenant Bolton, a chum of
+Maguire's.  "Go back when you feel a little better; tread on his toe, or
+dig your elbow into his ribs, and tell him quietly you intended to do
+so.  It will wonderfully facilitate our arrangements."
+
+Meantime Morton--totally unconscious of the annoyance preparing for him,
+and with the fair stranger whom he had rescued resting on his arm, was
+looking for a vacant seat in which to place her.
+
+"Who is your chaperone?" he asked.  "Where do you think we can find
+her?"
+
+"Mrs Edmonstone," she answered.  "Mamma was unwell, and papa could not
+come till late in the evening, and so she took charge of me.  She is one
+of the few ladies we know well in Calcutta, and whom mamma liked to ask
+to take her place.  Ah, there she comes: she will, I am sure, thank you,
+as I do, for saving me from so very disagreeable an accident."
+
+"I rejoice that you escaped it," answered Morton before he looked up;
+when he did so he saw approaching them the very lady with whom Glover
+seemed to be so well acquainted: she now had his arm.
+
+"That is Mrs Edmonstone," said Morton's companion.  "There are two
+seats; she is going to take one.  I am afraid I must sit down."
+
+Morton led her to the seat next her friend, and would have retired,
+though most unwilling so to do, when Glover caught him by the arm,
+exclaiming, "Mr Morton, allow me to introduce you to my cousin, Mrs
+Edmonstone--she wishes to make your acquaintance; she knows that if it
+had not been for you, I should have been food for the sharks long ago."
+
+Dicky had indeed been saying a number of complimentary things about
+Morton, which he fully deserved.  Mrs Edmonstone held out her hand and
+said frankly, "I am indeed glad to have an opportunity of thanking you
+for saving my cousin's life, and affording him the advantage of your
+friendship; your name, and, I may say, your many gallant deeds, have
+long been familiar to me: all his family are grateful to you."
+
+Morton bowed and felt gratified, for Mrs Edmonstone's manner was so
+frank and cordial that he experienced none of the oppression which a
+sensitive person is apt to feel when receiving compliments, however well
+merited, if not bestowed with tact.  She, supposing naturally that he
+had already been introduced to her younger companion, did not think it
+necessary again to go through that ceremony.
+
+Encouraged by her manner, Morton remained talking in an animated way to
+her and her friend, Glover standing by and occasionally indulging in
+amusing remarks, which savoured more of the salt ocean than of the
+ball-room, but had no want of refinement to shock the ears of his
+auditors.  Morton felt himself altogether in a new world; it was not
+very strange, but it was very different to anything he had ever before
+enjoyed; he put forth powers of conversation which he had not supposed
+himself to possess.  He also was struck with the lively and intelligent
+remarks of the younger lady, and at the same time enchanted with the
+perfect simplicity which they betokened.
+
+"Certainly her manners and conversation do not belie her looks; she is
+charming, she is perfect," he more than once said to himself.
+
+Few men can so conceal their feelings, especially if they are not aware
+what those feelings are, when in conversation with a lady, without her
+having an idea, undefined and uncertain though it may be, of the matter.
+The party were so interested in each other's conversation that they
+might have continued talking till supper was announced, entirely
+regardless of what was going forward in the rest of the room, had they
+not been interrupted by the appearance of another person on the stage,
+who came up to claim the young lady's hand.
+
+He was slight and, though not very tall, of a good figure, with handsome
+features, and a remarkably dark complexion; he was dressed in a rich
+semi-oriental military costume, and had a dashing independent air about
+him, which Morton thought approached very much to a swagger, but perhaps
+at that moment he was not a very unprejudiced judge.  Ronald could not
+help staring at him in a somewhat marked manner.
+
+"Extraordinary!" he exclaimed to himself, "that I should come
+unexpectedly into this ball-room and meet two persona with whose
+countenances I am so familiar, and yet not have the slightest notion who
+they are.  That young man's face I know perfectly well; I must have met
+him over and over again, in a very different dress to what he now wears,
+and under very different circumstances, and I must have known him
+intimately, of that I am certain."
+
+"Do you not dance, Mr Morton?" asked Mrs Edmonstone, seeing him look
+about the room, as he was doing, in an abstracted manner, and fancying
+that he wished probably to be introduced to a partner.  The instant her
+voice recalled his scattered senses, "Thank you," he answered; "I so
+seldom have had opportunities of doing so that I can scarcely call
+myself a dancer; at present I confess that I feel more amusement in
+looking on than I should in dancing."
+
+"Can you tell me," said Morton, "who is that young man in the handsome
+costume, who is dancing with your friend?"
+
+"I can indeed say very little about him," was the answer.  "He is a
+Captain Gerardo, I understand,--a foreigner, that is to say, not
+English; either a Frenchman, or Spaniard, or Portuguese.  He has been
+attached to one of the native courts in the East--I do not know which--
+and has come here on his travels before returning home.  He seems to
+have come with several good introductions, especially to natives of high
+rank, and must be wealthy, as he is lavish in his expenditure.  My
+husband, however, is not quite satisfied about him, and is making
+inquiries to ascertain whether or not he is an impostor.  Numbers come
+to this country expecting to find a fine field for the exercise of their
+talents.  They now and then, however, have to beat a precipitate
+retreat.  I would not willingly have allowed my sweet friend, Edda, to
+dance with him, but he has been introduced to her father, who rather
+affects him, and I could not interfere."
+
+"Edda!" repeated Ronald to himself, the name conjuring up a thousand
+recollections of his far-distant home, for he had there heard it
+frequently.  "What is your friend's surname?" he asked; "I did not hear
+it."
+
+"She is the daughter of Colonel and Mrs Armytage, who are at present in
+Calcutta.  He is on the staff--a somewhat haughty, proud man, and not a
+favourite of mine, but she is a gentle, amiable woman; only yields too
+much to him, I think."
+
+"How strange!" repeated Ronald aloud.
+
+"Do you know them, Mr Morton?" she asked.
+
+"If Mrs Armytage is the daughter of Sir Marcus Wardhill, of Lunnasting
+Castle, in Shetland, I know of them, though I have not seen her since I
+was a child.  I was born on the estate, and brought up by her elder
+sister, who had lost her own child.  Her story is a very romantic and
+sad one.  You probably have heard of it."
+
+"Something, but I do not recollect all the particulars; Edda herself
+knows but little.  The families keep up no communication, I fancy."
+
+"But slight," said Morton, not liking to enter too minutely into
+particulars, and yet deeply interested.  "I have news from Shetland
+occasionally, but I have not been there since I was a boy."
+
+"Shall I tell Miss Armytage that you know her family?" asked Mrs
+Edmonstone, with some hesitation.
+
+Ronald considered a moment.  "I will beg you not to do so," he answered.
+"There can be no object gained.  She knows nothing of my family, and
+probably takes but little interest in Shetland itself, while I have
+reason to know that her father has not for many years been on good terms
+with Sir Marcus Wardhill."
+
+"Probably you are right; I will do as you wish," said the lady, and she
+kept her word.
+
+Supper was over, and the guests began to take their departure.  Morton
+and Glover saw Mrs Edmonstone and Miss Armytage to their carriage, and
+were going back to wait for the rest of their shipmates, when a young
+man in military uniform stepped up to the former, and, politely bowing,
+said that he had been deputed by his friend, Lieutenant Maguire, to
+demand the only reparation which one gentleman could afford another, for
+an insult he had that evening received.
+
+"Assuredly, sir, you mistake my identity," answered Morton, calmly.  "I
+am not acquainted with Lieutenant Maguire, nor have I insulted,
+intentionally or otherwise, any human being."
+
+"Some people entertain very different notions to others as to what is an
+insult," said the officer, with a sneer, intended to excite Morton's
+anger.  "My friend Maguire is exceedingly sensitive as to his honour.
+Not to lose time, sir, by any circumlocution in my remarks, you are,
+sir, I am led to understand, Lieutenant Morton, of his Majesty's frigate
+`Thisbe'?"
+
+"I am, sir," said Morton; "your information on that point is correct."
+
+"I knew I was right, sir," said the young officer, with a bullying air,
+mistaking a look of astonishment, which Morton could not suppress, for
+an exhibition of fear.  "Mr Maguire conceives that early this evening
+you purposely tripped him up, and when you had brought him to the
+ground, you carried off his partner and laughed at him.  Any one of
+these acts, sir, was an insult, to be washed out only with blood, as any
+man with a spark of honour in his composition will allow."
+
+Morton, though very much inclined to laugh at this absurd assertion,
+felt at the same time it was annoying.  The only reply he could give
+was, that the young man was tipsy, and fell in consequence, and that he
+had nothing whatever to do with the matter.  This answer would not be
+satisfactory to the gentleman who had brought the challenge.  Still, it
+seemed too preposterous that he should allow himself to be drawn into a
+quarrel, against his will, by hair-brained young men who had lost the
+few wits they possessed by drinking.  His own high sense of honour had
+never before been called in question--his gallantry had always been
+conspicuous.
+
+"I cannot reply to you at once," he answered quietly, turning to
+Lieutenant Maguire's second.  "Leave me your card and address, and I
+promise you you shall hear from me.  Perhaps, in the meantime, your
+friend and his advisers may think better of the matter, and, at all
+events, you can convey him my assurance that I had no intention of
+insulting him, or of hurting his feelings in any way."
+
+"Well, sir, I must be content with your reply, though I cannot say that
+I conceive it to be a very satisfactory one.  My name is Bolton, a
+brother officer of Maguire's.  Here is my card and address.  I shall
+expect your friend."  Saying this, the young man, with a pompous air,
+turned on his heel and walked out of the room.
+
+"This is indeed provoking, to have a quarrel thus pertinaciously fixed
+on me," said Morton, taking Glover's arm.  "I must see the captain, and
+put the matter into his hands."
+
+Morton told Captain Calder what had occurred.
+
+He looked considerably vexed, though he laughed as he answered, "I will
+act as your friend, as it is called, with all my heart, and go and see
+these young donkeys.  If they insist on fighting, it shall be with
+cutlasses or boat stretchers.  Do they think sailors are accustomed to
+handle their little pop-guns, and practise to commit murder with a
+steady hand?  But seriously, my dear Morton, what do you wish?"
+
+"To abide by God's laws, Captain Calder, and to set at nought those of
+men," answered the lieutenant.
+
+"Spoken like yourself, Morton, and I have no fear that discredit will be
+brought on the service if we all so act," said the captain.  "And now
+let us collect our forces, and beat a retreat to our quarters."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY ONE.
+
+PARTY AT MRS. EDMONSTONE'S--INTRODUCTION TO COLONEL ARMYTAGE--VISIT TO
+THE "OSTERLEY"--THE "THISBE" ORDERED TO BOMBAY.
+
+Morton had been anticipating a delightful day: he was to have called,
+with Glover, on Mrs Edmonstone, and he hoped to have met Miss Armytage,
+who was staying with her; but his first thought on waking was the
+disagreeable circumstance which had occurred at the conclusion of the
+previous evening, and the still more disagreeable events to which it
+would in all probability give rise.
+
+He was well aware how much the line of conduct he intended to pursue
+would be criticised, how the story would be garbled and misrepresented,
+and how, in all probability, he would be accused of showing the white
+feather.  Under ordinary circumstances he would have been very
+indifferent to what was said of him: he could well afford to allow idle
+tongues to prattle forth slander about him till weary of the occupation,
+but he could not bear to fancy that Mrs Edmonstone, or rather her
+friend, should hear anything to his disadvantage which he might not be
+present to refute; still, happily, he had not forgotten Bertha Eswick's
+remark, impressed on his mind in childhood--"Do what is right, lad, and
+never mind what men say of thee."
+
+The temptation of meeting Miss Armytage was at last too strong to be
+resisted, and with his captain and brother officers he repaired in the
+evening to the house of Mrs Edmonstone.  Their hostess received them in
+the most friendly manner, and introduced them to several of her friends,
+so that they at once felt themselves at home.  Morton's eyes ranged
+round the room in search of Miss Armytage; she was nowhere to be seen.
+He longed to ask Mrs Edmonstone where she was, but he was withheld by a
+feeling of bashfulness very unusual with him.  Numberless fears entered
+his mind.  Was she prevented by illness from appearing--had her father
+heard who he was, and kept her away that she might not meet him; or had
+Colonel Armytage been suddenly called away to another part of the
+country, and had his daughter accompanied him?
+
+That the latter suspicion was correct he was convinced by overhearing
+the disjointed remarks of some people near him: "Great loss to our
+society--quite unexpected--very charming woman--sweet girl, the
+daughter.  About him--two opinions--proud--"
+
+The speakers moved on.  Morton was convinced that the sweet girl must
+refer to Miss Armytage--surely to no one else.  But then came the
+thought that he was not to see her that evening--perhaps he might never
+again meet her.  The pain and disappointment he felt opened his eyes
+more rapidly than anything else would have done to his own feelings.  As
+to enjoying the evening, that was out of the question.  Still it would
+be a satisfaction to hear something about her.  He would inquire where
+Colonel Armytage had gone.  He was looking round for Mrs Edmonstone, as
+he felt that he could ask her better than any one else, when his heart
+gave an unwonted bound, for he saw entering the room, and leaning on the
+arm of a fine military-looking man, whom he had no doubt was her father,
+Miss Armytage herself.  On the other side of her, endeavouring to engage
+her in conversation, walked the stranger whom Glover thought so like
+Alfonse Gerardin.  The resemblance struck Morton, as his glance fell on
+his countenance, as even greater than on the previous evening.  Miss
+Armytage seemed rather annoyed than otherwise with his attentions.  As
+Morton had been walking forward when he first saw the group he could not
+stop short, so he continued to advance.  The young lady put out her hand
+frankly, though a gentle blush rose on her cheeks as she did so.
+
+"Papa," she said, "I must introduce Mr Morton to you.  I am sure that
+you wish to thank him for the service he rendered me yesterday evening."
+
+Colonel Armytage bowed, and assured Mr Morton that he was exceedingly
+obliged to him; but he said this in a stiff way, which evidently annoyed
+his daughter.
+
+"I was fortunate indeed in being at hand; but I can claim no merit,"
+replied Morton, in a modest manner.
+
+Mrs Edmonstone came up and welcomed her young friend.
+
+"I am so glad you have come back," she exclaimed, affectionately taking
+her hand.  "I was quite vexed at your having to run away to a
+dinner-party, lest you should be too tired to dance this evening."
+
+Edda assured her that she was not.  She, on this, turned round quickly
+to Ronald.  "You dance, sometimes, Mr Morton, I know."
+
+"Yes," he answered quickly, stepping forward and asking Miss Armytage to
+dance.
+
+She smiled and promised.
+
+The young stranger looked very much annoyed.  He had fancied himself
+secure of her hand.  Many men of rank and wealth would have been proud
+of the honour Ronald had obtained, though not more proud than he was.
+That evening was the brightest he had ever spent.  But there were clouds
+in the horizon.  He learned that Colonel Armytage had received a high
+appointment at Bombay, and that they were about at once to sail for that
+presidency, on board the "Osterley," a Company's ship, which was to
+touch there on her passage home.
+
+"We sail in two weeks or so," said Miss Armytage.  "I shall be truly
+sorry to leave Calcutta."
+
+"I had little expected to find it so delightful a place," answered
+Ronald.
+
+Miss Armytage slightly blushed when he said this.  Why, she could
+scarcely tell.  Perhaps it was his manner--perhaps an unconscious look
+he gave.  Though many sought her hand, she declined dancing again, in
+consequence of feeling tired, from having danced so much the previous
+evening.
+
+Ronald was constantly by her side; for whenever he left it, he was
+quickly again attracted back; nor was he ever in want of an excuse for
+returning.  Towards the end of the evening he observed the eyes of
+several people glancing towards him.  It struck him that he formed the
+subject of conversation, especially among a group of military men.  It
+was not, however, till he happened to meet Sims that his suspicions were
+confirmed.
+
+"I knew it would be so," said his brother lieutenant.  "The fellows
+here, among the military, have got an idea that you refused to fight
+Maguire; and I believe that donkey, Bolton, has been setting the story
+afloat.  I should like to keel-haul him."
+
+"Let him alone; it matters little what so insignificant a fellow says or
+does," observed Morton.  "The story can hardly last out the usual nine
+days; and if we all behave well, we can allow these empty-headed fellows
+to amuse themselves for that time at our expense."
+
+The ball came to a conclusion without any unusual occurrence.  Morton
+could not help feeling sure that he stood well in the opinion of Miss
+Armytage.  He had so little conceit in his composition that it never for
+a moment occurred to him that he had excited any warmer sentiment.
+
+After this he frequently met her at Mrs Edmonstone's, as well as at
+other houses.  She invariably received him in the same friendly manner,
+and exhibited evident pleasure in his society.
+
+Probably she had not dared to probe her own feelings.  Colonel Armytage
+treated him as he would any other young officer who had proved a credit
+to his profession.  Mrs Edmonstone always treated him with the greatest
+consideration.
+
+"I have told her all about you, sir," said Dicky Glover one day.  "That
+cousin of mine is a first-rate person, and she says she thinks it an
+honour to know you."
+
+"I am much obliged to her for her good opinion," was Morton's reply.
+
+His spirits were somewhat low; the "Osterley" was about to sail.  He had
+by chance become acquainted with her commander, Captain Winslow.  By his
+invitation he was on board to receive Colonel Armytage and his family.
+He conducted Mrs and Miss Armytage over the ship.
+
+"I wish that you were to accompany us in the frigate," said Mrs
+Armytage.  "In war time we do not know what enemies we may have to
+encounter."
+
+"I should indeed rejoice, if my duty would allow it; but I trust that
+you will have no cause for alarm: the `Osterley' is said to be a fast
+ship, and report speaks highly of her commander, Captain Winslow."
+
+Mrs Armytage had spoken without thought.  She had been much pleased
+with Morton, and it did not occur to her that her daughter might have
+been so likewise, in a far greater degree, or that he might misinterpret
+her remark.
+
+"Oh, of course I see that would be out of the question," she observed;
+"but perhaps the admiral would send your ship to Bombay, and then you
+could watch us.  I do not know how it is, but I have a perfect dread of
+this voyage."
+
+Ronald Morton did his best to soothe the lady's alarm, hoping also that
+she would not impart it to her daughter.
+
+Colonel Armytage, when he rejoined the party, was considerably annoyed
+at hearing the remarks of his wife.
+
+Ronald could not help feeling that his manner on the present occasion
+was colder than ever, and somewhat supercilious into the bargain.  He,
+by some means or other, introduced the subject of duelling, and spoke of
+it as the only method by which gentlemen could settle their disputes.
+"Military men, of course, hold their lives in their hands, and the man
+who shirks a duel, or does not insist on having satisfaction for an
+insult offered him, should, in my opinion, leave the noble profession of
+arms and turn shopkeeper or shepherd.  When I commanded a regiment, if
+any officer showed the white feather in that respect, I took good care
+that he should not long be one of ours."
+
+Morton could scarcely doubt that the colonel's remarks were aimed at
+him; but he thought of his gentle daughter, and refrained from making
+any reply.  A still higher motive might also have restrained him.
+
+A pilot vessel accompanied the Indiaman till she was clear of the river.
+Morton was therefore able to accept Captain Winslow's invitation to
+remain on board till the ship was left to pursue her voyage alone.
+
+Had Colonel Armytage exhibited towards him, at first, the same temper
+that he did subsequently, he would have felt himself compelled, however
+much against his will, to return on shore.  Fortunately the colonel was
+engaged for the greater part of the day in writing in his cabin, so that
+Ronald was able to enjoy several hours of uninterrupted intercourse with
+Miss Armytage; nor did he, when her father appeared, alter in the
+slightest degree his tone of conversation or manner towards her.
+
+At length the huge Indiaman was fairly out at sea.  The pilot announced
+that he must take his departure.  Morton bade farewell to his friends.
+Mrs Armytage held out her hand frankly, and her daughter followed her
+example, though there was a softness and perceptible tremor in her voice
+which made him wish more than ever that he could take Captain Winslow's
+place, or even that of one of his officers.  Colonel Armytage parted
+with him with a cold shake of the hand and a formal "Good-bye, sir;" and
+he was in the boat and soon on board the pilot vessel.  The Indiaman's
+yards were swung round, and under all sail she stood to the southward.
+
+No sooner had Morton reached the deck of the pilot vessel than, as he
+stood astern watching the Indiaman, his eye fell far beyond her, in the
+horizon, on a sail.  He saw that it was a large ship.  He pointed her
+out to the pilot.
+
+"Yes, sir, there's no doubt of it.  She is a large ship," was the
+answer.  "Maybe she's an Indiaman bound lip the Hooghly.  Maybe she's
+the `Rajah,' which sailed two days ago, and has been becalmed; or a
+China ship looking in for orders; or one of the men-of-war on the
+station."
+
+"I care not what she is, provided she is not an enemy's cruiser," said
+Morton.  "She seems to have very square yards."
+
+"Difficult to make that out, I should think," muttered the pilot as he
+walked the deck, and then went forward to give some directions to his
+native crew.
+
+Till the pilot vessel re-entered the Hooghly, and Morton lost sight of
+the Indiaman, his eye was seldom off her, while his thoughts were even
+still more constant.
+
+Once more he was on board the "Thisbe."  He felt no inclination to
+revisit Calcutta, and he only went up there once to pay his respects to
+Mrs Edmonstone.  She very naturally talked of Miss Armytage, and spoke
+warmly in her praise.  It was a subject of which Morton was not likely
+to grow tired.
+
+"Admiral Rainier tells me that he has ordered the `Thisbe' to proceed to
+Bombay, so that you will have an opportunity of renewing your
+acquaintance with my young friend," she added.  "I think that I shall
+charge you with a small parcel for her; some articles which were not
+ready before she sailed."
+
+This was delightful news for Morton.  He had not heard that there was
+any chance of the frigate being sent round to that presidency.  Of
+course it was not out of the pale of probability that Mrs Edmonstone
+was likely to know where the ship was to be sent before the officers
+belonging to her.  Two or three days passed before the captain himself
+had the information confirmed by the admiral's secretary.
+
+"You are right, Morton," he said when he came on board.  "We are bound
+for Bombay, and if we put our best foot foremost we shall get there as
+soon as that old tea-chest, the `Osterley.'"
+
+Morton got his parcel from Mrs Edmonstone, and three days afterwards
+the "Thisbe's" keel was ploughing the waters of the Indian Ocean.
+During the voyage one pair of eyes, at all events, kept a bright look
+out for any sail of the appearance of the "Osterley" Indiaman.  The
+second lieutenant was continually going aloft, spy-glass in hand,
+sweeping the horizon.  Some of his shipmates might have suspected the
+cause, but he gave no reason for this practice which he had adopted.  It
+was war time, and he might have been on the look-out for an enemy.
+
+"We shall be much obliged to you, Morton, if you make out a rich prize
+some day," observed Sims.  "A Dutchman from Java, or a Spaniard from the
+Manillas, would be about the thing."
+
+Day after day passed, but neither friend nor foe was seen.
+
+At length, however, the "Thisbe" touched at Ponte de Galle, when she
+fell in with another frigate direct from England, which had letters on
+board for her.  Ronald got one from his father.  He could not bring
+himself to live on shore, and having applied for employment, had been
+appointed boatswain of a line-of-battle ship, the "Lion," which, it was
+expected, would be sent out to the East India station.
+
+Ronald Morton loved and honoured his father too well not to feel
+pleasure at the thoughts of meeting him; at the same time he wished that
+he could have retired and remained on shore till he could join him.
+
+Without further adventure the frigate came off Bombay.
+
+"The Indiaman you were on the look-out for must have arrived before us,"
+observed Captain Calder, pointing to a large ship which lay in the
+roads.
+
+With a beating heart Ronald watched her as they drew near; but as the
+"Thisbe" dropped her anchor at a short distance off, he saw that he was
+mistaken.  The "Osterley" had not arrived, and considerable alarm was
+expressed by those who had been expecting her.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.
+
+"THISBE" IN SEARCH OF THE "OSTERLEY"--A CHASE--THE "OSTERLEY"
+OVERTAKEN--FOUND IN POSSESSION OF THE FRENCH--RETAKEN--THE PASSENGERS
+NOT ON BOARD--MORTON PLACED IN COMMAND OF THE "OSTERLEY"--THE UNKNOWN
+ISLAND--OLD DOULL ACTS AS PILOT.
+
+The non-arrival of the "Osterley" at Bombay created considerable anxiety
+in all those who had friends on board, or who were otherwise interested
+in her in their feelings or purses.  At length the fears for her safety
+became so great that Captain Calder was requested to sail in search of
+her.  No one received with more satisfaction the announcement that the
+ship was to put to sea than did Ronald Morton; at all events he would be
+doing the only thing in which he could now take an interest.  His heart
+had been tortured with a thousand fears as to the fate of one whom he
+had discovered that he ardently loved.  Had nothing unusual occurred it
+probably would have taken him much longer to ascertain the true state of
+his heart: misfortune has a wonderful power of testing the feelings and
+revealing their condition.
+
+Neither Rawson nor Sims could make him out, they agreed.
+
+"What can have come over the poor fellow?" said the latter.  "The
+climate does not agree with him; he should go home invalided."
+
+Glover might have suspected the true state of the case, but he kept his
+counsel to himself.
+
+The "Thisbe" overhauled every vessel she fell in with, and made
+inquiries at numerous places as she ran down the coast, but nothing was
+to be heard of the "Osterley."  She rounded Ceylon, and stood across the
+Indian Ocean.  Ronald Morton had kept a sharp look-out for any strange
+sail before, on the passage to Bombay; he kept a sharper look out now.
+
+The frigate had got about a third of the way across the Bay of Bengal,
+when the second lieutenant, who, much to the surprise of his
+subordinates, spent many of his spare moments aloft, made out a sail to
+the southward steering west.  She was a large ship, but whether
+man-of-war or merchantman, friend or foe, it was impossible to say.
+Ronald came on deck, and all sail was made in chase; the idea seized him
+that the ship in sight was the one of which they were in search.
+
+"I am afraid you will be disappointed," remarked Captain Calder.  "She
+is probably some homeward-bound Indiaman from China; this would be her
+track, remember."
+
+The chase did not alter her course, but all the sail she could carry was
+packed on her; she sailed well, but the frigate sailed better; there was
+a fear that she might not overtake her till nightfall.  Morton walked
+the deck with greater impatience than he had ever before exhibited, now
+looking out to windward, now at the sails, now at the chase; as the
+frigate drew nearer the chase, the opinions were strongly in favour of
+her being an Indiaman.
+
+"But if she is, why should she run away?" observed Glover, who was
+always inclined to side with Morton.
+
+"An Indiaman she is," observed Rawson.  "I hope soon we may be near
+enough to send a shot across her fore-foot."
+
+The chase sailed well, and though the frigate gained on her it was not
+at a rate to satisfy Morton's impatience.  It was getting dusk as they
+drew near; his glass had scarcely ever been off the chase.
+
+"That must be the `Osterley;' and yet it is strange," he exclaimed.
+"What can have happened to her?"
+
+The frigate at length ranged up alongside.  By this time it was dark;
+lights were seen glimmering through her ports.  Captain Calder hailed.
+"Wa, wa, wa," was the only answer he received.
+
+"She must be in the hands of an enemy," he said.
+
+Morton's heart sank within him.
+
+"Heave-to, or we fire!" cried the captain.
+
+In a little time the creaking of blocks was heard, and the Indiaman's
+courses being hauled up, she slowly came to the wind.  The frigate
+hove-to to windward of her, a boat was lowered and manned, and Morton
+leaped into her, followed by Glover.
+
+"Give way, lads!" shouted the lieutenant, eagerly.
+
+She was soon alongside; her officers and their followers scrambled on
+board: little help was afforded them to do so; on the contrary, the
+expression of the countenances which looked down on them, seen by the
+glare of the lanterns, showed that if not backed by the guns of the
+frigate, they would have been received at the points of boarding-pikes
+and with the muzzles of pistols presented at their heads.  The
+determined looks of the sturdy man-of-war's men made the crew of the
+Indiaman hold back.  Directly Ronald stepped on board he glanced his eye
+anxiously around; he had no longer any doubt that she was the
+"Osterley," but with not a face that met his gaze was he acquainted.
+
+A rough piratical-looking man, in a naval uniform, stepped forward,
+sword in hand, and presenting the hilt with an air which none but a
+Frenchman could assume, said--
+
+"Monsieur, the fortune of war places us in your power; we yield
+ourselves prisoners, and claim your clemency."
+
+"On what ground do you claim that?  Where are the passengers and crew of
+this ship who sailed in her from Calcutta?" exclaimed Ronald.
+
+"The fortune of war threw them into our hands, as we have been thrown
+into yours," answered the captain, drawing himself up.  "The courtesy
+for which our nation is famed has prompted their captors to treat them
+with courtesy."
+
+"I trust so," exclaimed Morton, with a look which the Frenchman could
+not fail to understand.  "But tell me--what commission do you bear?  Do
+you belong to the Imperial marine of France?"
+
+Morton asked these questions with an agitation he could scarcely
+conceal, for from the appearance of the captain and his crew he could
+not help dreading that those in whom he took so deep an interest had
+fallen into the power of a band of pirates; all the atrocities of which
+such ruffians could be guilty occurred to him.
+
+"Speak, man; tell me--what are you?" he shouted, for the man seemed to
+be hesitating about giving a reply.
+
+"What we are you perceive, monsieur," he answered.  "We are cavaliers
+and Frenchmen, and are at present prisoners to an honourable enemy; as
+such we expect to be treated."
+
+"How you are ultimately treated depends on your conduct towards those
+whom you have had in your power," said Morton.  "Enable us to recover
+them, and you need have no fear on that score."
+
+The Frenchman shrugged his shoulders, and protested that he had had
+nothing to do with the capture of the Indiaman; that he had been put in
+charge of her by others to carry her home, and, moreover, that he knew
+nothing of the passengers, except that he had been assured that they
+were in safety.
+
+When Morton interrogated him as to where he had last come from, he
+declared that he had been, with his crew, put on board at sea, from a
+country craft, and the captors of the ship had taken all the passengers
+out and carried them he knew not where.
+
+Ronald would not believe this statement; but the man persisted in it,
+and seemed obstinately determined to make no other Captain Calder
+directed Morton to take command of the recaptured "Osterley," and Glover
+went as his lieutenant, with a couple of midshipmen, Job Truefitt, Bob
+Doull, and about thirty other hands.  They not being sufficient to work
+the Indiaman, some twenty of the prisoners were retained on board her.
+It now became a question what course to steer.  At length, as the wind
+was favourable, Captain Calder resolved to return to Calcutta, and
+should he not hear of the missing prisoners, to get the admiral to send
+some other ship in search of them.  This determination of the captain
+was the only consolation Morton could obtain.  Still the fact of their
+having fallen in with the Indiaman was of itself considerable
+encouragement.
+
+Two or three days passed by; the wind was light, and not much way was
+made.  It would be difficult to describe the varied feelings with which
+Morton visited the cabins which had been occupied by the Armytage
+family.
+
+To calm the agitation of his mind, he went on deck and paced up and down
+by himself.  At length, as he turned to walk forward, he saw Bob Doull
+coming aft, hat in hand, to the quarter-deck.  The young seaman gave the
+usual hitch to his waistband, with a scrape of his foot, while he swung
+back his hat, and then waited till his superior looked as if he was
+ready to listen to him.
+
+"What is it, Doull?" asked Morton.
+
+"Please, sir, I've found among these outlandish chaps forward, we took
+aboard the prize, an old man who says as how he knows something about
+me, sir," said Bob, twisting his hat round and round.
+
+"About you, my man; who can he be?" inquired the lieutenant.
+
+"Why, sir, he says as how he's my daddy," answered Doull, bluntly.  "He
+may be, cause as how my daddy went away to foreign parts many years gone
+by, and never came back; but if he is, he's a rum sort of one.  I can't
+say as how I takes much to the old gentleman as yet."
+
+"Let me see the man, and hear his story," said Morton.  "I had no idea
+that we had an Englishman among the prisoners."
+
+"Bring him aft at once; let him speak to no one; I must question him."
+
+Before long, Bob Doull was seen dragging along a tall, gaunt,
+grey-headed man, with a long beard and moustache, on whose head it was
+evident neither scissors nor razors had operated for many a year past.
+He was dressed like a French sailor, and except for a peculiar gait and
+certain movement characteristic of a British seaman, he would have been
+taken for a Frenchman.
+
+"Please, sir, this old man says as how he is my father," began Bob,
+handing him aft on the quarter-deck.  "Come, cheer up, and tell
+Lieutenant Morton all you know."
+
+The old man cast an inquiring, doubtful look at Morton's countenance,
+but seemingly satisfied with his scrutiny, he exclaimed, "I want, sir,
+to make a clean breast of it.  For many years of my life I haven't known
+what happiness is, and don't ever expect to know it again."
+
+"As to that," said Morton, interrupting him, "I'll hear you by-and-by;
+but first, I wish to know where you have come from, and where the
+passengers and crew of this ship are now to be found?"
+
+"I was coming to all that presently," persisted the old man.  "It's of
+the past I want to speak."
+
+"But, man, lately, what have you done?--what crimes have you committed?"
+exclaimed Morton.
+
+"None that I know of," answered the seaman.  "I was always a wild blade,
+from the time I first set foot on a ship's deck.  There was no mischief
+I was not up to, no crime I feared committing.  I had done many bad
+things, but the worst was to come.  I was still a lad, and so was my
+chum, Archy Eagleshay, and another, an older man, and older in crime,
+too, but he's gone to his account, as we must all go, great and small."
+
+"You speak truth, my man," exclaimed Morton, now losing all patience.
+"Again I ask you to pass over your early days, and to come to the latter
+events of your career.  How did you happen to be on board this ship,
+among a set of Frenchmen and ruffians of all nations?"
+
+"That was what I was coming to tell you, sir," giving a peculiar look at
+Morton, who was doubtful whether it was caused by stupidity or
+obstinacy.  He saw, at all events, that there was no use in attempting
+to draw forth the information he required before the old man was ready
+to give it.
+
+After a pause, seeing that Morton was not again going to speak, the old
+man continued: "Well, as I was saying, sir, he who is gone came to
+Eagleshay and me, and says he, `Are you lads ready to gain more golden
+guineas than you ever set eyes on in your life?'  Of course we were.
+`It's nothing but carrying off a slip of a baby who can do little more
+than talk, and just leaving him in the plantations.'  We didn't ask
+questions, but we went on board a little sloop he owned, and then we
+waited, cruising about, till one evening he told us to pull on shore,
+and there we found a nurse and child, and the woman gave us the child.
+Away we went with it aboard the sloop, and made sail, and never dropped
+anchor till we reached the port of Dublin.  Then our captain sold the
+sloop, and we all went aboard a ship and sailed for America.  We didn't
+reach it though.  We had done a cursed deed, and God's curse was to
+follow us.  Our ship went down, and we were left floating on a raft; we
+were well-nigh starved, when a ship fell in with us, and we were taken
+on board.  The captain was a kind-hearted man, and he said he would take
+care of the little fellow; and as our captain--he that's gone--had got
+the money for the deed he'd done, he didn't try to keep him; indeed, he
+could not have kept him if he'd wished; and so the good captain drew up
+a paper from what we'd told him, and he made us put our names to it, and
+he went and locked it up, and after that he never talked about the
+matter.  We didn't know what he might do, so we ran from the ship at the
+first port we came to.  From that day to this I never set eyes on the
+youngster, or heard of the good captain again.  Well, one bad thing
+leads to another.  We all then went out to the West Indies, and we
+shipped aboard some strange craft, and strange flags they sailed under.
+It was difficult to know, when you came on deck, what was flying at the
+peak.  There were many things done which sickened me, and some of my
+shipmates I saw hung up at Port Royal in a way I didn't like, and at
+last I got away back to England.  I then took a wife.  Many years,
+you'll understand, had passed by.  I thought I was going to remain on
+shore, and be quiet and honest.  I'd one little chap born, and I began
+to be fonder of him than I had been of any living creature before; but I
+was short of money, and the old feeling came over me.  When I wanted it
+out in the West Indies then I took it.  I now did a thing or two which
+made me fly the country.  From that day to this I have never set foot on
+the shores of old England."
+
+Morton thought that he might now venture to interrupt the old man.  He
+had been so anxiously waiting for the account he might give of the
+passengers, that he paid little attention to the first part of the
+narrative.
+
+The old man declared that he knew nothing particular about them.  He was
+on the other side of the island when the Indiaman arrived.  He knew that
+a number of people had been landed, and that huts had been built for
+them, and that they were living on shore; but sentries were placed in
+the neighbourhood of the spot, and no one was allowed to pass to
+communicate with them.
+
+"But what is the character of the men who have possession of the
+islands?  Are they men-of-war's men, privateers, or pirates?" inquired
+Ronald.
+
+The answer the old man gave was not perfectly satisfactory.  "They might
+be pirates, for they were a rough set; but then privateers were often
+rough enough, and little better.  Then again some of the ships which
+came in wore pennants, and the officers had uniforms; but it was easy
+enough for a privateer or a pirate to fly a pennant, and any man could
+put on a uniform, as he had often seen done by villains who finished
+their career by being hung up in chains."
+
+Morton took several turns on the deck.  Could nothing satisfactory be
+made out of the old man?  "Could you find your way back again to those
+islands you speak of?" he asked.
+
+"Maybe I could tell the course we've steered; for when it has been my
+trick at the helm I marked it well--it has always been the same.  Five
+days had passed since we tripped our anchor before you fell in with us.
+Nor'-west by west, half west; and we ran between seven and eight knots
+an hour--seldom less, I should say.  There, sir, can you make anything
+out of that?"
+
+"I hope so; and could you pilot us into the harbour from which you
+sailed?" asked the lieutenant.
+
+"That I could, I am bold to say, seeing that I've been fishing over
+every spot of it for the last ten years, or more," said the old man.
+
+"That will do, Mr Doull.  Stay aft here, with your son, as you say he
+is; and I think you are right, for there is a likeness.  I will trust to
+you, and I will do my best, if you prove true, to get you pardoned for
+any offence against the laws which you have committed."
+
+Ronald called Glover and signalised the frigate.  Both ships hove-to,
+and he went on board.  His consultation with Captain Calder was soon
+over, and on his return both ships shaped a course in the direction
+indicated by the old man.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY THREE.
+
+WHAT HAD BEFALLEN THE "OSTERLEY"--HAD BEEN TAKEN BY THE ENEMY AND
+CARRIED INTO PORT--PASSENGERS KEPT PRISONERS ON THE ISLAND.
+
+When the "Osterley" left Calcutta she stood across the Bay of Bengal,
+and there appeared to be every prospect of a favourable commencement of
+the voyage.  She had a good many passengers, but not so many as she
+would have had, probably, had she been going home direct.  They were
+chiefly married ladies, accompanying their children; or civilians, or
+military men returning after many years' service; or invalids, hoping to
+regain their health in the land of their birth.
+
+Altogether, Miss Armytage did not expect to find much to interest her
+among the companions of her voyage, as they, one after the other, made
+their appearance on the poop-deck of the Indiaman, on which she was
+seated.  It is possible that, while the pilot vessel continued in sight,
+she might have taken an occasional glance to ascertain how the little
+vessel was performing her voyage, and afterwards it is certain that she
+was lost in a reverie, from which she was not aroused till her mother
+had several times addressed her with the inquiry whether she was not
+excessively hungry, and would go down and get ready for dinner.  Mrs
+Armytage was a very good-natured woman, and not destitute of sense, but
+she had no romance in her composition.  She was a great contrast to her
+unhappy sister, Hilda.
+
+Edda aroused herself.  "Yes, mamma; if it is necessary to appear at
+dinner, I will go down with you."
+
+"Of course, dear; and here is Captain Winslow coming to offer you his
+arm."
+
+However, he offered it to Mrs Armytage herself, and with his most
+polite of bows, begged that they would take their seats near him at
+table.  Captain Winslow was courteous to all his passengers, but he
+certainly paid more attention to the Armytage party than to all the
+rest.
+
+After dinner, most of the passengers were collected on the poop,
+watching two vessels which appeared in the distance.  One was evidently
+a native craft, a Dhow or Pattarmar, from her high stern,
+curiously-projecting bow, and lofty lateen sail.  She had apparently
+communicated with the other stranger, which was a ship of some size, and
+was now working in towards the land.
+
+The ship engrossed the chief attention of the passengers.  She was a
+flush-decked vessel or corvette--large for that class of craft, with
+very square yards.  Miss Armytage hoped that her mother would not
+overhear the observations which the appearance of the strange sail
+called forth.  She was looked upon by all as a very suspicious craft.
+Under what flag she sailed was a question, but it was very evident that
+she was a man-of-war, a privateer, or a pirate.  She was an armed
+vessel--she was not a British man-of-war--she might be an English
+privateer, but she had the look of a foreigner.
+
+By degrees the suspicions respecting the character of the stranger
+increased, till few had any doubt that he was an enemy.  Captain,
+Winslow, however, was not to be intimidated by the appearance of the
+ship.  Captain Winslow had probably made up his own mind as to what he
+would do, but, under the circumstances of the case, he judged it
+necessary to call his officers and the principal passengers together, to
+ask their opinion as to what course should be pursued.  Colonel Armytage
+was, of course, summoned to the consultation.  The captain opened the
+proceedings.
+
+"No one will doubt that, should the sail in sight prove an enemy--for
+that has not yet been ascertained--we should run for it," he observed.
+"There is no disgrace in that; our business is to carry passengers and
+cargo, and we shall do wisely to stick to our business as long as we
+can; but the question, gentlemen, which I have to submit to your
+consideration is, shall we fight and defend our ship, the passengers and
+property confided to our care, or shall we yield to what may prove
+superior force?"
+
+"Superior force or not, I say, sir, by the powers! let us fight it out
+to the last, and drive off the enemy," exclaimed the first mate.  He
+spoke out of order, but his opinion was echoed by his brother officers,
+and by most of the passengers, Colonel Armytage was in favour of
+fighting to the last.
+
+"Should she prove a privateer, and we take her, we should do well to
+hang every one of her crew up to the yard-arm as pirates, for they are
+in no degree better," he exclaimed, in a tone which showed his annoyance
+at the prospect of so disagreeable an interruption to their voyage.
+
+"We shall do well to take the enemy before we decide what is to be done
+with him," observed the captain.
+
+Some few of the passengers were for temporising measures; they proposed
+hoisting a flag of truce, and endeavouring to come to terms with the
+enemy.
+
+"Not very likely, gentlemen, that if the enemy think they have the power
+to take the ship, and everything on board her, they will be content with
+a portion," answered the captain.  "The majority are decidedly for
+fighting; we will prepare the ship for action."
+
+The Indiaman was kept on her course, but all the sail she could possibly
+carry was set on her.  The stranger was at this time to the south-east,
+her hull just rising above the horizon.
+
+The Indiaman was before the wind, so was the stranger, but her courses
+were brailed up, and she was evidently waiting for some purpose or
+other; she certainly, at present, did not look like an object to be
+dreaded.
+
+The alarm of the ladies gradually subsided, till they began to wonder
+why it should be thought necessary to make such preparations for
+fighting; why the shot was got up, the powder-tubs filled, and the guns
+loaded, and boarding nettings made ready for rigging.
+
+For some time the stranger did not appear to alter her position.  When,
+however, at length the Indiaman, under all sail, began to put forth her
+speed, giving evidence that she might be many leagues to the southward
+by nightfall, the ship in the distance let fall her courses, and her
+head coming round, she was seen to be steering a course which would
+intersect that of the "Osterley."
+
+"It will come to a fight, sir, I suspect," observed the captain to
+Colonel Armytage.
+
+"So much the better, for I suppose that there is but little doubt that
+we shall beat off the enemy," answered the colonel.  "We have plenty of
+men, and some serviceable guns, and I trust your fellows will do their
+duty like men."
+
+"I trust so, too, sir; but probably that ship out there has more men and
+longer guns than we have," said the captain, gravely.  "We should not
+conceal from ourselves that the contest will be a severe one, at all
+events, and the termination doubtful.  I would not say this to the crew,
+or to the passengers generally, but in the event of disaster, how are we
+to protect the helpless beings committed to our charge--the ladies and
+children?  Some of these Frenchmen, I have heard, are fiends incarnate
+in the moment of victory, and if we offer a stout resistance, and are
+conquered at last, what is to be done?"
+
+"I should feel inclined to blow up the ship rather than run any risk of
+the ladies suffering violence," exclaimed the colonel, pacing the deck
+in an agitated manner.
+
+"That were scarcely right in the sight of God, or wise in that of men,"
+said the captain, calmly: "I had to propose that at a signal which the
+chief officer who survives shall give they all assemble in the main
+cabin, and that then we rally round them, and refuse to yield till the
+enemy agree to terms."
+
+"Your plan is good, but you look at the dark side of things," remarked
+Colonel Armytage.
+
+"I look at both sides, sir," was the answer.  "The `Osterley' is a fast
+ship, and we may run away from our pursuer; if we are overtaken, we may
+beat her off, or after all she may prove to be no enemy at all.  You
+see, sir, I turn the state of the case right round; I like to settle
+beforehand how, under all circumstances, I shall act."
+
+"I see, Captain Winslow, you are a man of forethought--a useful quality
+in your profession," said Colonel Armytage, though he did not make the
+remark with the best possible grace.  In truth, he was inclined to look
+down on the sea captain as a person of a very inferior grade to himself,
+though compelled under peculiar circumstances to associate with him.
+With one of his formal bows he said that he must go below to make the
+ladies understand the arrangements contemplated for them.
+
+Edda heard of the expected combat with perfect calmness.
+
+"How I pity the poor men who may be wounded in the battle!" she
+remarked.
+
+Her father sneered.
+
+"May we go on deck and help them?" she asked suddenly.  "I am sure that
+we can be of use."
+
+"Certainly not," he answered, sternly.  "We shall have enough to do
+without being interrupted by the interference of women."
+
+"Oh, father! do not say that," said Edda.  "We would be of all the use
+in our power; we would tend the wounded; we would take food to those who
+were weary; we would carry up powder and shot if required.  I have read
+of women doing such things.  Why should not we?"
+
+"Because there are men enough to fight, and it is considered that you
+will be safer down below," said Colonel Armytage, casting a look of
+involuntary admiration at his daughter.  "Round shots are no respecters
+of persons, and one might destroy you or your mother or the other women
+as readily as the roughest man on board.  In Heaven's name, child, keep
+out of danger."
+
+A part of the hold was quickly arranged for the accommodation of the
+ladies during the expected action.  Two lanterns were hung up in it
+below the beams, but notwithstanding all that was done, it was a very
+dreary, dark abode.  Edda entreated that she and her mother might remain
+on deck till they were within range of the enemy's guns.  Most of the
+other ladies followed her example, and the deck once more resumed its
+usual orderly appearance, though there were signs of the expected strife
+in the warlike costumes of the gentlemen, who walked up and down with
+swords buckled to their sides, pistols in their belts, or muskets on
+their shoulders.
+
+The captain had not vainly boasted of the sped of the ship, and, as he
+now hauled up a little to the westward there appeared to be a
+considerable chance of her running the stranger out of sight during the
+night.  Darkness was now coming on.  The stranger was seen on the
+lee-quarter continuing the pursuit under all sail.  Some of the more
+timid suggested that part of the cargo should be thrown overboard to
+lighten the ship, so as to afford them a better chance of escaping, but
+to this the captain would not consent.  He was responsible for the
+property.  He hoped to defend it and every part of it, and even if hove
+away it could do little to aid their escape.  His calmness and
+determination infused courage into all around him.  Night came on.  The
+stranger was still far beyond gunshot.  Not a light was allowed to be
+shown on board the Indiaman.  The ladies were induced to retire to their
+cabins, many under the happy belief that all danger had passed, and that
+they might look forward to a pleasant continuance of the voyage.  None
+of the officers or crew, however, went below.
+
+Many of the passengers also remained on deck.  As night closed in, far
+off was still to be seen the dark outline of the stranger ship.  Was she
+gaining on the "Osterley?"  Captain Winslow and his officers looked and
+looked again.  There seemed to be little doubt about that.  No more
+canvas could be clapped on the Indiaman.  Everything had been done that
+could be thought of to make her sail fast.  A hurricane just then would
+have been welcome.  Clouds were gathering in the sky, and, as the night
+drew on, the darkness increased.  At length the stranger was hid from
+sight.  Some declared that they could still see her, but Captain Winslow
+was of opinion that they were mistaken.  Still even he, as he walked the
+deck, continued to cast many an anxious glance astern.  He called his
+first officer to him, and they held an earnest consultation together.
+
+"We'll try it," he observed; and the yards were squared away, and the
+Indiaman was once more steering to the southward dead before the wind;
+it was her best point of sailing.  It was hoped that the stranger,
+believing that she was bound for Madras, would continue the chase in
+that direction.  The darkness continued.
+
+"Well, sir, I trust that we have given that suspicious-looking gentleman
+the go-by," observed the captain to Colonel Armytage.  "Perhaps it might
+be better to inform the ladies of this, to tranquillise any alarm they
+may still feel."
+
+"Have no anxiety on that score.  I do not allow my wife and daughter to
+indulge in idle apprehensions," answered the colonel in the supercilious
+tone in which he frequently spoke.
+
+"This man may be a very important personage, but he is a very
+disagreeable one," thought Captain Winslow, as he turned away.
+
+The worthy captain was well-nigh wearied out, so, summoning his first
+officer to take charge of the deck, he returned to his cabin to
+endeavour to snatch a short rest, leaving directions to be summoned
+should any change occur in the present state of things.
+
+The first officer had been one of the most anxious to fight.  He
+believed that they might not only beat off the enemy, but take her also,
+and he now kept a bright look-out, hoping that she might again appear.
+He was a young man, and thought more of the honour and glory to be
+gained than of the risk to be run.  Over and over again his night-glass
+swept round in the direction of the eastern horizon.  The range of his
+vision was limited.  After taking a long gaze he suddenly exclaimed,
+"There she is though!"  He called an old quartermaster and bade him take
+the glass.
+
+"Yes, sir, she's the ship, there's no doubt about it.  She has been
+keeping way easily with us," observed the seaman.  "I'd sooner that
+craft, Mr Lloyd, were a hundred miles away, or a thousand, for that
+matter, than where she is: we none of us likes her looks, and she'll
+prove a rummish customer if she gets alongside of us."
+
+"Oh, never fear, Davis; you'll all fight like Britons, and beat her off;
+or take her, maybe.  But call the captain, and let him know our friend
+is in sight, away on the larboard beam."
+
+Captain Winslow was on deck in an instant.  He had been dreaming of the
+stranger.  There she moved like a dark phantom, silently stalking over
+the waters.
+
+There was something peculiarly ominous in her appearance.  The very
+silence with which she glided on through the darkness was threatening.
+She soon came up within range, but not a shot was fired.  There she
+remained gliding on, with her courses brailed up, keeping pace with the
+Indiaman.  It was very evident that she might have come down upon her
+long before had she chosen.
+
+The approach of the stranger quickly became known in the cabin, and the
+gentlemen passengers were soon congregating on deck, many of them
+buckling on their swords and examining the locks of their pistols by the
+light of the binnacle lamp.  Various opinions were offered.  Some
+thought that Captain Winslow ought to begin the battle by firing a
+broadside into the stranger; but he declined the proposal, and suggested
+that it would be better to ascertain first whether she was inimically
+disposed.
+
+"She can scarcely be a friend, or she would not frighten people so
+horribly," observed some one, but the speaker was not discovered.
+
+The remark produced a laugh, and the spirits of the more timid began to
+rise.
+
+"Perhaps the gentleman intends to wait till daylight to commence sport,"
+observed the previous speaker.
+
+Another hour passed by; Captain Winslow could not help feeling that his
+ship was completely in the power of the stranger.  She evidently sailed
+two feet to his one; could shoot ahead and rake him, or could stand off
+and cannonade him with her long guns, without his being able to return a
+shot.  A sturdy Briton as he was, he almost wished, for the sake of all
+on board, especially of the females, that it had been determined to
+yield at once.
+
+"No, no, that would never do," he muttered soon after to himself; "we'll
+fight, and defend them like men."
+
+The stranger had been edging in nearer and nearer to the Indiaman.  The
+ladies had been assembled and sent to their apartment in the hold.  They
+were told it was only as a precautionary measure in case of an action.
+They endeavoured to keep up each other's spirits, hoping for the best.
+Miss Armytage sat by her mother, calm and resigned, endeavouring to
+read, but her mind often left the page and wandered far away.
+
+Some few tried to talk, but they found the effort vain.  A few young
+girls laughed and joked, and tried to persuade themselves that there was
+nothing to dread, but they too soon became silent, and the whole party
+sat patiently waiting for the event they dreaded, yet hoped might be
+avoided.  They had no means of ascertaining what was taking place; Edda
+offered to go up and learn, but her mother entreated her to remain where
+she was, reminding her of her father's commands.  The time passed slowly
+by; many thought that it must be soon day.  All hoped that it would be,
+for they fancied that with the light the stranger would be discovered to
+be a friend.  Not a sound from the deck above reached them.  The silence
+itself was painful.  It was suddenly broken by the deep-toned voice of
+the captain speaking through a trumpet.  Then came the concussion and
+fierce roar of the guns overhead, followed by the thunder of those of
+their opponent, and the crash of the shot as they tore their way through
+the sides of the ship.  Many of the ladies shrieked loudly, with wild
+fright, and clung trembling to each other.  Yes, the bloody fight had
+really begun; how would it terminate?  Next there was a crashing sound
+as if the ship had struck on a rock, and she trembled in all her
+timbers, and there was still the roar of the great guns, but added to it
+the rattle of musketry; and now followed wild shouts and shrieks, and
+the clashing of steel as cutlass met cutlass, and men strove desperately
+for life, and there was the sharp report of pistol shots, and the cries
+increased; and there was the tramping of feet, every moment becoming
+louder, and the clashing of swords, and the shouts and cries growing
+nearer.  And now one of the officers rushed down the ladder.  His face
+was pale; there was blood on his arm.
+
+"Ladies, we will defend you to the last," he exclaimed.  "But come up on
+the main-deck, and keep together.  We have been boarded and overpowered.
+We have rallied on the afterpart of the deck, and hold it still; but
+there is no time to be lost."
+
+Miss Armytage and her mother were the first to lead the way.  When they
+reached the main-deck they saw the gallant band of the defenders
+struggling with overwhelming numbers of the enemy.  In the front rank
+was Colonel Armytage.  A huge seaman, a negro, had attacked him, and was
+pressing him hard.  He seemed to be already wounded; others were rushing
+on.  His foot slipped and he fell.  His opponent's cutlass was uplifted
+to give him a blow, which must have proved fatal, when a young officer
+sprang forward, interposed his own sword, and turned aside the weapon of
+his enemy.
+
+"Yield, sir," he exclaimed in French.  "You are a prisoner, and your
+life shall be respected."  As he spoke, aided by the others, he dragged
+the colonel, no longer able to resist, out from the _melee_, and at that
+moment Edda recognised him as the young stranger whom she had met so
+frequently at Calcutta.
+
+"All who yield shall have quarter," cried a voice from among the
+assailants of the British.  "We are honourable enemies, and seek the
+lives of none who no longer resist.  The ladies shall be protected."
+
+"It's Hobson's choice," said one of the passengers: "let us make terms
+while we can."
+
+Several others expressed the same opinion.  Indeed, it was evident that
+further resistance was useless.  The ship was already in possession of
+the enemy.  The captain was not with them.  Where he was, no one knew.
+Too probably he was wounded; perhaps killed.  Colonel Armytage was a
+prisoner.  The first officer lay desperately wounded in the front rank
+of the little band, who had so gallantly held out to the last.
+
+"Drop your swords, brave enemies, and the Frenchman who makes another
+stroke at your head, dies," said the voice.
+
+Although many had but little faith in the promise, they yielded to
+necessity.  The captors, however, kept their word.
+
+The captain, a stout middle-aged man, came forward, and taking the
+swords of the officers, bowed to the group of ladies, and assured them
+that everything in his power would be done for their accommodation.
+
+"Oh, bring my father, then!" exclaimed Miss Armytage.  "Let us attend to
+him, should he be hurt."
+
+"The officer, my lieutenant, took prisoner?--certainly.  He shall be
+placed under your charge, madam," answered the captain, with a bow.
+
+As soon as it was daylight, the English part of the Indiaman's crew,
+with the officers, as well as the military men among the passengers,
+were removed on board her captor, which proved to be "La Sybille," a
+French privateer corvette.  Her name had lately become known for the
+havoc she had committed among the British merchantmen, many of which had
+been carried off, but what had afterwards become of them it had not been
+hitherto ascertained.
+
+It was a great relief to Edda to receive a visit from Captain Winslow.
+He was wounded, and having been knocked down and stunned when the
+Frenchman boarded, he had not recovered till the ship was completely in
+their power.
+
+Several of the Indiaman's officers and crew had been killed or wounded,
+but the bloody signs of the conflict had been removed when the ladies
+once more appeared on deck.  Strangers navigated the ship, and Edda
+observed that her Calcutta acquaintance had the command.  He approached,
+however, but seldom, and always with the signs of the most profound
+respect.  Edda sometimes observed him standing at a distance, watching
+her, with his arms folded on his bosom, and a melancholy expression in
+his countenance.  Still, she did not altogether like his look, though it
+would have been difficult for her to determine why.  One thing certainly
+was against him.  He had been acting the part of a spy at Calcutta, and
+it at once occurred to her, that it was probably owing to the
+information he had obtained that the "Osterley" had been watched for,
+and fallen into the hands of the enemy.  Senor Gerardo, as he had called
+himself, at the same time paid the greatest attention to Colonel
+Armytage, and seemed to anticipate all his wants; indeed, no captors
+could have behaved with more attention to their prisoners than did the
+officers of "La Sybille" to the passengers of the "Osterley."
+
+The two ships were now sailing together, to the eastward of south, but
+where they were going, no one could ascertain.  A sentry was stationed
+at the compass, and though they were allowed to range anywhere else
+about the ship, when any one drew near that, they were civilly ordered
+to move away.  Ten or more days passed, and the two ships lay at anchor
+in a beautiful bay, among a group of islands, some of considerable
+elevation, and covered with all the varied productions of the tropics.
+There were few signs of cultivation, but there were numerous huts and
+tents scattered about, and it was evident that the island had been taken
+possession of by the French as a rendezvous for their cruisers.  Another
+Indiaman lay at anchor with her masts and spars in a shattered
+condition, as if she had met with a gale on her passage there, and had
+not been in a fit condition to send away.  On a near inspection a
+battery was discovered thrown up on each side of the bay, while a strong
+fort in the centre commanded the anchorage, and sentries were seen
+pacing the beach to prevent the possibility of any prisoners escaping.
+
+The passengers remained on board two days, while workmen were seen on
+shore, erecting fresh huts.  During this time, Lieutenant Gerardo was
+constant in his attentions to Edda, but they were so delicately offered,
+and his manners were so gentlemanly and refined, that she was almost
+angry with herself for not feeling more grateful.  At last the whole
+party were directed by the French captain who came on board, to prepare
+for going on shore, and informed that they were at liberty to take every
+part of their private property with them.
+
+"We do not war with individuals, and we feel deeply the necessity we are
+under of placing a restraint on your actions."
+
+The young lieutenant expressed his great regret at no longer being
+allowed to have charge of them.  "Still I trust, Miss Armytage, that you
+will allow me occasionally to come and inquire after your health.  `La
+Sybille' requires repairs, and will be detained here some time."
+
+At first Colonel Armytage received him with great coldness, naturally
+looking on him with contempt, as having played the dishonourable part of
+a spy during his visit to Calcutta; but the lieutenant explained the
+cause of his appearance there so much to the colonel's satisfaction, and
+his attentions were so unremitting and delicate, that he completely won
+his way into the good graces of the English officer.
+
+Gerardo was too acute an observer not to have discovered the authority
+Colonel Armytage exercised over his family, and he fancied that the most
+certain way of winning the daughter was first to gain over the father.
+By degrees also he obtained the good opinion of Mrs Armytage.  He never
+obtruded his services, but he offered them to her in so delicate a
+manner, and showed so much pleasure in being employed, that it was
+scarcely possible for her to refuse them.  All the fruits and flowers
+which the islands produced were collected and brought to her and her
+daughter, often not obtained without difficulty, while numberless
+objects of interest, evidently taken out of prizes, were offered for
+their acceptance.
+
+Very few of the other officers came near them; indeed, they appeared
+generally to be of a different stamp to the captain and his first
+lieutenant.
+
+"We really might be very happy here if we did not wish to be elsewhere,"
+observed Mrs Armytage to her daughter.
+
+"Yes, certainly," remarked another lady.  "But what shall we do when our
+clothes wear out?  It will be shocking not to be able to get any of the
+new fashions.  I am afraid our polite captain and Monsieur Gerardo will
+not think half as much about us then."
+
+"You don't suppose that we are to be kept here for ever!" exclaimed
+another lady, in a great state of agitation.
+
+"Perhaps till the war is over--such things are done," remarked Mrs
+Armytage, who, having her husband and daughter with her, was more
+inclined to be contented with her lot than were most of the party.
+
+With most of the captives, however, the days in that delightful climate
+passed pleasantly and rapidly by.  Had Ronald Morton wished Edda to be
+placed in a position where her thoughts would most probably be occupied
+with him, he could scarcely have selected one more favourable for the
+purpose than that in which she now found herself.
+
+What might have been the effect of the young French lieutenant's devoted
+attention, it is impossible to say; but though he was present, the
+absent Morton ever stepped in to prevent him from making the slightest
+impression on her affections.  The more she thought of Morton, the more
+vividly did she realise his noble qualities, his manly appearance; and
+thinking of him, she naturally taught herself to believe that, in some
+way or the other, she and her friends would be rescued from their
+present trying and anxious position.  All the time they could not but
+feel that they were in the hands of enemies, who, though they behaved
+well at present, might at any moment change their conduct.
+
+Both the French ship and the Indiaman had suffered considerably in the
+action; and since their arrival they had been undergoing repairs.  These
+were now completed.  The privateer's men were also refreshed, and eager
+to go in search of fresh spoil.
+
+With heavy hearts the late officers and passengers of the "Osterley" saw
+her under all sail, standing out of the bay.  It appeared as if their
+home--the only means of escaping from their bondage--was leaving them.
+Many gave way to tears at the sight, and few looked on unmoved.  Two
+days afterwards the corvette herself put to sea, both her captain and
+first lieutenant going in her.  A small garrison was left in each of the
+forts, and the seamen remained in prison on board the dismasted prize,
+under a strong guard.  As there were only a few small canoes on the
+beach, used for fishing, and none of the prisoners had arms of any
+description, there was very little chance of their attacking the
+garrison, or attempting to make their escape.  An old French military
+officer, who acted as governor, was a very strict disciplinarian, and
+was continually going from fort to fort and inspecting his troops, so
+that neither he nor they were likely to be caught asleep.  Indeed, it
+appeared that nothing was likely to occur to disturb the perfect
+tranquillity of the island.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.
+
+THE "THISBE" APPROACHES THE ISLAND--OLD DOULL'S REVELATIONS AS TO THE
+"OSTERLEY'S" PASSENGERS--THE FRIGATE PUT UNDER FRENCH COLOURS--
+EXPEDITION IN THE BOATS--ATTACK ON THE FORTS--"OSTERLEY'S" PASSENGERS
+CARRIED OFF.
+
+To return again to the "Thisbe" and rescued "Osterley."  The frigate and
+Indiaman were once more hove-to, at a short distance from each other.
+In the far distance appeared a group of islands like blue hillocks
+rising out of the shining ocean.  Volunteers from the frigate eagerly
+crowded on board the "Osterley," armed to the teeth.  Morton had gained
+sufficient information from the old man to enable him to form a plan for
+rescuing the prisoners, should they be, as he trusted, still on the
+island.  He had had frequent conversations with the elder Doull.  One
+day the old man again referred to the abduction transaction in which he
+had been engaged in his youth.  The similarity of the account to that
+Morton had heard of his father's history, struck him.
+
+"Where was it? from what part of the coast did you take the child?" he
+asked, eagerly.
+
+"Did I not say from Shetland?" replied the old man.  "And what is
+strange, Lieutenant Morton, the boy's name was the same as yours; but
+maybe you know nothing of Shetland; it's a fine land anyhow, and you are
+too young to be the child I was speaking of."
+
+"You are mistaken in one point, Mr Doull," said Morton.  "I belong to
+Shetland; I was born and bred there; and I feel almost sure that the boy
+you carried off was my father.  He was picked up at sea by a Captain
+Scarsdale, who brought him up as his son."
+
+"Scarsdale!--now you speak it, that's the name of the master of the
+vessel who took us off the raft, and from whose ship we ran.  For many a
+long year I have not thought of it.  Yes, Andrew Scarsdale; and the boy
+was called Rolf Morton--the names come back to me as if I heard them but
+yesterday.  There are not many other names I can remember which I knew
+at that time."
+
+"But do you believe that that was the real name of the child?" asked
+Morton, for he had heard his father express his belief that the name he
+bore was not his true one.
+
+"That I do not know," answered old Doull.  "If it was not, the only one
+of us who knew the truth was our leader--the man who led us to commit
+the crime--that villain, Rolf Yell.  It's many a year since I have
+spoken his name.  Now I remember, he gave me a paper to Captain
+Scarsdale, and put his name to it, and we saw him do it; and we--that
+is, Archy Eagleshay and I did; and the captain put his name, and we put
+ours after that, though we didn't read the paper, but the captain said
+that it was all right, and that it was what he wanted, and he took it
+below; and so I supposed that it would make everything square for the
+poor boy."
+
+This circumstantial account agreed so exactly with that which Captain
+Scarsdale had given his father, that Ronald had no doubt that he had
+found a clue which might lead to the solution of the mystery hanging
+over his early history.
+
+What had become of the important document?  Why had not Captain
+Scarsdale produced it?  Yell, at all events, knew his father's real
+name, and he must have communicated it to Captain Scarsdale.  He longed
+to meet his father, that he might give him the information he had
+received, and consult with him as to what steps it would be best for
+them to pursue.
+
+Formerly he perhaps would have been very indifferent as to the result;
+now he could not help feeling that if it could be proved that he was of
+gentle blood, it might enable him the better to succeed in realising the
+bright visions in which he had of late been indulging.  There might be a
+thousand obstacles in his path, but he felt that he could clear them all
+away by courage and perseverance, as he would a host of enemies with the
+strokes of his cutlass.
+
+Such were the feelings with which Ronald Morton prepared for the attempt
+to rescue the passengers and crew of the "Osterley" from the hands of
+the Frenchmen.  Old Doull had warned him of the difficulties to be
+encountered.  He had described the dangers of the approach to the bay,
+the strength of the forts, and the number of the garrison.  This of
+course only increased the anxiety of Morton and his followers to
+commence the work in hand.
+
+While Morton was still forming his plan, old Doull, hat in hand, came
+aft.
+
+"Captain Morton," he said, "my son Bob has been telling me how you have
+been kind to him, and stood by him ever since he came to sea, and I want
+to show you that my old heart, though it's pretty well scorched and
+dried up with the hard life I've led, can still feel thankful for
+favours done.  At first I couldn't make Bob believe that I was his
+father, and no wonder, for an unnatural one I had been to him all his
+life; but I told him so many things about when he was a baby that he
+knows it now, and has taken to call me father, and that warms my heart
+and gives it such a pleasure I can't describe.  After having had no one
+to care for me for better than twenty years, except old Archy
+Eagleshay--and I couldn't trust him over-much, 'specially if a cask of
+rum was in his way--it is a happiness to be called father--that it is,
+sir.  I hope as how some day you will feel it.  Well, sir, as I was
+saying, I was turning in my mind how I might serve you best.  Now, I've
+been thinking that if we were to sail in with the ships, and attempt to
+take the forts by force, though we might and should succeed in the end,
+we might hurt some of the English people on shore, and that's what you
+wouldn't wish to do."
+
+"No, indeed," said Ronald, shuddering.  "That I would not, of course.
+But what do you propose?"
+
+Ronald had discovered the uselessness of attempting to hurry the old
+man, so he waited patiently for his reply.
+
+"Why, sir, I think if the ship was to run in just before dark under the
+French flag, the people on shore would fancy that she had been brought
+back for some reason or other, and very likely wouldn't board her that
+night.  When it is dark I will go on shore and find my way to the huts
+of the prisoners.  I will tell them that you have arrived to bring them
+off, and I think that I could manage to conduct them down by a path to
+the shore, so that the French sentries shall not see them.  In that way,
+sir, they may be got on board without danger."
+
+Morton was not satisfied with the whole of Doull's plan.
+
+"You forget the risk the prisoners would run of being fired on by the
+French sentries, if found escaping; while, before the ship could leave
+the bay, the forts would open fire on her, and very probably injure some
+of them.  However, I will think over your proposal, and I thank you for
+your anxiety to serve me."
+
+Morton would rather have run in with both ships, reduced the forts, and
+carried off the prisoners in triumph, but caution as well as boldness,
+he knew well, were necessary to insure success.  Captain Calder highly
+approved of the plan he ultimately laid before him.
+
+All was ready on board the "Osterley."  The boats were hoisted in; and
+while she ran on towards the land the frigate hauled her wind and stood
+off again.
+
+The Indiaman rapidly approached the land.  As she drew in with it the
+French ensign was hoisted at the peak.  Job Truefitt looked up at it.
+
+"It's the first time that I minds that I ever sailed under that buntin',
+and I would be sorry to see it often hoisted over my head," he observed
+to the elder Doull, pointing at it with his thumb half over his
+shoulder, and a contemptuous sneer on his lips.  "I never loved them
+mounseers, and hopes I never may.  They are to my mind the nat'ral born
+enemies, so to speak, of Englishmen, and it's my belief that they'll
+remain the same to the end of the world."
+
+Doull was now summoned aft to pilot the ship among the reefs which
+surrounded the group of islands she was approaching.  The wind had been
+faithful, and Morton managed so well that it was close upon sunset
+before the "Osterley" got inside the reefs.  It would have been anxious
+work to carry a ship, in the uncertain light which still remained, among
+those numerous rocks and shoals, even with a friendly port in which to
+drop her anchor.  Ronald, with the old man by his side, stood conning
+the ship, while two seamen with sharp eyes were placed at the end of the
+jib-boom, and others at the fore yardarms, to give notice of any danger
+they might discover.
+
+"There'll be no use keeping the lead going, sir," said Old Doull.  "You
+may get a cast of twenty fathom, and the next moment have the ship's
+bows hard and fast."
+
+Ronald knew that this was the case, nor did it decrease his anxiety.
+Steady hands were at the helm.  The seamen were at their stations to
+trim or shorten sail.  The Indiaman glided onward.  She was already
+inside the reefs, and the heaving motion of the ocean was no longer
+felt.  Hills clothed with verdure rose close before them, the shore on
+either side, fringed with cocoa-nut trees, seen here and there over the
+yellow beach rising against the deep blue sky.  The forts, too, could be
+made out, though thrown into shade in the centre of the landscape, as
+the ship, boldly guided by the old seaman to a berth, dropped her
+anchor.  The carpenter had been busily employed all day in constructing
+a canoe.  It was forthwith lowered noiselessly into the water, and Doull
+and his son stepping into it, paddled away to the shore, keeping,
+however, as far off as possible from the forts.
+
+"That man can be trusted," observed Ronald to Glover, though the words
+implied a doubt of the fact.
+
+"At all events we must trust him, sir," answered the midshipman; "that
+is very clear."
+
+After waiting for some time, and no one appearing from the shore, the
+boats were lowered without noise into the water, and at once manned.  By
+this time the dim outline of the shores of the bay could alone be seen.
+Morton took command of one, Glover of another, and the boatswain of the
+frigate of a third.  Sims remained on board in charge of the ship.  The
+Indiaman's boats followed with a midshipman in each, so that there were
+six altogether.
+
+There were three forts, and it was arranged that two boats' crews should
+simultaneously attack each of them.  The oars were muffled, and away the
+flotilla glided from the side of the big ship, as Glover observed to the
+midshipman with him, like a brood of new-born serpents sallying from
+their parents' side intent on mischief.  Not a sound was heard on shore,
+not a sound either did the boats make as they glided over the smooth
+surface of the bay.  Morton's mind misgave him.  It seemed strange that
+no people from the shore had come off to the ship.
+
+"Surely they must have seen her even through the gloom," he said to
+himself.  "Can the Frenchman have left the place, and carried off the
+prisoners?"
+
+The question was soon to be solved, but his impatience would scarcely
+brook the necessary delay.  He had ascertained from Doull the direction
+of the huts where the English prisoners were located.  Doull had also
+described the best landing-places under the forts.  The boats, in three
+divisions, proceeded on their separate courses.  The centre fort was the
+strongest.  Ronald selected that for himself.  His heart beat quick as
+he approached it.  Who when going into action does not discover that his
+pulse beats more rapidly, even under ordinary circumstances?  Ronald
+felt that the safety of one now dearer to him than life was involved in
+the success of his undertaking.
+
+As the boats drew closer to the shore it was necessary to proceed more
+carefully, for fear of running on the rocks, which jutted out in certain
+parts of the bay.  Though the surface of the bay was smooth, there was a
+slight surf on the shore, the noise of which, as it broke, tended to
+overpower any sound which the oars made as they dipped into the water.
+
+Could the French garrisons be asleep?  No sentry's challenge was heard
+on the walls.  Perhaps, believing that it was unlikely an enemy should
+discover them, and impossible for one to approach at night, they had
+all, in fancied security, gone to rest; but then they must have seen the
+approach of the ship.
+
+Ronald had promised to send up a rocket the instant the parapet was
+gained and the enemy aroused.  A few more strokes, and the boats would
+reach the landing-place.  Just then a loud hail came from the walls of
+the fort.  Ronald answered, in French, "People from the captured
+Indiaman."
+
+"Stay there," said the sentry, who had, it seemed, either been asleep or
+just come up to his post.  This, however, was an order the English were
+not very likely to obey, so on they dashed as fast as possible, knowing
+that in another minute their purpose would be discovered.  Leaping on
+shore, several carrying ladders, they rushed to the walls.  At the same
+moment a rocket flew into the night air high above the heads of the
+combatants, to give notice to their comrades that the attack was begun.
+The ladders were placed in position, and up they climbed, in a way
+British seamen only can climb, each eager to be first, and yet one
+helping on the other in the noble race of honour.  In vain the sentries
+and a few men left on guard rushed out to oppose the assailants, and
+shouted and bawled to their comrades to hurry to their assistance.  A
+pistol bullet or the stroke of a cutlass silenced the voice of many a
+boasting Frenchman for ever.
+
+The English had made good their footing in the fort, but before they had
+time to advance, they found themselves opposed by the whole garrison,
+who, though just awakened from sleep, surprised and bewildered, fought
+with the fury of desperation.  They had, however, seized in the hurry
+and darkness the weapons which first came to hand, and many were but
+imperfectly armed.  Now they were driven back--now more of the officers
+coming among them, they again rallied and stood bravely for a few
+minutes, but every foot of ground Morton and his followers gained they
+kept, and onward they fought their way.  The pistol shots, and shouts,
+and cries from the other forts, and high above all, the true hearty
+English cheers to which the seamen gave vent, showed the enemy that they
+were attacked by no insignificant force.  By whom they were attacked
+they probably could not tell, till those well-known cheers reached their
+ears.  Still they bravely stood their ground.
+
+"On, lads, on!" shouted Morton, laying about him with his cutlass more
+furiously than ever.  He began to be afraid, from the pertinacity of the
+Frenchmen, that they expected reinforcements.  Again the British seamen
+made a fierce charge; those of the enemy in the front rank were cut down
+or driven back upon their companions in the rear.  They in their turn
+gave way, and the whole body of Frenchmen took a hurried flight across
+the fort, with the intention of escaping through the gate on the land
+side.  This was what Morton was especially anxious they should not do.
+He dashed after them like a dog endeavouring to turn a flock of sheep.
+He and several of his followers reached the gate almost at the same
+moment, but not in time to stop them.  Out dashed the Frenchmen, driving
+each other forward.  The British seamen followed close upon their heels,
+cutting down those they could overtake, but they in their fall somewhat
+impeded the pursuers.  Morton marked well the way they took.  It was
+towards, he believed, the huts of the prisoners.  He guessed what their
+purpose would be--on he went in hot haste.  Once some of the fugitives,
+finding so few of their enemies close at their heels, stopped, and stood
+at bay.  They had cause to repent their temerity.  Three were brought to
+the ground by the edge of Ronald's cutlass, somewhat blunted as it was,
+while others, with severe wounds, again took to flight.
+
+In the dark many of the pursuers and pursued were scattered, but Morton
+followed what he believed to be the main body.  Suddenly cries and
+shrieks arose in front, and men's voices were heard shouting, and he
+thought he recognised that of old Doull and--yes, he was certain--that
+of Colonel Armytage.  Among the female voices was one which thrilled
+through every nerve.  Ronald rushing on, shouted to his men to collect
+them round him; in another instant he found the two Doulls and Colonel
+Armytage fiercely engaged with a party of the fugitives.  His cutlass
+soon put the latter to flight.
+
+"Where are the ladies?" he exclaimed; but he scarcely waited for an
+answer.  He divined too well what had occurred.
+
+"There! there! the scoundrels have carried them off towards the woods,"
+cried Colonel Armytage.
+
+In another instant Ronald was among the Frenchmen.  Some of the men
+finding that with their burdens escape was impossible, let them go free,
+but others continued their flight.  The cries of children and the
+shrieks of women resounded through the woods.  Edda Armytage was still
+in the hands of the enemy.  On rushed Morton; young Doull was by his
+side.
+
+"There's some people with a lady, sir," he exclaimed, making a dash
+towards a path which led down a dell on one side.  There were several
+men, and Ronald at that moment caught sight of a female dress among
+them.  Morton's quick ear recognised Edda's voice.
+
+"Oh, save me! save me!" she cried out.
+
+The man who held her boldly came to the front, while his comrades
+retreated.  Ronald's cutlass was upraised to strike, when the Frenchman
+placed his captive before him as a shield.  The rest rallied round him,
+and Morton, with Doull alone by his side, found himself opposed to a
+dozen or more desperadoes, while he felt almost unnerved by seeing Miss
+Armytage in their power.  His dread was that some stray shot or the
+careless stroke of a cutlass might injure her.  All he could do was to
+keep at bay the rest of the Frenchmen, while he continued to summon his
+followers.  They, however, it appeared, were skirmishing on either side,
+or rather following the retreating enemy in every direction.  Ronald
+made the most desperate efforts to cut down some of his opponents, but
+each time that he appeared to be gaining a success the big Frenchman
+thrust himself before him.  He had received one or two severe cuts, and
+was beginning to despair that help would come in time to prevent the
+Frenchman from escaping.
+
+Edda had from the first recognised his voice, yet she dared not trust
+herself to address him by name.  Still not for a moment did Ronald relax
+in his exertions.  The Frenchmen had the advantage of knowing the
+ground, and they were evidently, Ronald conjectured, aiming at some
+particular spot, where they might hold out successfully.  The path was
+steep, and numerous creepers of a tropical vegetation crossed it.  In
+one of these the big Frenchman must have caught his foot; he stumbled,
+and before he could recover himself young Doull sprung like a tiger on
+his throat, and held him tight.  The ruffian still attempted to retain
+his hold on Miss Armytage.
+
+"You look after the others, sir--I can settle with this fellow," sung
+out the young seaman; but his officer thought more just then of saving
+the lady than of beating the enemy.
+
+While the Frenchman was still paralysed with the vice-like clutch which
+Doull had taken of his throat, Ronald cast his arm round Edda, and
+forced her from his grasp.
+
+"Hurra!" shouted Bob Doull, "I'll soon finish off the villain now."
+
+He was as good as his word, for never for a moment relaxing his hold of
+the man's throat, he threw himself on him with such force, that he
+brought him to the ground; with his knee he kept down one of the man's
+arms, and with his left hand the other.
+
+"I shall have done for him soon, sir," he shouted; "he's giving in, no
+fear."
+
+What cared Ronald now for wounds, or for the enemies who were attacking
+him!  Supporting Edda with one arm, he kept them back, and prevented
+them from rescuing their companion.  Suddenly Bob Doull sprang to his
+feet, and laying about him with his cutlass, quickly put the rest of the
+Frenchmen to flight.
+
+"Oh, Ronald, what happiness to be saved by you!" murmured Edda, scarcely
+conscious of what she was saying, as Morton, followed by Bob Doull, who
+kept a cautious look-out on every side, returned to the huts.
+
+Those words revealed to him what he had scarcely dared to hope.  He
+found old Doull severely hurt, while Colonel Armytage had been unable to
+follow, in consequence of his former wounds.  He did not recognise
+Morton, but he expressed himself full of gratitude to the gallant
+officer who had been the means of rescuing his daughter.  Mrs Armytage
+was soon afterwards conducted back to the huts; she, with the other
+ladies and children who had been earned off, having been rescued by
+another party of seamen.  The remainder who had escaped, and hid
+themselves, now made their appearance; husbands and wives looking for
+each other, and mothers and nurses hunting for their children.
+
+Glover and the boatswain now sent two midshipmen from the forts, to
+announce their capture, and to state that they had secured the
+garrisons.  It was thought advisable, however, to get the ladies on
+board without delay.
+
+Captain Winslow and the officers and the crew of the "Osterley," who had
+been hutted at a distance from the rest, on hearing the firing, had
+broken through the sentries, and hurried to the spot.  Arms were put
+into their hands, and they were directed to hold the centre fort, while
+the passengers were once more conveyed on board.
+
+Ronald would not entrust Edda to the care of any one, but had supported
+her on his arm till the boats were ready to embark the passengers; he
+now carefully placed her in one of them, with her mother, and other
+ladies, under charge of Colonel Armytage.
+
+"I would that I could accompany you on board, but my duty keeps me on
+shore.  I know not what number of the enemy may be on the island; they
+may rally and attack the forts: it is of the utmost consequence that
+they should be held by us till the ship is clear of the harbour: you and
+your companions will be safer on board than even within one of the
+forts.  I trust by dawn to be on board, and to carry you off in safety
+from the scene of your captivity."
+
+These words, which might have been spoken to any ordinary person, were
+heard by all, but the tone of voice and the gentle pressure of the hand
+were understood by her to whom they were addressed, and she whispered,
+that she was sure whatever he did was for the best.
+
+As soon as the boats shoved off, Ronald went round to visit the forts.
+He found Glover and his party standing guard over the prisoners they had
+captured--a ragamuffin crew composed of natives of nearly every country
+in the world, and from their appearance Ronald had strong suspicions
+that they might deservedly be looked upon as pirates.  In the other fort
+Mr Tarbot, the boatswain, had charge of a similar crew.  They were very
+sulky, and as the light of the lanterns fell on their scowling
+countenances, Morton thought that they looked capable of committing any
+atrocity, and he felt grateful that Edda and her friends had been
+rescued from their power.
+
+The sound which gave him the most satisfaction through the hours of
+darkness was the regular striking of the bell on board the Indiaman.  It
+assured him that her people were on the alert, and that all was going on
+well.  It was nearly dawn when, hearing a sentry hail, he hastened to
+the spot.  "A friend," was the answer, and he recognised the voice of
+old Doull; he directed him to come into the fort, and he soon appeared
+with a companion, whom he introduced as Archy Eagleshay.  The latter was
+a man very similar in age and appearance to Doull, though his
+countenance betokened far less acuteness and intelligence.  Ronald was
+much relieved at the return of Doull.  On many accounts he was anxious
+not to lose sight of him, and for the present it was specially important
+to have him on board the "Osterley," to take her out of the harbour
+through the intricate passages by which he had piloted her in.
+
+At early dawn every one was astir.  The former crew of the "Osterley"
+were employed in collecting all the property of the passengers, and in
+carrying it on board the ship, greatly to the satisfaction of its
+owners.  Four seamen had fallen in the attack, and nearly twenty of the
+enemy.  They were all hurriedly interred, friends and foes sleeping side
+by side on the shores of that lovely bay.  The prisoners were next
+divided among the boats, and carried on board.  Their company would
+gladly have been dispensed with, but Morton judged that it was the only
+safe way to break up this nest of hornets.  The last thing that was done
+was to spike all the guns; some were simply dismounted, and others were
+tumbled over the parapet among the rocks.  There was not time to do
+more, for Morton was anxious to get to sea and rejoin the frigate.
+
+Once more the anchor of the "Osterley" was weighed, and with the wind
+off the land she stood out of the bay.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE.
+
+DIFFICULTY OF NAVIGATION--AN OLD ENEMY APPEARS--ENEMY CHASES THE
+"OSTERLEY"--THE "THISBE" APPEARS.
+
+The Indiaman, under the skilful pilotage of old Doull and his companion
+Eagleshay, wound her devious way among the shoals and reefs which
+guarded the entrance to the bay.  Many of the ladies were collected on
+deck--Edda was one of them; she eagerly watched every movement of the
+young commander of the ship, as he stood in the weather rigging, or
+sprang on to the hammock nettings that he might obtain a clearer view of
+objects ahead.  What she thought and felt it would be difficult to
+describe, but other ladies who were watching him too, agreed that he was
+a noble specimen of a true sailor.  Not for a moment, however, did he
+turn to look at them: now by hand, now by voice, did he direct the men
+at the helm the course to steer.  Rich and deep were the tones in which
+the words--starboard--steady--hard a-starboard--port--port--hard a-port,
+and similar orders were issued.  Colonel Armytage was assisted on deck.
+He overheard some of the remarks which were made, and seemed perfectly
+ready to acknowledge their justice.
+
+"Certainly I have seldom seen a finer young man," he observed with a
+warmth unusual to him.  "We owe him a debt of gratitude, too, for the
+gallant way in which he rescued us from our disagreeable captivity.
+By-the-by, to what family of Mortons does he belong?  It never before
+occurred to me to inquire."
+
+Edda heard the question; it showed her that her father had begun to
+think of Morton in another light than that of a common acquaintance.  He
+was no longer either disposed to treat him with the supercilious air in
+which he did on their first acquaintance.  She could have replied,
+because Ronald had told her that he belonged to Shetland, but she could
+not bring herself to speak.  Those the colonel addressed hazarded
+various opinions, but all were agreed that from his manner and
+appearance he must belong to a noble family.  Colonel Armytage seemed to
+have the same impressions.
+
+"Yes, certainly I mistook him at first," he remarked.  "There were some
+reports to his disparagement about a foolish duel, but from what I have
+since seen of him, I have little doubt he was in the right.  Such a man
+would certainly never refuse to fight unless the man with whom he had
+quarrelled was palpably in the wrong."
+
+This was, for Colonel Armytage, saying a great deal.  His companions
+agreed with him.  It did not occur to them that a man might refuse to
+fight a duel from a higher motive than knowing that he was so clearly
+right that the world could not help taking his part.
+
+The observations she overheard made Edda's heart glow and beat quicker
+than wont.  To every word of praise it warmly responded.
+
+"Yet they know not one-tenth part of his worth; his nobleness of mind,
+his generosity, his tenderness," she said to herself.
+
+Edda Armytage might, perhaps, have been inclined to over-estimate his
+various good qualities, gallant fellow as he undoubtedly was.
+
+The conversation to which she was listening was cut short by a cry from
+the mast-head of "A sail in sight."
+
+"Where away?" inquired Sims, who had charge of the deck.
+
+"To the southward," was the answer.
+
+That was not the direction the frigate was expected to appear.  The ship
+was not yet clear of the reefs.  Sims went aloft, and came down with an
+anxious look.  He told Glover that he did not like the look of the
+stranger.  "She is a big ship, with square yards and white canvas: an
+enemy, I am certain," he observed.  "If she was to catch us jammed up
+among these reefs she might handle us in a way which would make us look
+foolish."
+
+"We shall be clear, sir, before she can get near us," answered Glover.
+"Besides, we have some bull-dogs as well as she has."
+
+"Mere pop-guns to hers, depend on that," observed Sims.  "What do you
+say to her being a heavy frigate, capable of blowing this old tea-chest
+out of the water?"
+
+Morton was informed of the sail in sight, but he was too much occupied
+in guiding the ship out of the labyrinth of reefs to make any other
+reply than the simple one, "If she is like an enemy get the ship ready
+for action."
+
+What he felt his countenance did not show.
+
+The "Osterley" continued to thread the narrow passage; the slightest
+inattention would have brought her upon the reefs.  Those who could
+employ their eyes kept looking now at the approaching stranger--now at
+the direction where they hoped the frigate would appear.  At length old
+Doull's deep voice was heard exclaiming, "We are free now, sir, of all
+dangers; we may stand away to northward."
+
+Ronald sprang down on deck, and the deep sigh which escaped his bosom
+showed the anxiety he had felt.
+
+"Brace up the yards on the starboard tack!" he cried out, as he stepped
+aft, and, calling for his telescope, took a steady examination of the
+stranger.  He expressed no opinion as to what she was, but ordered all
+the sail the ship could carry to be set on her.  As she had now a large
+crew this was rapidly done.  The stranger must have seen, by the way the
+"Osterley" made sail, that she was strongly manned.  Captain Winslow and
+his officers, after a long look at the former, pronounced her to be the
+very ship which had captured them.  Ronald longed to try and turn the
+tables, and to take her, but a glance at the passengers made him feel
+that his duty was in this case to do his utmost to escape.  A bright
+look-out was kept for the frigate.
+
+"If the mounseers catches sight of she, they'll be inclined to put the
+helm down pretty sharp, and go about on t'other tack," observed Job
+Truefitt.
+
+As the stranger approached all doubt as to what she was vanished.  She
+had before proved herself a good sailer.  She maintained her character,
+and with a regret almost amounting to anguish, Ronald saw that there was
+little probability of avoiding a fight.  He had brave men under him, but
+the Indiaman was badly armed, and the enemy had before found her an easy
+prey.
+
+"We must, I fear, Winslow, place the ladies and children below, as you
+did before," he observed, with a sigh.  "I pray heaven the frigate may
+heave in sight, for the honest truth is, I never felt so little inclined
+to fight; yet, if fight we must, I should never fight more fiercely."
+
+"Spoke like a brave man, Morton," answered his friend.  "When I have
+helpless women and children under my charge, though I would fight to the
+last gasp to protect them, I would always rather run than fight."
+
+"Sail ho! ho-o!" shouted the man at the mast-head, with a prolonged
+cadence.
+
+"Where away?" asked Morton.
+
+"To the north-west," was the reply.
+
+His heart gave a bound; it was the quarter in which the frigate was
+likely to appear.  He kept away a little towards her.  The "Thisbe"
+showed her number.  The "Osterley" signalised, "We have all safe on
+board.  An enemy to the south-east."
+
+There was no time for further greeting.  The frigate made all sail and
+stood on.  The tables were now fairly turned.  The Frenchman made her
+out, and going about, stood away to the southward.
+
+"We shall have Captain Gerardin and his sentimental lieutenant among us
+again before long," observed Captain Winslow, rubbing his hands.
+
+The corvette showed that she had a remarkably fast pair of heels, and
+night coming on hid the pursuer, as distance had already hid the
+pursued, from the sight of those on board the "Osterley."  Sail was
+taken off the "Osterley," and she was hove-to, that she might wait for
+the return of the frigate.
+
+A very important question now arose as to what port they should steer
+for.  The passengers very naturally begged that they might be carried to
+Bombay, but Morton conceived that they ought to return to Calcutta.
+However, that was a point Captain Calder could alone decide.  Poor
+Captain Winslow, on his part, wanted to get back the command of his
+ship; but that of course, Morton had no power to bestow on him.  All
+were eager for the morning, but never did a night appear to pass by more
+slowly.  Dawn broke at last, and a sail was seen to the southward.  She
+proved to be the "Thisbe"--the corvette had escaped.
+
+"We'll catch the fellow one of these days, though," exclaimed Captain
+Calder.  "And if he proves to be a pirate, and I believe he is very
+little better, we'll hang him without compunction at his own yard-arm."
+
+His captain highly commended Morton for his conduct, and decided that
+the "Osterley" should return under his charge to Calcutta, where Admiral
+Rainier still was, that he might decide how she should be disposed of.
+
+"She's worth some thousand pounds to us Morton," he observed.  "It will
+help you to furnish house whenever you set up in that way ashore."
+
+Ronald hoped that it would not be long before he should employ his
+well-gained prize money in the manner his captain suggested.  He cared
+little to which port the "Osterley" might be sent, except that he would
+have preferred the one at the greatest distance, which might have
+prolonged the voyage.
+
+Never had Ronald Morton been so happy.  He was in the constant enjoyment
+of the society of Edda Armytage.  She no longer concealed her love for
+him, and his attentions appeared to meet the approval of both her
+parents.  The days thus glided swiftly by.  It was with anything but
+satisfaction to him that the "Osterley" at length made the mouth of the
+Hooghly.  A line-of-battle ship was at the anchorage.  As the "Thisbe"
+brought up, the two men-of-war exchanged numbers, and Morton discovered
+with infinite satisfaction that she was the old "Lion," on board of
+which his father was boatswain.
+
+Ronald was unwilling to leave the "Osterley" even for a short time, so
+he despatched a boat with a note to his father, to inquire after his
+health, at the same time giving an account of what had occurred, and
+promising to visit him as soon as he was at liberty.  No reply was sent,
+but in a short time a boat from the "Lion" came alongside the
+"Osterley," and Rolf Morton himself stepped on board.  Ronald welcomed
+his father with the affection of a son.  He thought not of the
+subordinate rank he held in the service, nor of the fine lady and
+gentlemen passengers who might be making inquiries as to who he was.
+
+After a short conversation on the quarter-deck, they retired to Ronald's
+cabin, where a considerable time was spent in giving and listening to
+accounts of each other's proceedings.
+
+"And let me hear again this strange story you tell me of these old men,"
+said Rolf.  "I must talk to them, and listen to what, they have to say,
+though I scarcely expect that any good will result to us from it."
+
+Rolf Morton had never been of a sanguine temperament; he had become
+still less so as he advanced in life.  Ronald, on the contrary, was
+accustomed to look on the bright side of objects.  He believed that he
+had obtained a clue which would lead to the discovery of a matter now he
+felt of so much importance to his future happiness.
+
+The two old men were sent for.  They looked at Ronald, and then at his
+father; but neither seemed willing to speak.  Archie Eagleshay,
+especially, put on a stupid expression of countenance, as if he had lost
+all recollection of past events.  After a time, however, Doull repeated
+the account he had already given to Ronald, and the other old man nodded
+his head to confirm the correctness of the statement.
+
+"Would you swear to all this my friends, in a court of law in England?"
+asked Ronald.
+
+Even Doull hesitated.  The idea of a court of law, in consequence of his
+early transgressions, had terrors for him which he could not overcome.
+As pale a hue as his sunburnt skin would allow came over old Archy's
+face as he heard the words, and Ronald soon discovered that he had made
+a mistake by putting the question.
+
+"Well, my friends, we will not ask you to do what you do not like," he
+remarked.  "But do not you think that if it was to serve my father and
+me, and that we would take care that you suffered no injury, you could
+swear to the truth of the story you have told us?  It is my belief that
+you see before you the very man you assisted to carry off when a child
+from his family and his country.  He bears you no ill-will in
+consequence.  Surely you would wish to do your best to repair the injury
+you have done him?"
+
+"I would do anything to serve you, Captain Morton, that I would, sir, or
+swear anything you please: and for that matter, so would Archy."
+
+"No, no, my friends," exclaimed Ronald, somewhat inclined to laugh; "I
+only wish you to swear the truth, nothing else can serve me.  However,
+the time for doing so has not yet arrived.  We must get home first."
+
+"The truth!" muttered Rolf Morton.  "Where is that to be found?  I doubt
+that it will serve us anyhow."
+
+"Well, dear father, all is in God's hands," said Ronald, after he had
+dismissed the old men; "I have always been content and proud to be your
+son, and to me, therefore, as far as my own feelings are concerned it
+matters little who was your father, or to what family he belonged,
+except--ah--I for an instant forgot--others may value family more than I
+do."  And Ronald told his father of his love for Edda Armytage, and of
+his belief that his love was returned.
+
+Rolf Morton listened earnestly.  He had more knowledge of the world than
+his son, and he was less accustomed to look on the bright side of
+things.
+
+He shook his head.
+
+"I doubt not she is all you say, and I am grateful to her mother's
+sister for instructing you in your boyhood, but I have little cause to
+love her race.  The old Sir Marcus worked me all the ill he could, and
+from what I have heard of this son-in-law of his, he is a proud and vain
+man, not likely to have much regard for the feelings of young lovers'
+hearts.  But cheer up, Ronald.  You have a noble profession, and the way
+to its highest rank is open to you."
+
+"But Edda has promised to be mine, and her father could scarcely wish to
+make her break her word," answered Ronald, with a simplicity which would
+have made a man of the world smile.
+
+"I would not damp your spirits, lad; but if you would escape having your
+hopes stranded, don't trust too much to promises."
+
+Ronald thought that his father was taking too desponding a view of
+matters.
+
+"We'll hope, father, that in this instance you are mistaken as to
+Colonel Armytage," he answered, in a cheerful tone.  "I am sure that you
+would like both his wife and daughter."
+
+"Ronald, my boy, you forget that I am a bo'sun," said Rolf, rising from
+his seat.  "Let us go on deck."
+
+They there met Glover, who welcomed Mr Morton with the greatest
+cordiality.
+
+"I first went to sea with you, Mr Morton, you remember," he observed.
+"You taught me more of seamanship than I ever learnt from anybody else.
+Besides, you know if it hadn't been for your son I should long ago have
+been food for the fish."
+
+It was now time for Rolf to return on board the "Lion."  His son and
+Glover attended him down the side with as much attention as they would
+have paid to an admiral.
+
+A number of the passengers were collected on the poop-deck, waiting for
+the boats to convey them up to Calcutta.
+
+"Who is that man to whom Mr Morton and Mr Glover are paying so much
+attention?" asked Colonel Armytage, who happened just then to look up
+from his book.
+
+No one could tell him.  After he had seen his father off, Ronald joined
+the party on the poop.  He certainly would not have gone, had Edda not
+been there.  The feeling came forcibly on him that he ought to tell her
+about his father.  It had never occurred to him before.  As he was going
+up to address her, some ladies stopped him, and asked, "Who is that fine
+looking, officer-like man who just now left the ship!"
+
+"He is my father," said Ronald, firmly.  Edda looked up at him with a
+surprised expression.
+
+"Why, Mr Morton, if I mistake not, he wears the dress of a boatswain,"
+said Colonel Armytage, in a cool, deliberate manner.
+
+"Yes, sir--he is boatswain of his Majesty's ship the `Lion.'"
+
+"Your father a boatswain!" said the colonel in the same slow manner.
+"You should have informed me of this before, sir."
+
+"The question was not asked me," answered Ronald.  "I was wrong, I feel,
+in not mentioning it."
+
+At that moment his eye caught Edda's, casting on him a look of such
+sorrow and pain that he was about to spring to her side, when she
+suddenly sunk on her seat, and would have fallen on the deck had not
+Mrs Armytage and another lady at hand caught her in their arms.
+
+"It is of no consequence," exclaimed Colonel Armytage, in a peremptory
+manner; "you have undoubtedly duties to perform about the ship.  We will
+not detain you from them."
+
+Ronald felt that his only dignified course was to retire.  With a heart
+bursting with indignation, he walked forward.  Not long after this the
+boats arrived to carry the passengers back to Calcutta, where they
+purposed remaining till the arrangements respecting the ship were
+concluded.  Ronald had been directed to retain the command till it could
+be legally restored to Captain Winslow.
+
+Miss Armytage had gone below, and was kept out of his sight till she was
+ready to leave the ship.  He came to assist her down the side.  She gave
+him a look full of sorrow, but which he interpreted to mean, "Do not
+think that what I have heard can diminish my affection for you; it were
+worth little if it did."  But she had scarcely time to falter out a few
+words before her father stepped up and effectually stopped any further
+communication.
+
+The manner of Colonel Armytage, indeed, was so rude, that Ronald had to
+recollect who he was, to assist him in commanding his temper.
+
+The passengers in the boats were concealed by the awnings which covered
+them, but Ronald could not help standing on the deck, watching them with
+a heavy heart as they took their way up the broad stream of the Hooghly.
+
+The next day he received three letters; two were official, one of them
+was from his captain, expressing the warm approbation of Admiral Rainier
+for his conduct in the attack on the enemy's forts; the other was from
+the officials of the Honourable East India Company, promising him some
+substantial proof of their sense of his merit.  The third letter was
+private.  He opened it with some misgiving.
+
+"It is as I expected," he exclaimed bitterly; "my father was right."
+
+The letter was from Colonel Armytage, and was couched in almost
+offensive terms.
+
+"Sir,--You took unwarrantable advantage of the opportunities afforded
+you of paying attention to Miss Armytage during our late voyage; and in
+case you should misunderstand my behaviour towards you while you had
+command of the `Osterley,' I feel it necessary to state that,
+considering your true position in society, I consider your conduct most
+reprehensible, and desire that from henceforth all communication between
+you and any member of my family shall cease.  My daughter is too
+obedient, and has too high a sense of propriety to differ in opinion
+with me on this subject.--I am, sir, your obedient servant--
+
+"A.  Armytage."
+
+When Ronald told his father what had occurred, Rolf replied--
+
+"You will serve your country the more devotedly, and depend on it she
+has need of you."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY SIX.
+
+RONALD JOINS LORD CLAYMORE'S SHIP--THE "PALLAS" AT SEA--A CHASE--ENEMY'S
+FLEET IN SIGHT--"PALLAS" CHASED BY ENEMY--LORD CLAYMORE'S MANOEUVRE--
+ESCAPE OF "PALLAS."
+
+No part of the British coast presents a harbour of beauty equal to that
+of Plymouth Sound, with its lofty banks covered with trees from the
+summit to the water's edge, its rocks and headlands, its numerous bays,
+inlets, and other indentations, the towers and glittering white
+buildings of the picturesque town at the northern end, and the lordly
+castle and waving woods of Mount Edgcombe on the west.
+
+On a bright summer morning a frigate was seen gliding slowly up the
+Sound, and making her way towards Hamoaze.  The French flag under that
+of England proclaimed her to be a prize.  She was quickly boarded by
+boats from the shore, every one in them eager to be on board, for a
+prize crew are supposed to have their pockets well lined with coin, and
+to be ready to spend it.  She was soon known to be "La Forte," captured
+by the "Thisbe" in the East Indies.  She at once went into dock, her
+crew was paid off, and Rawson got confirmed in his rank of commander;
+but Ronald Morton received no further acknowledgment of his services.
+He had been paid some prize-money, and he might have remained on shore
+to enjoy some relaxation after the number of years he had been employed;
+but he had few even of the acquaintance young naval men usually make,
+and idleness was the very last thing in which he wished just then to
+indulge.  Action, excitement, was what he wanted.  He longed once more
+for the battle and the tempest.  In this mood, when the ship was paid
+off, he went on shore.  A tall thin young man, in a post-captain's
+uniform, met him before he had walked a hundred paces, and after looking
+at him hard, held out his hand, exclaiming--"Morton, old shipmate, I'm
+glad to meet you."
+
+"So am I, you, Lord Claymore," returned Ronald, happy to encounter one
+he had known and liked so much.
+
+"Well, you see, Morton, that I have got the two swabs on my shoulders,"
+said the young lord, laughing.  "I've worked hard for them, let me tell
+you; my lords of the Admiralty don't give promotion for nothing to those
+who don't happen to be born with silver spoons in their mouths; and I
+was not, I know.  Mine was of wood or iron.  I hope that you will get
+your's soon--you deserve it.  I met Rawson just now, and he was speaking
+of you.  But, in the meantime, what do you say to taking a berth as my
+first lieutenant?  I've interest enough to obtain that for you.  Come
+along with me for a few yards.  You can see the ship I have just
+commissioned.  She is not long off the stocks.  I cannot say much for
+her at present.  She is small and cramped, but she carries thirty-eight
+guns, and I'll make her do something one of these days."
+
+Ronald at once accepted Lord Claymore's offer.  They shortly after fell
+in with Glover.  Lord Claymore told him that he should apply for him as
+his junior lieutenant.
+
+In a week the two old shipmates found themselves appointed to the
+"Pallas" frigate, nominally of thirty-two guns, though in reality
+mounting thirty-eight.  Of course Job Truefitt and Bob Doull followed
+them.  Ronald had been puzzled to know how to dispose of the elder Doull
+and Archy Eagleshay, when the two old men applied to enter.  At first he
+was inclined to laugh at the notion, but when the captain saw them he
+desired that they might not be refused.
+
+"There is stuff in them yet--they will be useful."
+
+They proved that Lord Claymore was right, and he soon rated them as
+quarter-masters.
+
+"We must be sharp in manning the frigate, Morton," said his captain.
+"Promise largely.  We'll redeem our word, depend on that."
+
+Bills soon appeared, posted all over Plymouth:--"The `Pallas,' fitting
+for sea, in want of a few prime hands.  The fastest frigate in the
+service--sure to come back in a few weeks with a full cargo of Spanish
+pewter and cobs.  Plenty of liberty at the end of each trip.  Engaged to
+make more prize-money in three weeks than any other ship in three
+years."
+
+Lord Claymore was not unknown to fame.  Many men joined in consequence
+of the deeds he had already done, and some, after reading the placards
+or hearing them read, though they had no great faith in the promises.
+Still, the ship could not be manned entirely without sending out
+press-gangs.
+
+At length the "Pallas" was ready for sea.
+
+"I hope we may fulfil all our pledges," observed Ronald one day, after
+the frigate had left the shores of England far astern.
+
+"I am determined to do so," exclaimed the captain.  "Morton, I have
+lived long enough to know that a man can do nothing without money.  That
+is irresistible, in politics, war, or love--rather marriage; it conquers
+all opposition.  There is but one way by which seamen can make it.  We
+are on that course.  We'll take good care that the opportunity does not
+escape us."
+
+Morton thought awhile.  For the first time in his life, perhaps, the
+idea occurred to him that money would aid his cause.  "It may serve to
+elucidate the mystery of my father's birth; or why can I not win my way
+up to fame and fortune?  I will show Colonel Armytage that the
+boatswain's son may become his superior in rank, and surpass him in
+wealth, just as much as the boatswain does in all the qualities which
+make a man truly noble."
+
+Ronald did not allow himself generally to give way to such feelings, but
+they would arise in spite of him, when he thought of the ungrateful
+conduct of Colonel Armytage towards him.  Lord Claymore, who took an
+interest in all serving with him, observed Morton's depressed spirits.
+He, did not, however, inquire directly into the cause.
+
+"By-the-by, Morton, you are a Shetlander, if I recollect rightly," he
+exclaimed.  "I have been lately among your people, and a kind-hearted,
+hospitable race they are.  Among other places I visited was Lunnasting
+Castle, where I made the acquaintance of Sir Marcus Wardhill and his
+daughter, a handsome person, though no longer young.  He is a hale old
+man, but somewhat eccentric, and rather morose, I suspect; has a bee in
+his bonnet--that is the case with many of his family.  There is a cousin
+who lives there; not quite as old as Sir Marcus--a very odd fellow;
+indeed, I should say decidedly mad.  You may probably know something of
+them?"
+
+Ronald told him that he had been brought up in the castle.
+
+"A relative of the family?" said the captain.
+
+"I can scarcely be called so," said Morton humbly.  "A distant one only,
+on my mother's side.  My father was about to take command of a
+merchantman when he was pressed into the navy.  He has remained in the
+service ever since.  He is now but a boatswain, but he is a man of whom
+any son may be proud."
+
+Ronald then told the captain all he knew of his father's early history,
+and of the discovery of the two men who had carried him off.
+
+"I understand the whole affair," exclaimed Lord Claymore, warmly.  "With
+all my heart I'll help you to clear it up.  You will have plenty of
+employment for your prize-money: the lawyers will take good care of
+that; but never mind, we'll have enough for their maws, and to spare.
+Sharks must be fed as well as other fish, you know.  As to that Sir
+Marcus Wardhill, I like him not.  I should have little compunction about
+sending him on his travels; but I was interested in his daughter, a
+stately lady, still bearing the marks of great beauty; the Lady Hilda,
+they call her."
+
+"Yes, I used, as a boy, to think her very lovely," said Ronald, warmly.
+
+"I may say she is so still," returned his captain.  "But do you know,
+Morton, there is something very strange about her; she talked to me in
+the oddest way; inquired if I understood astrology, and would favour her
+by working out her horoscope, and would inform her when the lost one
+would return."
+
+"She has been sorely tried," observed Ronald.  "Her father and Lawrence
+Brindister are but sorry companions for one so gifted; and the death of
+her husband and loss of her child were blows she has never recovered."
+
+Lord Claymore had not heard the circumstances of the case, and so Ronald
+gave him the whole story as he had heard it.  His captain was much
+interested.
+
+"What a delightful thread to unravel!" he exclaimed.  "I should like to
+aid in it; but unless you have a clue, it is not likely that her son
+will be discovered."
+
+"She lives on in hopes that he may," answered Ronald.  "I pray that she
+may not be disappointed.  I owe her a debt of gratitude I can never
+repay for all the instruction she gave me."
+
+"Perhaps you may be able to serve her," remarked Lord Claymore.  "Though
+it strikes me, from what I can make out, that she was but repaying the
+debt she owes you."
+
+Ronald did not inquire what his captain meant, for they were both
+summoned on deck with the pleasant information that a sail was in sight.
+The frigate was at this time off the Azores.
+
+"What does she look like?" was the question hurriedly put, as the
+captain himself was buckling his telescope over his shoulder preparatory
+to mounting the rigging to take a look at the stranger should the answer
+be promising.
+
+"A ship, and a big one," was the reply.
+
+In a few seconds Lord Claymore had joined the look-out man aloft.  When
+the captain was thus active it was not likely that the officers and crew
+would neglect their duty.  Lord Claymore took a long steady look at the
+stranger through his telescope, and returning on deck ordered the ship's
+course to be altered a couple of points, and all sail to be made in
+chase.
+
+"Morton, I have a wonderful presentiment that yonder craft is loaded
+with the pewter and cobs we have been promising our fellows," he
+exclaimed, walking the deck with a quick step.  "Her top-gallant-sails
+and royals have a foreign cut, and the blanched hue of cotton cloth such
+as the rich galleons of Spain usually carry.  They are heavy sailers,
+too, and the `Pallas,' as I thought she would, has shown herself light
+of heel.  We shall get up with the chase before any third party steps in
+to snap up our prey."
+
+Not only Ronald, but every man and boy in the ship entered fully into
+the captain's eagerness.  All longed for prize-money; the greater
+number, probably, that they might spend it as sailors in those days got
+rid of their hard-earned gains, in wild extravagance and debauchery; a
+few might have thought of their old fathers, mothers, and sisters, whose
+comforts they hoped to increase; or some one, more romantic than his
+shipmates, might have had in view some quiet woodbine-covered cottage,
+on the sunny slope of a hill, with green fields and a sparkling stream
+below, a seaman's paradise, with an Eve as a companion.
+
+Ronald Morton, in spite of his resolution to the contrary, could not
+help thinking of Edda Armytage, and the possibility of yet winning her;
+still, again and again he tried to overcome aspirations which appeared
+so utterly hopeless.  Indeed, why should he ever wish to make her his?
+Had she ever attempted to assure him that she did not share her father's
+feelings?  Had she not, from what he had heard, been willingly receiving
+the attentions of Alfonse Gerardin, a mere adventurer, at best, who must
+have been guilty of the most barefaced falsehoods to have gained so
+completely, as he appeared to have done, the good opinion of a person
+generally so acute as Colonel Armytage?  No, he did not want money for
+himself; it was to place his father in the position in life to which he
+was born, should it be, as he had every reason to hope, superior to that
+he now occupied; still, as he thought all this, and much more, his
+captain's remark, "With money you can do everything," rang in his ear.
+
+Not a man or boy on board that ship who was not thinking at that moment
+of the same thing--money; most of them were talking of it too.  With
+eager eyes they watched the chase as a wild beast does its prey, longing
+to get possession.
+
+The stranger at first did not seem to have understood the character of
+the frigate.  Her people were not keeping so good a look-out as were
+Lord Claymore's crew; when they did, all sail was crowded in flight.
+Away she went before the wind.  A stern chase is proverbially a long
+one; a tub can sail with the wind aft.
+
+Many hours of the day had passed: evening was approaching: should the
+night prove a dark one, she after all might escape.  The captain was
+becoming anxious, so was every one on board.  The nearer they had got to
+the chase the more like a Spaniard she appeared.  All was done that
+could be thought of to make the frigate sail; every inch of canvas she
+could carry was set on her; studdingsails on either side hanging down to
+the very surface of the water, which they swept as she glided proudly
+on, while other light sails were placed even above the royals, till she
+looked like a lofty pyramid of snow gliding over the deep.  Faster she
+glided--the breeze was increasing; now she rushed through the water; the
+officers looked over her sides and watched with satisfaction the foam
+which rose on either side and formed a long sparkling frothy line
+astern.
+
+"We shall do now, Morton," exclaimed the captain, in high glee.  "Don't
+you hear the dollars chinking away in her hold?"
+
+Lord Claymore wanted the money--not that he was avaricious--far from
+that; but he had numberless schemes in view, and he knew full well that
+without the gold they could not be carried out.
+
+As the chase was neared, the Spanish colours were seen flying at the
+peak.  Not a shot did she fire.  From the squareness of her yards and
+the whiteness of her canvas, as seen in the dusk of evening, as the
+"Pallas" got her within range of her guns, it was not altogether certain
+that she might not prove a man-of-war.
+
+"So much the better," answered the captain, when Glover and the master
+gave it as their opinion that she was so.  "We shall have more honour,
+though less gold.  We must look out for the gold another time."
+
+The men were sent to their quarters, and the ship was prepared for
+action.  The chances that the chase would escape were small indeed.
+
+"There's many a slip between the cup and the lip," observed Mr Hardman,
+the second lieutenant, who had experienced the truth of the saying in
+his own person so often that he seldom failed to give expression to it
+on every opportunity.  Though he numbered many more years than either
+the captain or first lieutenant, he had not been promoted till some time
+after them.  Sometimes when he foretold a slip, he was mistaken.
+
+"Ready with a gun forward!" exclaimed the captain.
+
+The chase was well within range.
+
+"We don't want to injure her more than we can help," he added.  "Send a
+shot past her first.  Fire!"
+
+The gloom prevented the shot being seen as it flew on over the surface
+just free of the chase.
+
+The Spaniards thought that the next, might come in through the
+stern-windows.  Down went her helm; studdingsail booms were cracking
+away on either side; royal and topgallant sheets were let fly; topsails
+and courses were clewed or brailed up, and the Spaniard yielded himself
+to the mercy of his captors.
+
+The frigate brought to in a more deliberate way, taking care to be to
+windward of the prize; boats were instantly lowered and manned, and
+Hardman and Glover hurried off to take possession.  Perhaps the captain
+would have liked to have gone, but it would have been undignified.
+Glover soon returned with the satisfactory information that she was the
+"Carolina," a large Spanish ship, richly laden from the Havanah to
+Cadiz.  A prize crew was immediately put on board, and the prisoners
+were removed to the "Pallas."  They pulled their moustaches, lit their
+cigars, and resigned themselves to their lot.  By dawn the next morning
+the "Carolina," in charge of her new masters, with Glover as commander,
+was on her way to Plymouth.
+
+Lord Claymore's satisfaction was not small when he discovered that the
+"Carolina" formed one of a large convoy, and that it was believed the
+other ships were astern.  Sharper than ever was the look-out kept for a
+strange sail.  Day after day passed, however, and no merchantman or
+other ships appeared.  Hardman began to crow, though the loss was his as
+well as that of the rest: it was an odd amusement, though some men will
+suffer anything to prove that they are true prophets.
+
+A week had passed.
+
+"I told you so, Morton," he observed.  "There's many a slip between the
+cup and the lip.  The convoy probably stole by us during the night when
+some of our volunteers, who had been keeping so sharp a look-out during
+the day, were nodding."
+
+"Sail ho!" was sung out at that moment in a loud cheerful tone from the
+mast-head.
+
+"Who'll prove right now?" exclaimed Morton, as he sprang aloft with his
+glass at his back.
+
+Others were looking-out likewise.  All sail was instantly made in chase.
+It was some time, however, before it could be made out whether the
+stranger was friend or foe, man-of-war or merchantman.  At last Hardman
+condescended to take a look at her.
+
+"Those sails have a decided English cut about them," he observed, in a
+tone of satisfaction.  "Depend on it she's not got a dollar on board
+that will ever enter our pockets."
+
+"To my mind," observed Job Truefitt, who with Bob Doull was standing on
+the fore-topgallant cross-trees, "that craft out there looks as if she
+was come from the land where the gold and silver grows.  He looks like a
+Don, every inch of him.  Mark my words, mate, we shall line our pockets
+with the rhino, and have a pretty handsome sum to take home to our old
+mothers or sweethearts."
+
+"Well for those who have them, but I have neither one nor t'other,"
+answered Bob.  "I've made up my mind to have a jolly spree on shore, and
+live like a lord till it's all gone."
+
+"That won't be long, I suspect," said Job.
+
+The conversation was cut short by a summons on deck.  The frigate was
+nearing the chase.  The whole of her hull could now be seen clearly from
+the deck.  As to her character there was little doubt.  She was a
+merchantman of considerable tonnage.  However, as yet she showed no
+ensign at her peak by which her nation might be known.  She was
+pronounced to be Dutch, French, Danish, and Spanish in turn.  At last
+the captain thought of sending for some of the prisoners to give their
+opinion on the subject.  The Spaniards did not take long before they
+declared their belief that she was one of the convoy to which they
+belonged, and if they were not mistaken she was very richly laden.
+
+A scarcely suppressed shout ran round the decks as the fact became
+known.
+
+"Ay, but we've not got her yet," observed Hardman.
+
+Both captain and crew looked as if they wished they could urge on the
+frigate by means more potent than the light breeze then blowing.  What
+plans and projects might not even then have been working in that fertile
+brain!  Still the chase did her best to escape.
+
+"She has something to run for, or she would have given in before this,"
+observed the captain, rapidly walking up and down the deck, and eyeing
+his anticipated prize.  "Her violent efforts to escape is a good sign,
+at all events."
+
+There was now no longer any doubt as to the character of the chase, for
+she hoisted the Spanish flag, though she still held on.  That she could
+escape seemed impossible, and Lord Claymore was unwilling to fire, for
+fear of damaging her, not in consequence of tenderness towards her, but
+because he hoped in a short time that she would become his property.
+
+"Perhaps she has some notion that she will haul aft her sheets and
+escape to windward of us," observed the master.
+
+"Not at all likely that she will make so hopeless an attempt," answered
+Morton.
+
+"No; but what do you say to the fellows blowing themselves up," put in
+Hardman.  "There's many a slip between the cup and the lip; it is the
+only way by which they can disappoint us, unless they heave their cargo
+overboard, which they may have done already, by-the-by."
+
+His brother officers, as usual, laughed at Hardman's prognostications.
+At length the frigate got the chase directly under her guns, when,
+instead of making the slightest attempt to escape, she hauled down her
+flag, and heaving-to, waited to be taken possession of.  This was done
+as soon as a boat could be lowered from the frigate; Morton went in her,
+and Evans the mate, who spoke Spanish, accompanied him.  He stepped on
+board the prize.  She was a handsome ship, and from her very appearance
+Morton hoped that she would have a rich cargo.  The captain received his
+captors very politely, and at once produced his invoice.
+
+"That is what you want, gentlemen," he observed, with a deep sigh; "your
+gain is my loss, I am a ruined man."
+
+"There are all sorts of valuable things here, sir," observed Morton's
+subordinate.  "I only hope they are not all shams."
+
+"We'll go below and examine," was the wise reply.
+
+The ship was undoubtedly laden with all sorts of West India produce.
+Then some chests were come to; they were full of bars of silver.
+
+"Pretty pickings, these," observed Evans.
+
+Some smaller boxes were next examined.
+
+"As I am a gentleman and a Welshman, if I ever cast my eyes on diamonds
+before, these are diamonds!" he exclaimed, holding up a rough-looking
+but shining stone between his fingers.  They might have been pieces of
+glass for what Morton could tell.
+
+"These little boxes are worth some thousands, Morton, I can tell you,"
+exclaimed Hardman, half beside himself with delight.  "A magnificent
+haul!"  Suddenly he recollected himself,--"That is to say, if they ever
+reach England in safety.  But, you know, there's many a slip between the
+cup and the lip."
+
+Morton was too busy to laugh just then.  He had discovered some larger
+chests, containing some large gold candlesticks, which the captain
+informed them, were to ornament the church of our Lady of the
+Conception, in Madrid.  There were just three of them, enormous and
+massive articles, not less than five feet high, besides, a quantity of
+rich plate of gold and silver.  Morton sent back Evans to make a report
+to the captain.  Lord Claymore heard the account with unrestrained
+delight.
+
+"We'll have it all safe on board, without delay," he exclaimed.  "It
+will not do to let it fall again into the enemy's hands; in the frigate,
+at all events, we shall be able to fight for it."
+
+The men cheered as they saw the chests hoisted up the side.  It was
+bringing back the good old buccaneering days; such a prize had not been
+made by any cruiser for a long time.  A mate was sent home in charge of
+her.
+
+"Take care you don't get caught, and clapped into a French prison," said
+Hardman, as he shoved off.
+
+Scarcely were the chests of treasure stowed below, and the prize out of
+sight, than another sail was descried from the mast-head--chase was
+made--the prisoners confessed that she was one of their convoy, and as
+the "Pallas" came up with her, they stated that she was even more richly
+laden than the last.  She saw that flight was useless.  She was speedily
+boarded, and found to contain more dollars, bars of gold and silver, and
+other treasure.  It took no long time to transfer the whole to the
+"Pallas."
+
+"If we go on at this rate, Morton, we shall have enough of the needful
+to satisfy all the land sharks in the kingdom, and to establish your
+rights, whatever they may be, against all opposition."
+
+Morton's hopes began to rise high.  The wealth they were collecting
+seemed almost fabulous; though he knew that but a small share would come
+to him, he thought that it would be ample to carry out his objects.
+
+The treasure had not long been stowed away, when the wind got up with a
+heavy sea, and the ship laboured considerably.  Hardman, when sitting
+over his wine with his messmates in the gun-room, began to talk of
+planks starting, and rich argosies going suddenly to the bottom.  No
+one, however, paid much attention to his prognostications of evil.  By
+dawn the next day another sail hove in sight.  Chase was made, but the
+stranger showed that she had a fast pair of heels; the "Pallas,"
+however, had a faster pair, and by noon had gained upon her so much that
+she was seen to be an armed ship of considerable size.  No sooner
+however did the "Pallas" get her under her guns, than she hauled down
+her flag and hove-to.  Though a heavy sea was running, she was
+immediately boarded and found to be a richly laden Letter of Marque.
+She also had a chest of dollars; but as there would have been great
+danger of losing them in transferring them to the "Pallas," they were
+allowed to remain on board; Evans was sent in charge of her.
+
+"Take care that you do not slip into a lion's mouth," said Morton, as
+his brother officer took his departure.
+
+"If I do, I hope that I shall slip out again before he has time to shut
+it," was Evans's reply.
+
+Fortune was smiling, it seemed, on the "Pallas."  Four rich prizes had
+already been made; it was difficult to calculate their worth.  The
+sanguine temperament of the captain might have over-estimated it.
+
+"My share alone is little short of a hundred thousand pounds," he
+exclaimed, showing Morton a sheet of paper on which he had been making a
+rough calculation--"a splendid fortune for a man of moderate wishes.  I
+wish that you had a larger share.  We captains get the lion's part
+certainly; but perhaps it is as well as it is.  What a stimulus it is to
+an officer to exert himself to obtain command in time of war."
+
+"Yes," thought Morton; "but let men exert themselves to the utmost, how
+many fail to obtain the desired rank, or if they get that, the coveted
+wealth!"
+
+"Remember, however, Morton," continued Lord Claymore, "I have promised
+to assist you in establishing your claims, or your father's rather,
+whatever they are.  He may be the son of a peasant, or noble.  No one
+cares less for what is called gentle blood than I do; but it is not the
+estimate which we set on an article, but at which the world at large
+holds it, which is its true value.  I don't feel happier because I am
+the possessor of a hundred thousand pounds than I did ten years ago when
+I was a beggar; but depend on it, the world will esteem me much more
+highly than it did."
+
+Morton always listened with pleasure to the remarks which dropped from
+his captain's lips, always full of shrewdness and good sense.
+
+It was now time for the "Pallas" to return home.  Four prizes had been
+despatched to England.  All were anxious to ascertain that they had
+arrived there safely.
+
+"Little chance of that," observed Hardman; "plenty of the enemy's
+cruisers about, to snap them up."
+
+Though homeward bound, as bright a look-out as ever was kept, in the
+hopes that another prize might be taken.
+
+When off the coast of Portugal, at dawn one morning, a light silvery fog
+lay on the water, bright but sufficiently opaque to conceal all objects
+even close at hand.  The wind at dawn was light, but as the sun rose, so
+did the breeze, and the royals and top-gallant sails, which had at first
+been set, were, one after the other, taken off the frigate.
+
+"This fog is, indeed, provoking.  We may run by a whole convoy of the
+enemy's merchantmen without seeing them," observed Morton, who had
+become as eager as the most avaricious of his shipmates in the pursuit
+of wealth, by the royal road opened up before them.
+
+"Of course," answered Hardman: "very likely at this moment we are
+passing within hail of some Spanish galleons, whose cargoes would make
+every man on board independent for life."
+
+The looker-out at the mast-head hailed the deck.
+
+"A ship, sir, close to--I see her mast-heads over the fog."
+
+"What does she look like?" asked Morton.  "A large ship, sir,
+line-of-battle ship, I should say."
+
+The officers were alert in an instant.  Hardman flew aloft.  Scarcely
+had he got there, than he shouted, "There's another! another!--three of
+them--line-of-battle ships and enemies."
+
+The last words had an electric effect.  From the movements of the
+line-of-battle ships, as they were seen over the fog, there was no doubt
+that their look-outs had discovered the "Pallas."  In an instant the
+captain was on deck; Morton had already ordered the ship to be kept
+away, and was again setting topgallant sails and royals; he thought the
+royal masts would scarcely stand.
+
+"Never mind, we must do everything to preserve our booty and our
+liberty," answered Lord Claymore.
+
+The breeze increased almost to a gale.  The wind soon dispersed the
+mist, and the three huge line-of-battles ships were seen rushing on
+towards the frigate.  A broadside from one of them would have sunk her.
+Her top-gallant masts bent like willow wands.  Every moment it appeared
+that they must go.  Lord Claymore stood watching them, and now and then
+taking a glance at his enemies, and though cool and collected, seeming
+positively to revel in the excitement of the scene.  The wind was abeam;
+and the frigate, which proved herself but a crank ship, heeled over till
+her hammock-nettings dipped in the seething, foaming waters, which
+bubbled and hissed up through the lee scuppers.
+
+On tore the "Pallas."  It was a race for liberty and the preservation of
+the wealth in which they had been rejoicing.
+
+"What will you take for your prize-money in prospect now, Morton?" asked
+the pertinacious Hardman.  "I told you so, old boy--there's many a slip
+between the cup and the lip.  It's the great truth I've learned in my
+life--I shall always stick to it."
+
+"It may apply equally to our enemies astern, though," observed the
+captain, who had overheard the remark, "we will see if we cannot make it
+so."
+
+The line-of-battle ships were by this time beginning to feel the fury of
+the gale, which was well nigh carrying her masts out of the frigate, or
+sending her over on her beam-ends.  The more, however, the Spaniards saw
+her pressed, the less willing they were to shorten sail.  She now kept
+edging more and more away to bring the wind further astern, squaring her
+yards as she did so, the Spaniards having to do the same.  They did not
+seem to think it worth while to spend much powder and shot on her, as
+they, of course, felt sure of capturing her in the end.  It was a grand
+sight to see the little English frigate dauntlessly doing her utmost to
+escape from her huge pursuers, the foam in dense masses flying over her,
+while, with bending masts, and lee-shrouds bulging out, she dashed
+through the frantic waves, her side, as she heeled over, half buried
+beneath them.  What hope was there of her escaping?
+
+One huge Spaniard was on her weather, another on her lee-beam, while the
+other was coming up fast astern on her weather quarter.  Still Lord
+Claymore did not despair.  He stepped down among the crew and spoke to
+them.
+
+"My lads, never say die while there's life.  Let every man and boy of
+you do your best, and we'll yet give the Dons the slip.  Be smart, as if
+your lives depended on it.  To your stations now."
+
+Every man stood ready, watching the captain's eye.  He had explained his
+plan to his officers.  All was ready.  There was a dead silence--the
+gale roared louder than ever--the frigate tore through the waves.  The
+Spaniards were close upon her; angry at her still holding out, they
+began to fire; the shots came fast and thick, flying over and on each
+side of the frigate, but hitherto none had struck her.  At length the
+Spaniards saw again that firing was of no use--they should only be
+knocking their destined prize to pieces--like vast mountains of snow
+they came rushing on.  It appeared as if they were about to crush the
+little frigate with their united weight.
+
+"Ready, lads!" shouted the captain of the "Pallas."
+
+"Clew up!  Haul down!"
+
+Those magic words put every human being on board the frigate in motion.
+Tacks and sheets were let go.  Some hauled away at the brails.  Topsails
+were clewed up, topgallant sheets were let fly, stay-sails hauled down,
+and the frigate, which an instant before was under a cloud of canvas,
+was now reduced to her bare poles.
+
+The Spaniards, totally unprepared for such a manoeuvre, at first
+scarcely comprehended what had happened.  On the huge ships sailed in
+their headlong course.  It did not occur to their captains to attempt
+instantly to shorten sail, but one and all turned their eyes aft to see
+what their expected prize was about.
+
+Lord Claymore watched them for a short time, but only to assure himself
+that they were well to leeward of him.  The frigate had not lost her way
+through the water.
+
+"Down with the helm!" cried the captain, in a cheerful tone, which gave
+encouragement to all.  "Hoist away!  Flatten aft the sheets!"
+
+Not an officer, or man, or boy, but put his hand to halliards sheets,
+braces, or bowlines; and if the way in which she had been stripped of
+her canvas had appeared like magic to her pursuers, much more must the
+style in which sail was again made.  Off she flew on a bowline on the
+other tack, while the three line-of-battle ships were hurrying headlong
+miles away to leeward.
+
+A loud, hearty cheer burst from the throats of the British seamen as
+they saw the success of their captain's skilful manoeuvre.
+
+"What do you say now, Mr Hardman?" he said, laughing.  "There's many a
+slip between the cup and the lip."
+
+"Yes, my lord; the Spaniards must confess to the truth of the saying
+just now," he answered.  "But we are not altogether clear of them yet."
+
+"No, by Jove! the fellows are after us!" exclaimed the captain, pointing
+to leeward, where the three ships were seen under shortened sail, slowly
+coming up on a wind.  "We must trust to our heels and the shades of
+night.  That trick won't answer twice."
+
+Though not over-well managed, the Spanish ships sailed well, and were
+once more in hot pursuit of the "Pallas."  The wind had decreased a
+little, which was somewhat in her favour, but still, with the pressure
+of sail upon her, she heeled over as much as before.  In smooth water
+she might have had the advantage, but, with the heavy sea then running,
+the Spaniards were evidently coming up with her.  They were seen also to
+be steering different courses for the purpose of cutting her off.  Lord
+Claymore, however retained his usual composure.
+
+"Night will be down upon us soon, and then we will give the Dons the
+slip," he observed calmly, and gave the order to have a lantern fixed on
+a ballasted cask prepared.
+
+This was for some time carried over the stern and then lowered into the
+water.  When this was done, the ship's course was altered, and she stood
+to the north-east leaving the enemy to follow the false light.  After a
+little time one watch was sent below, and except that the sharpest eyes
+in the ship were kept on the look-out, everything returned to its usual
+routine, and many a weary form lay stretched in the hammocks.
+
+Dawn came at last.  As the first bright streaks appeared in the sky,
+look-outs were aloft, and as the darkness rolled away towards the far
+west, they shouted, "No sail in sight!"
+
+The captain breathed more freely--so did Morton.  He had begun to fear
+that his prospects so lately brightening were again to be blighted.  By
+keeping a constant look-out the "Pallas" once more made the Eddystone
+Lighthouse.
+
+"Now, my lads, we'll show our friends on the shore that we have redeemed
+our pledges," cried the captain.  "Have on deck those chests with the
+golden candlesticks, Mr Nibs," he added, turning to the purser.  The
+chests were got up, and tackles being made ready to each mast-head, a
+golden candlestick was sent up and fixed above the truck.  It was no
+easy work, but sailors can do anything that is possible.  Thus with bags
+of dollars at the yard-arms, and rich brocades pendant from the stays,
+the frigate sailed up Plymouth Sound.  Great was the excitement she
+caused, though she had already been looked for, as her four prizes, in
+spite of Hardman's prognostications, had arrived in safety before her.
+
+All her crew who wished it got leave on shore; there was no fear of any
+running from her; their places would instantly have been filled by
+hundreds of eager applicants for a berth on board.  Fully did Bob Doull
+carry out his intentions; and strange, though not very unusual, were the
+scenes witnessed in Plymouth and its neighbourhood for several days
+after the arrival of the "Pallas."
+
+Coaches-and-four and coaches-and-six were seen driving about Plymouth,
+laden inside and out with seamen and their sweethearts, decked out in
+costumes of the most gaudy colours and extravagant fashion.  Suppers and
+dancing closed the day.  There was no great variety, perhaps, in the
+style of their amusements.  The great object seemed to be to get rid of
+their money as rapidly as possible.
+
+Ronald Morton, for the first time in his life, found himself possessed
+of what appeared to him a very large sum of money.
+
+"It will be enough to sift this affair of my father's to the bottom, and
+if claims he has, to establish them thoroughly," he observed to his
+captain.
+
+Lord Claymore laughed heartily.
+
+"My dear fellow, you know not what amount a lawyer's maw is capable of
+swallowing," he answered.  "It will prove a mere soppit if the matter is
+contested, as undoubtedly it will be.  However, we will see about it
+when we return from our next cruise.  Till your father returns home, you
+can do nothing."
+
+Once more, her officers and crew having spent all their superfluous
+cash, the "Golden Pallas," as she was now called, put to sea.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN.
+
+LORD CLAYMORE AND THE FIRE SHIPS--"PALLAS" ENGAGES BLACK FRIGATE--
+COLONEL ARMYTAGE IN THE PENINSULA.
+
+"Morton, we ought to be content with the prizes we have made; we must
+now do something in the fighting way, or we shall be looked upon as mere
+buccaneers, who think of nothing but making money."
+
+This remark was made by Lord Claymore, after the frigate had been for
+some time in commission--had been to America and back, and being now on
+the French coast, had sent home a few more captures, though not of any
+very great value.
+
+"That may be very well for a captain who has made the best part of
+eighty thousand pounds," thought Morton, "but for a poor lieutenant, who
+has made not a twentieth part of that, yet wants it as much, it is a
+very different affair."
+
+Ronald had begun to find the value of money, and also that it has wings
+with which to betake itself away.  He acquiesced, however, in the
+propriety of fighting.  An opportunity was not long wanting.
+
+Before many days had passed the frigate was off the Isle d'Aix, on the
+French coast.  She stood in; the captain and most of the officers with
+glasses at their eyes watching for the appearance of a French fleet.  At
+length the masts and spars of several line-of-battle ships came in view.
+Still the frigate stood on till a three-decker--an eighty-gun ship--
+three seventy-fours, four frigates, and three brigs were counted.  The
+little English frigate paraded up and down before the roadstead, but
+none ventured out to attack her.  It was the French squadron under
+Admiral Allemand.
+
+"I have been thinking over a plan which may sound terrible to the ears
+of some, but it is both feasible and right, I fully believe," said the
+captain, after taking several turns on deck, and addressing his first
+lieutenant.  "We might set fire to or blow up into the air, one and all
+of those ships.  I only wish that there were more together.  You see
+they are deep in the water.  They have stores on board, and are
+evidently intended for some expedition or other; an attack on our West
+India Islands, or to attack us in some other vulnerable part.  They must
+or should be got rid of: other plans might be adopted; but I hold to
+that of the fire-ships.  I should delight in conducting the enterprise.
+With a few brave men under me, on whose coolness and judgment I could
+rely, it would be certain to succeed.  Morton, I would select you.
+Would it not be a glorious work?"
+
+"If you selected me, my lord, I would certainly follow you, and do my
+utmost to carry out your directions," answered Morton; "but the idea of
+employing fire-ships has never been congenial to my taste.  I would
+rather meet the enemy and destroy him in a general engagement."
+
+"That sounds very right and chivalric," replied Lord Claymore, smiling;
+"but observe the true state of the case.  The object of going to war
+with an enemy is to sink, burn, and destroy his ships at sea, and to do
+him all the injury in our power on shore.  In a general engagement you
+attack his fleet with yours, at the cost of some of your ships, perhaps,
+and the loss of many hundreds of your men.  If a great victory is
+gained, a tenth, or at all events a twentieth, part of the enemy are
+killed and wounded.  Now, by my plan the lives of very few of our own
+people are risked; perhaps no one may be lost; while the ships of the
+enemy are entirely destroyed; and though, of course, some of their
+people are sacrificed, probably not more are lost than in a general
+engagement, while the chances are that the war in consequence is more
+speedily brought to a conclusion, and the lives of thousands saved, and
+people able to return to their peaceful and useful occupations.  Morton,
+I look upon war as a terrible curse.  The sooner it can be put an end to
+the better, but I am very certain that in this instance it can only be
+by humbling our proud foes to the very dust.  Napoleon will bite till
+every tooth in his head is drawn."
+
+Although Morton's reason was convinced by the reasoning of his
+enthusiastic captain, his feelings were not entirely satisfied.  He,
+however, promised to aid him as far as he had the power in carrying out
+any project of that description which he might conceive.
+
+The subject was again and again reverted to during the time the frigate
+was on the coast, and while he was engaged in the most stirring and
+often hazardous operations--such as cutting out vessels, armed and
+unarmed, landing and destroying telegraph stations, and storming and
+blowing up forts.
+
+Once more the "Pallas" returned to L'Isle d'Aix.  The French squadron
+was still there.
+
+"We must be at those fellows," exclaimed Lord Claymore, as he walked the
+deck, looking towards the enemy with a greedy eye.  "We must get them
+out somehow or other, if we can.  It would have a grand moral effect to
+carry off a prize from before their very noses."
+
+Morton was as eager as his chief.  There was a soldier's wind, so that
+the frigate could stand in or off shore at pleasure.
+
+"This is an opportunity many would rejoice to have; don't let us throw
+it away," continued the captain, watching the French ships through his
+telescope.  They lay at their anchors, seemingly determined not to move
+in spite of the bold enemy proudly cruising before their eyes.
+
+"Give them a shot or two, Morton," said the captain; "we'll try if that
+does not excite them to bestir themselves."
+
+In advance of the rest of the squadron was a large frigate, painted
+black and heavily armed, and near her were three brigs.  Still they were
+all under shelter of the batteries on the island.
+
+With a shout of satisfaction the British crew observed the topsails of
+the black frigate and her three consorts let fall.  It was a sign that
+they were coming out.  The sails were sheeted home.  Out they all four
+stood.  The canvas of the "Pallas" was reduced, and she was hove-to, in
+the most gallant way, to wait for them.
+
+"We must have him, I am determined," exclaimed the captain, as the
+enemy's frigate drew near.  Everybody was as eager and sanguine as the
+captain, except Lieutenant Hardman.
+
+"We have had all the luck hitherto--we must not expect to keep it," he
+remarked to Glover.  "Remember what I often have said: There's many a--"
+
+A shot from the enemy, which came whizzing close over his head, and the
+loud shouts of "Fire!" from the captain, cut short his remarks.
+
+The crew gave a hearty cheer, and obeyed the order by delivering a
+rattling broadside at the advancing enemy.
+
+More sail was now made on the frigate, so that she might be kept
+completely under command.  The brigs coming up also commenced firing, as
+did the batteries on the island, but, boldly standing on, the English
+frigate gallantly engaged them all.  The crew required no words of
+encouragement.  Most of the men stood at their guns stripped to the
+waist, with their handkerchiefs bound round their heads, labouring with
+that determined energy which was the sure promise of victory.  Now, as
+they could bring their guns to bear, they aimed at the brigs, now again
+at their larger opponent, the black frigate.  As she drew near it was
+seen that she was greatly superior to the "Pallas," both in size and as
+to the number of her guns, while probably also her crew were much more
+numerous, but that in no way daunted Lord Claymore.  On the contrary, he
+seemed the more eager not to part with her, but to carry her off as his
+prize.
+
+In spite, however, of this superiority, the black frigate, as well as
+the brigs, showed a disposition to keep at a respectful distance.
+Several times the "Pallas" had to tack to avoid the shoals surrounding
+the island.  Besides this, her captain's aim was, by manoeuvring, to get
+to windward of the black frigate, and also between her and the
+batteries, so that their shot would be likely to damage friends as well
+as foes.  The brigs, which showed signs of being much cut up in their
+rigging, seemed inclined to keep at a respectful distance.  The shots of
+the "Pallas" were, however, aimed chiefly at her more worthy antagonist.
+The guns were admirably served.  Again the men cheered.  The first step
+towards victory had been gained.  The mizen-mast of the black frigate
+had been shot away, and over the side it went, with its yards and sails.
+
+The "Pallas" ceased firing--so did the batteries, for they would have
+hit the French ship had they continued to do so.  Once more the British
+frigate tacked.  She had gained a position directly to windward of her
+opponents.  Once more she opened her fire; it was with dreadful effect.
+She, however, was suffering much, both in spars and hull.
+
+"This must be cut short," observed the captain, calmly.  "Now, master,
+up with the helm, and carry us alongside the enemy.  My men, be ready to
+board, the cutlass must decide the day."
+
+In gallant style the small English frigate bore down upon an opponent
+nearly twice her size.  The "Pallas" poured a well-directed broadside
+into the black frigate, and the instant afterwards there was a fearful
+concussion.  The main-deck guns were driven in by the sides of the
+French ship, and at the same moment the maintopsail-yard was torn from
+the mast, and much other damage was done aloft, while the bumpkin, chain
+plates, cat heads, and bower anchor were carried away.  In vain the
+captain called to his men to aid in lashing the two frigates together.
+Before they could assemble they had separated.  Ronald, with a boarding
+party, was about to spring on to the deck of the French frigate, but he
+was too late to make the attempt.
+
+Once more Lord Claymore was about to bear down on the French frigate,
+when Hardman pointed out to him two more French frigates coming out
+under all sail to the rescue of their friend.  To have remained longer
+would have been madness.  Lord Claymore was not a man to do a foolish
+rash thing.  Waving his hat to the brave captain of the black frigate,
+who kept his post on a gun watching their proceedings, he ordered the
+tacks to be hauled aboard, and, without further injuring his opponent,
+stood out to sea.  The guns were run in and secured, and the crew were
+sent aloft to repair damages.  So severe, however, were they, that the
+"Pallas" could scarcely have escaped from her pursuers, had not a sloop
+of war hove in sight and taken her in tow.  The enemy's frigates,
+disappointed of their expected prey, returned to their anchorage.
+
+"We must be back there some day, Morton, for if life and strength is
+allowed me, I will not rest till I have carried out my plan for the
+destruction of this remainder of the Frenchman's fleet."  Lord Claymore
+spoke, and faithfully he kept his word.
+
+When the frigate rejoined the admiral she was found to be in so
+shattered a condition from her engagement with the Frenchman, that he
+sent her home to undergo repairs.
+
+Morton was once more in England.  He found a letter from his father,
+saying that the "Lion" had not yet received orders to return home, but
+he hoped that she soon would.  He added, that this trip had satisfied
+him; that if he was allowed once more to set foot on British ground he
+had determined to take up his abode on shore, and that what with the
+prize-money he had made, and the produce of his farm in Shetland, he
+should be able to live on shore in a style suited to the rank his son
+had gained, so that he should have a home to offer him whenever he was
+not employed.  This was satisfactory news to Ronald.  Curiously enough,
+his father did not once allude to Doull or Eagleshay.  He seemed to have
+forgotten all about the mystery of his birth, and that it might possibly
+by their means be cleared up.  The truth was, that he had always been
+contented with his lot.  He saw his son in the fair way of rising in his
+profession, and he fancied that no advantage would be gained by
+ascertaining the truth, even if it were possible to do so.
+
+Soon after the letters had been brought on board, Glover came into
+Ronald's cabin.
+
+"Here, Morton, is news which will interest you!" he said, showing an
+open letter.  "It is from my cousin, Mrs Edmonstone--she and her
+husband are in England; they arrived some time ago.  She tells me that
+they made the voyage with the Armytage family; Miss Armytage still
+unmarried, her mamma as amiable as ever, and the colonel as much the
+reverse as before; he is supposed to have gained very little advantage
+by his visit to India; his extravagance and love of play have ruined
+him: however, he has interest in high quarters, and soon after his
+return home, he got an appointment in the army in the Peninsula, and he
+has gone out there with his wife and daughter.  In what part of Portugal
+or Spain they are, she does not tell me, but I will write and ascertain.
+There is a bare possibility of our being some day in the neighbourhood;
+and, judging of your wishes by mine own, I am sure that you would like
+to meet Mrs and Miss Armytage again, though you may wish to stand clear
+of the colonel."
+
+There is a happy familiarity among messmates which seldom exists between
+other people.
+
+Morton thanked Glover, and acknowledged, after a moment's thought, that
+he should be delighted again to meet Miss Armytage.
+
+"Am I bound to obey her father, who discards me simply because he
+believes me to be of inferior birth to his daughter?  I feel convinced
+that I am her equal.  I have at all events gained the rank of a
+gentleman; I may some day obtain the fortune to support it, and to
+maintain her as well as her father can do.  No; I feel that I am bound
+by no laws, divine or human, to yield to his unjust demands.  If she
+loves me still, and I can win her, I will."
+
+Glover, who was fully acquainted with his friend's feelings, and to whom
+part of these remarks were addressed, highly applauded his resolution,
+and promised to afford him all the aid in his power.
+
+The "Pallas" was found to have received so much injury that her repairs
+would take a long time.  Lord Claymore and his officers and crew were
+accordingly turned over to another frigate, the "Imperious," and ordered
+to proceed forthwith to the Mediterranean.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT.
+
+RONALD JOINS THE "IMPERIOUS"--CHASE OF A FELUCCA--THE MARQUIS DE MEDEA--
+THE SPANISH PRIEST--RONALD ASTONISHES THE PRIEST.
+
+The "Imperious" had been some time in the Mediterranean.  She had not
+been idle, nor had her crew; that was not likely under such a captain as
+Lord Claymore.  She had been up the Levant, and cruising among the
+Ionian Islands, and then back to Gibraltar, and had returned to Malta;
+and her blue-jackets and marines had landed on the Spanish and French
+coasts, and, as they had done before on the Biscay shores, had captured
+forts, destroyed barracks, and other public buildings, and burnt a town
+or two, and cut out merchant-men and armed vessels of all sorts; indeed,
+had done as much mischief as they possibly could.  In all these
+proceedings Ronald Morton had greatly distinguished himself, and his
+captain promised him that he would not rest till he had obtained for him
+his rank as a commander.
+
+Morton was in better spirits than he had been for a long time.  He was
+as ready as ever for any daring exploit, but he had no desire to throw
+his life away if he could help it; he had a fancy that there was
+something worth living for.  The good Lord Collingwood so highly
+approved of the proceedings of the "Imperious," that he sent her back,
+after her return to Malta, to continue the same sort of employment.
+
+On the passage, when not far off Minorca, a large felucca was sighted,
+which, from her manoeuvres, was evidently anxious to avoid the frigate.
+Lord Claymore had received directions from the admiral to look out for a
+craft of this description, which was known to be a pirate, and to have
+committed innumerable atrocities.  Chase was instantly made.  The
+felucca on seeing this, and apprehending danger, rigged out her tall
+tapering lateen sails, wing-a-wing, as it is called, one on each side.
+She appeared like a graceful sea-bird, and did her utmost to escape.
+She sailed so well that there seemed a great possibility that she might
+effect this.  The "Imperious," like some huge bird of prey, followed in
+her wake, resolved on her destruction.  As yet the felucca was beyond
+the range of the frigate's bow-chasers.  One shot from those long guns
+striking her masts or slender spars, would effectually have stopped her
+flight.  Over the blue waters she flew; the officers and crew of the
+frigate were watching her.
+
+"She has an evil conscience, or she would not fly so fast," observed
+Glover.
+
+"Very likely; but like other rogues, she will escape the punishment she
+deserves," answered Hardman.  "The wind is falling, that is in her
+favour."
+
+"Not if it fall altogether; we may take her with the boats," remarked
+Morton.  "There is every sign of a calm."
+
+"She has sweeps, and it is extraordinary the rate at which these craft
+can pull," observed the pertinacious Hardman.  "She has every chance of
+getting away from us."
+
+"Hardman is a wise fellow.  He is always expecting blanks that he may
+enjoy the prizes the more when they turn up," said the surgeon.
+
+"He loses the pleasure of anticipation, though," said Morton.  "That is
+too often greater than the reality."
+
+"Ah, but I am saved the disappointment of the reverse," answered the
+second-lieutenant.  "See our courses are hanging against the mast, and
+the felucca has lost the wind altogether.  She has got out her sweeps,
+and off she goes like a shot."
+
+Just then the captain called Morton.  "We must take that fellow in the
+boats.  Call away the crews of the pinnace and first and second cutters.
+Do not lose a moment.  He will show fight, and it may save bloodshed to
+overawe him."
+
+The boats were instantly made ready, and in two minutes were pulling
+away full of armed men, and led by Morton to the attack of the felucca.
+
+The crew of that vessel did not for some time discover them, and
+continued as before urging her on at a rapid rate with their long
+sweeps, evidently hoping to escape.  The boats, however, gained on them
+fast, and in a short time they were seen to lay in their long sweeps,
+finding, probably, that escape was hopeless, and to prepare for the
+attack.  As the boats drew near, Ronald ordered them to separate so as
+to board at different parts of the vessel.  Her deck was soon crowded
+with men, who, from their varied costumes, had a very suspicious
+appearance.  Some were at their guns, others held cutlasses or pistols
+in their hands, threatening to make a stout resistance.  One tall old
+man in a Spanish dress, with a huge white moustache and a long thin
+beard, stood on the companion hatch waving his sword, and with loud
+vociferations calling on his men to fight.  As the boats got within
+hail, Morton rose and ordered the crew of the felucca to throw overboard
+their weapons and yield, for they showed no flag which could be hauled
+down as a sign of surrender.  The answer was a round of grape and
+langrage from three guns, and a volley of musketry.  The missels flew,
+whizzing and whistling close to his head.  Happily he was unhurt; but
+two of his boat's crew were hit, and the side of the boat riddled in
+several places.  The British seamen dashed on, and in another instant
+were clambering over the low bulwarks of the felucca.
+
+"What are we, who have been fighting with honest Frenchmen all our
+lives, to be dared by a set of cut-throats like you?  Take that,"
+exclaimed Job Truefitt, as he dealt a blow which nearly severed a
+pirate's head from his shoulder.
+
+The man fell dead, and Job and the rest springing on, the ruffians gave
+way, and many were driven overboard right across the deck, as a flock of
+sheep are swept away by a torrent.  The old captain defended himself
+with all the fierceness of despair.  He fought with the feeling that a
+rope was about his neck.  Ronald at last reached him, and by a dexterous
+turn sent his sword flying over the side.  The old man drew a pistol,
+but before he could fire it, Bob Doull, had sprung up at him, and,
+wrenching it from his hand, pulled him down to the deck.  In vain he
+struggled, other seamen surrounded him, and he was secured.  Several men
+of the pirate crew were driven overboard, and the rest leaped down below
+to avoid the cutlasses of the British.  Some in the madness of their
+rage began to fire up at their captors.  Fortunately, none of the latter
+were killed, or it would have fared ill with the pirates.  Truefitt and
+others on finding this, leaped down among them, and singling out the
+culprits, bound them hand and foot, and bringing them on deck, threw
+them down with a kick in their sides, and an order to behave themselves.
+
+Soon after the din of battle was over, some cries were heard proceeding
+from a cabin in the after part of the vessel.  Morton at once, knocking
+off the companion-hatch, followed by a midshipman and several more,
+leaped below.  As the skylight hatch was on, the cabin was very dark,
+but there was light sufficient to enable him to distinguish two old men
+and a young lady struggling in the power of some of the pirate crew, who
+had apparently forced their way into the cabin from forward.  The
+ruffians were soon hauled off from their intended victims, and secured,
+with a double allowance of kicks, on deck, while Morton busied himself
+with rendering what assistance he could to the young lady and her
+companions.  They were Spanish he found by their dress and language.
+One was habited in the costume of an ecclesiastic.
+
+He was a thin, small old man, in whose sallow cheeks it seemed as if the
+blood could never have mantled, while from his calm exterior it could
+not have been supposed that he had just been rescued from imminent
+danger.  The young lady, before Morton could reach her, had sunk down on
+a locker half-fainting.
+
+"Air, air!" she murmured out, "Oh, my father! see to him."
+
+The old man had sunk on the deck of the cabin.  The priest stooped down
+to raise him up, while Ronald helped to knock off the skylight, and then
+went to the assistance of the young lady.  The stream of fresh air which
+came from above helped to restore both daughter and father.  They were
+then got upon deck, and the pure atmosphere, with a sight of the British
+flag, and their late masters bound hand and foot, soon completely
+restored them.  The old gentleman was a fine looking Don of the ancient
+regime; the daughter, a perfect Spanish beauty, with raven hair and
+flashing eyes, and dark clear complexion.  The old Don was profuse in
+his expressions of gratitude towards those who had rescued him from the
+hands of the pirates.  He and his daughter, with his father confessor,
+the priest now present, had been travelling in France, when they heard
+that Spain was about to throw off the yoke of Bonaparte; and fearing
+that they should be detained, they got on board a small vessel to return
+to their own country.  On their passage they had been attacked and
+captured by the felucca.
+
+"That we have escaped with our lives is a mercy, when we reflect what
+atrocious villains are those into whose hands we fell, and from whom you
+have so nobly rescued us.  That captain--the sooner you hang him at your
+yard-arm the better.  He cumbers the earth.  It is a disgrace to
+humanity to allow him to live."
+
+"We do not execute people in England without a trial; if the captain of
+the felucca is found guilty, he will probably be hung," answered Morton,
+to whom this remark was made in French, a language the old Don spoke
+very well.  Ronald did not altogether like his manner, or the expression
+of his countenance.
+
+The sweeps of the felucca had been got out, and the boats had also taken
+her in tow, and she was now rapidly approaching the frigate.
+
+During the time, Morton endeavoured to ascertain what he could about his
+new companions.  Thinking that he might very possibly gain the
+information he wished for most easily from the priest, he took the
+opportunity of addressing him when out of hearing of the rest.
+
+"You and your friends must have suffered much while in the power of
+those ruffians," he remarked.  "That old gentleman has not yet
+recovered; he seems from his manner to be a man of rank."
+
+"Yes; he is one of the old grandees of Spain," answered the priest.
+
+"May I ask his name? for I wish to address him properly," said Ronald.
+
+"Certainly," returned the priest.  "He is known as the Marquis de
+Medea."
+
+"How strange!" exclaimed Morton, involuntarily, for he had heard that
+name frequently repeated at Lunnasting, and had been taught to consider
+the possessor of the title certainly not in a favourable light.
+
+The priest, as Ronald said this, gave him a glance as if he would look
+through him to his inmost soul, and yet he spoke softly and blandly as
+he asked, "Why so?  Why strange, sir?"
+
+"It is a name I frequently heard in my boyhood," answered Ronald, not
+supposing that there was the slightest necessity for being on his guard
+with the mild-looking priest.
+
+"That is strange," repeated the priest.  "Where was your boyhood passed,
+may I ask?" said the priest.
+
+Ronald told him, "Chiefly in the castle of Lunnasting, in Shetland."
+
+Again the priest gave a piercing glance at him.
+
+"May I inquire your name?"
+
+"I am called Ronald Morton."
+
+"You say you are called so.  Will it appear impertinent if I ask if you
+believe that you have the right to bear another?" said the priest.
+
+"Why do you put the question?" was Ronald's very natural demand.
+
+"You said that you were called Morton.  I fancied, from your tone, that
+you insinuated that you have a right to some other name," said the
+priest.
+
+"I may have some such idea; but at the same time I am perfectly
+contented with the one I bear."
+
+The priest appeared lost in thought.
+
+"Do you remember your father!" he asked, abruptly.
+
+"Certainly; he is, I trust, alive still.  I hope to meet him shortly;"
+surprised at the way in which the priest continued to cross-question
+him.  Some men would have been much annoyed, and refused to reply; but
+Ronald saw that his interrogator had some good reasons for putting the
+questions, and felt no inclination to disappoint him.
+
+"May I ask if you were ever considered like the lady of Lunnasting
+Castle?  Donna Hilda, I think you called her," inquired the priest.
+
+"I have not, that I am aware of, mentioned her name," answered Morton,
+looking in his turn hard at the priest.  "I will reply to your question,
+though, before I ask one in return.  I have heard that I was like her,
+and that is not surprising; my mother was very like her--they were
+cousins.  Now I must inquire how comes it that you know anything of the
+family of Lunnasting?  Were you ever in Shetland?"
+
+"There are few parts of the world where I have not been.  The members of
+my order go everywhere, and should know everything that takes place on
+its surface," answered the priest, evasively.
+
+"I do not recollect you in Shetland," said Ronald, "May I ask your
+name?"
+
+"I am called Father John," replied the priest, humbly.  "I would yet
+further ask you, what you know respecting the Marquis de Medea?"
+
+Ronald considered whether he should reply.
+
+"There can be no harm in speaking the truth, surely," he said to
+himself.  "I will tell you," he answered frankly.  "The marquis is
+believed, at Lunnasting, at all events, to have inherited the estates
+which should rightly have belonged to the son of Don Hernan Escalante,
+the husband of the Lady Hilda of Lunnasting, as she is called in
+Shetland, the daughter of Sir Marcus Wardhill.  Moreover, it is believed
+that, instigated by the present marquis, a pirate crew attacked the
+castle, and carried off the son of Donna Hilda, of whom I speak, the
+rightful heir to the title and estates of Medea."
+
+Never, probably, had the countenance of the priest exhibited so much
+astonishment, or indeed, any sentiment, as it did at present.
+
+"By what wonderful means have you become acquainted with what you have
+told me?" he asked.
+
+"By the simplest of all; by having been told by those who were
+acquainted with the facts," answered Ronald.
+
+"But how were they informed of those facts?" asked the priest, with
+increased interest.
+
+"They learned them from a Spanish naval officer, Pedro Alvarez by name,
+who was the lieutenant of Don Hernan.  He had promised to assist his
+captain's widow and her infant son to the utmost of his power.  He
+returned to Shetland for that purpose, and when he heard that the boy
+had been carried off, he sailed away in search of the pirate; he,
+however, never returned to Shetland, and it is believed that he perished
+before he accomplished his purpose.  The young Escalante has never been
+discovered, though the poor Lady Hilda lives on in expectation of
+recovering her son."
+
+"No wonder that sacrilegious wretch, Pedro Alvarez, never returned to
+you.  He was guilty of murdering one of the familiars of our most holy
+Inquisition.  Had he ever caught the pirate he could not have returned
+to Spain, but must have been a wanderer on the face of the earth, with
+the mark of Cain on his brow."
+
+"I was a mere infant when he last came to Shetland, so that I have no
+personal recollection of him, but from what I have heard, he was very
+much liked by all with whom he associated," said Ronald.
+
+"Your heretical countrymen would probably think that killing an officer
+of the Inquisition was a very venial offence, and not look upon him with
+any horror on that account; but depend on it, an avenging Nemesis
+followed him to his grave, or will follow him, if he still lives,"
+remarked the priest.  "But we are now close to your ship.  I would
+advise you not to let the marquis know that you are acquainted with that
+part of his history, which he would desire to keep secret.  At first I
+thought that you were the son of Don Hernan, but I see that I was
+mistaken."
+
+As soon as the felucca was towed alongside the frigate, the prisoners,
+as well as the marquis and his daughter, and the priest, were removed on
+board.
+
+After inspecting the felucca, the captain resolved to keep her as a
+tender to the frigate, believing that she might be made very useful in
+capturing the enemy's merchantmen, as, from her rig, she might get close
+to them without being suspected.
+
+Lord Claymore highly commended Morton for the gallant way in which he
+had taken the vessel.
+
+"I scarcely know what to do with the prisoners," he observed.  "We must
+not cut their throats, or hang them at the yard-arms, but that would be
+the simplest way of disposing of them, and they probably will not come
+to any better end."
+
+Ronald also told his captain all he had heard of the Marquis of Medea.
+
+"The old scoundrel!" was the answer.  "However, he is our guest, and he
+has a lovely daughter; we must treat him politely."
+
+The most important information, however, was the statement made by the
+marquis, that Spain had at length declared herself independent of
+France, and formed a league with England.
+
+"It may be true, but we must not trust to it till we have more certain
+information," remarked Lord Claymore.
+
+The calm lasted long enough to have the felucca over-hauled, somewhat
+cleansed, and put in order.  Glover was placed in command of her, with
+two midshipmen and twenty men.  The prisoners were secured below on
+board the frigate, and sentries put over them, while Lord Claymore gave
+up a cabin to the young lady, and accommodated the marquis and the
+priest with cots in his own.  It was very difficult to please the old
+marquis, who, notwithstanding the trouble taken to attend to his
+comfort, grumbled at everything--so much so, that Lord Claymore would
+have sent him on board the felucca to shift for himself, had it not been
+for his daughter, who showed herself contented and thankful for the
+kindness she and her father were receiving, while her brilliant smiles
+and joyous laughter proved that she was sincere in her expressions.
+
+The breeze came at last, and the frigate, followed by the little
+felucca, stood on towards the Spanish coast.
+
+In the course of his duty, Morton was going the round of the decks, when
+he heard a voice from among the prisoners calling to him in French: "A
+poor dying wretch would speak to you.  Have pity, brave Englishman, and
+hear what he has to say!"
+
+"Who are you?" asked Morton.
+
+"I was captain of the felucca.  I am now a criminal, expecting speedy
+death," returned the speaker.
+
+The master at arms held up the lantern he carried, and as its light fell
+on the countenance of the person who had addressed him, Morton
+recognised the old white-bearded captain who had made so desperate a
+resistance when his vessel was attacked.  He had been lying at his
+length on some straw on the deck.  He was now supporting himself on one
+arm that he might have a better look at the lieutenant as he passed.
+
+"What would you say to me?" asked Morton.
+
+"Many things, if you will listen to me," answered the old pirate.  "I
+overheard part of your conversation with the priest.  I know more about
+you than you suppose."
+
+"What can you know about me?" asked Morton, very much surprised.  "Here
+are two persons I fall in with unexpectedly and both assert they know
+more about me than I do myself," he thought.
+
+"If you will have me removed out of earshot of my comrades, I will tell
+you," replied the old pirate.  "We cannot speak in a language which some
+of them do not understand."
+
+Morton ordered the old man to be unshackled, and to be conducted to
+another part of the deck.  After he had gone his rounds, he returned and
+took a seat on a bucket by his side.
+
+"Thanks, sir, for this kindness," said the old pirate; though as he
+spoke Ronald rather doubted his sincerity.  "It is not thrown away.  You
+see before you a victim to circumstances.  I have done many evil deeds--
+many things of which I repent--but necessity drove me to commit them;
+poverty, that stern task-master, urged me on--not inclination, believe
+me.  I say this that you may not look at me with the disgust that you
+might otherwise do.  However, I am not now going to give an account of
+my life--I may some day, if you desire it; simply I will tell you who I
+am.  You know already who the old man is whom I took prisoner."
+
+"I should like to know who you are," said Ronald.
+
+"I am, then, the celebrated Don Annibal Tacon," said the old man, in a
+tone of no little conceit.  "I have made my name famous in most parts of
+the world.  For some reason or other, however, my enterprises have not
+been as successful as they ought, and I have continued in the same state
+of poverty in which I began life.  I say this as an excuse for myself,
+and to excite your compassion.  It is not the matter on which I wish to
+speak to you.  I have, since my early days, been acquainted with the
+Marquis de Medea.  He, too, led a wild life in his youth; and there are
+many things he did which he would not like mentioned.  Many years ago,
+when you were but a child, he encountered me in Cadiz.  Promising me a
+large reward, and giving me a handsome sum as an earnest of his
+intentions, he engaged me on a hazardous and daring enterprise.  It was
+no less than to sail to the North of England--to the islands of
+Shetland--and to carry off from a castle, situated on the shores of one
+of them, a child, the son of a certain Captain Don Hernan Escalante.  I
+see you are interested in my account; you may well be so.  I heard you
+speaking of that castle.  I accomplished my errand.  I attacked the
+castle, bore away the child, and purposed to return to Cadiz to receive
+my reward, and to learn what the noble marquis wished as to the disposal
+of the boy.  I had some idea, indeed, of concealing him, and employing
+him to wring from the marquis the gold which I might require.  My plans
+were, however, frustrated.  I was driven by a gale nearly across the
+Atlantic, and so many British cruisers swarmed in all directions, that I
+was continually driven back whenever I attempted to approach the Spanish
+coast.  At length a Spanish vessel hove in sight.  As she drew nearer, I
+recognised her as a corvette commanded by an officer I knew, Pedro
+Alvarez by name.  I at first thought she was a friend, but, by the way
+she approached, I suspected she had hostile intentions.  I endeavoured
+to make my escape, for I have always held that men should never fight if
+they can help it.  That is to say, if an enemy has a rich cargo on
+board, a wise man may fight to capture it; but if he himself has
+anything of value on board, he will fly to preserve it, and only fight
+when he cannot preserve it by any other means.
+
+"The corvette bore down upon us, and so well did she sail, that I found
+escape impossible.  She ran me aboard; and Pedro Alvarez and half his
+crew, leaping down on my decks, drove my people before them; he fought
+his way into the cabin--there was the infant, on the possession of whom
+I rested the hopes of my future support.  He seized it, and hurrying
+back to his own vessel, called his people to follow him, and then,
+casting my craft free, he stood away to the eastward, without firing a
+shot at my vessel, seeming content with the mischief he had already done
+me.  Believing that he would at once go back to Spain, denounce the
+marquis, and proclaim me as his tool, I dared not return to Cadiz.  I
+therefore sailed for the West Indies, and employed myself in an
+occupation which I found tolerably lucrative, seeing that all the
+transactions were for ready money, though it must be owned that it was
+somewhat hazardous.  Some people might call it piracy.  It was not till
+long afterwards, when I was paying a visit to Cadiz, that I learned that
+Pedro Alvarez was himself an outlaw, that he had not returned to Cadiz,
+and that neither he nor his ship had ever again been heard of.
+
+"From the words which reached my ears while you were talking to that
+wily priest, I have an idea that you are no other than the son of Don
+Hernan and the lady of that northern castle.  By whatever means you got
+back there, my evidence will be of value to prove that you are the child
+I carried off.  I have no doubt about it; I would swear to the fact.
+Let us be friends, then.  You assist to preserve my life; I will help
+you to obtain your rights as the Marquis de Medea, and to become the
+master of the immense estates belonging to the family."
+
+The old villain looked up into the young officer's face, expecting a
+favourable reply.  Ronald was almost inclined to laugh at his outrageous
+audacity and cunning.  "You are entirely mistaken as to whom I am," he
+answered.  "The child you carried off from Lunnasting was never brought
+back.  I cannot even tell you if he is still alive; but whether or not,
+I have no power to make any bargain with you.  You must abide by the
+consequences of your misdeeds."
+
+"I have always done that," answered the pirate, with an humble look.
+"From my youth up till now I have been an unfortunate man.  I hope some
+day the tide will turn; but there is not much time left for that."
+
+Ronald made no reply.  He resolved to tell the captain all he had heard;
+and on going aft he left directions that the old prisoner should be
+strictly watched, and not allowed to communicate with any one.
+
+As Ronald could not speak to Lord Claymore in the cabin lest he should
+be overheard, he waited till he came on deck.
+
+"A pretty set of scoundrels!" was Lord Claymore's remark.  "That cunning
+priest, too, depend on it, has a finger in the pie.  A curious
+coincidence there is, too, in your own history, and in that of the story
+you have just told me.  You want to find out to what family you belong,
+and here is a title, estates, and fortune, waiting to be filled by the
+rightful heir, if he can be found."
+
+Though the captain entertained a considerable amount of contempt for the
+marquis, for the sake of his daughter he treated him with his usual
+courtesy.  He felt that he should be very glad to get him out of the
+ship; still, by keeping him on board, he might possibly gain some
+information which might prove useful in establishing the claims of Hilda
+Wardhill's son to the property of his father.  The most important object
+was to discover if that son was alive, and where he was, and what had
+become of Pedro Alvarez.
+
+Lord Claymore and Ronald talked the subject over with such intense
+eagerness, that the latter almost forgot his own interests in the desire
+he felt to be of service to one whom he justly looked on as his
+patroness and the protectress of his youth.  The homicide of the
+familiar of the Inquisition fully accounted for Pedro's not returning to
+Spain; while as that country had been for so many years at war with
+England, he might have found it impossible to send him back to Shetland.
+He might have written, to be sure, but the letters might have
+miscarried.  Nothing was more probable.  It was too likely, however,
+that both he and the boy were lost.  Still Lord Claymore hoped the
+contrary, and, perhaps, his anxiety was not a little increased by the
+satisfaction he anticipated in ousting the rascally old marquis from his
+estates and rank.
+
+The coast of Spain was soon after made, and the active operations in
+which the ship was engaged allowed the captain or Morton very little
+time to think of that or any other subject.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER TWENTY NINE.
+
+RONALD MEETS HIS FATHER--OLD DOULL RECOGNISES ROLF MORTON--MORTON
+RECOGNISES FATHER MENDEZ--ROLF MORTON'S DIPLOMACY--A FORT ATTACKED--BLUE
+JACKETS ON SHORE.
+
+A few days after the "Imperious" reached the coast, a brig of war hove
+in sight.  The frigate stood towards her, and when the two vessels had
+hove-to, the commander of the brig came on board, and confirmed the
+statement made by the marquis and the priest, that Spain had made peace
+with England, and had determined to throw off the French yoke.
+
+"Much good may our allies do us," remarked Lord Claymore who had a
+profound contempt for the Spaniards.  "A cowardly braggadocio set.  I
+would place no dependence on their support in case of need."
+
+The commander of the brig bowed; he was not likely to dispute the matter
+with his lordship.
+
+"By-the-by, I have brought a passenger--an old shipmate of mine, whom
+Mr Morton will at all events be glad to see."
+
+"And so shall I," said Lord Claymore, glancing at the gangway, at which
+a fine, stout, elderly-looking man appeared, dressed in plain clothes.
+Ronald sprang aft, and grasped his hand.
+
+"Father, I little expected to see you.  Where have you come from?"
+
+"From Malta last," answered Rolf Morton.  "I went out there to look for
+you.  When I arrived home in the old `Lion,' and was paid off, I applied
+for and obtained my discharge from the service.  I found that I had made
+a mistake in going to sea the last time.  It did not suit me.  I felt,
+too, that for your sake as well as my own, it would be better for me to
+live in a private capacity on shore.  You are a lieutenant, and may soon
+be a commander.  It would stand in your way in society to have it said
+that your father was a boatswain; not that you would be ashamed of me, I
+am sure, but we cannot make people wiser, we must take them as they are.
+Besides, I am more at liberty to attend to the subject you wrote to me
+about.  I am not very sanguine of success, but still it would be
+satisfactory, for your sake, to discover after all that I was of good
+family, and to find some relations for you."
+
+After Rolf Morton had talked for some time with his son, Lord Claymore
+sent for him.  He had heard from the commander of the brig that he had
+retired from the service.  He shook him warmly by the hand.
+
+"It will be pleasant for you to be together, and as the brig has to
+return immediately, I shall be glad if you like to remain on board.
+Your son, I doubt not, can put you up."
+
+Rolf Morton thanked the captain for his kindness.  It was the very thing
+he wished.  He wanted to be for some time with Ronald, and to talk to
+old Doull and Eagleshay, to ascertain what they knew about his early
+days.
+
+Most of the prisoners taken in the felucca were sent to Malta, but
+Captain Tacon was kept on board the frigate, as Lord Claymore considered
+that he might assist in clearing up the matter in which he was so much
+interested, and be made useful in other ways, from his knowledge of the
+coast and of the towns and villages near it.
+
+Rolf was naturally eager to see Doull and Eagleshay.  The two old men
+were sent for.  Their astonishment was very great when they were told
+that he was the boy they had carried off from Shetland nearly fifty
+years before.  He assured them that he clearly recollected the
+circumstance, and that two of the men were tall, like them, and that
+there was one much older and shorter.  They both looked at him very
+earnestly for some time.  At last Doull exclaimed--
+
+"I remember well a mark on the laddie's hand; a spike or a nail had run
+through it just between the bones of the fore and second finger.  It was
+a curious mark to be in the hand of so small a child, and I mind well
+thinking that mark will never wear out, and I shall know the boy
+whenever I meet him again."
+
+While the old man was speaking, Rolf was examining his hand.  He held it
+out with the back up; there, sure enough, was visible, through the
+brown, hairy skin, a deep mark, evidently produced as Doull had
+described.
+
+"Father, there can be no longer any doubt about the matter," exclaimed
+Ronald with more excitement than he usually exhibited.
+
+"I am afraid that the evidence will not be considered very strong in a
+court of law," observed Rolf.  "However, it leaves no doubt on my mind
+that these two men assisted to carry me off.  But that is all! they
+cannot say, more than I can, to what family I belong; and as for this
+paper which they say they signed, that of course is irretrievably lost.
+Ronald, I have made up my mind what I will do--I will go back to Whalsey
+and take possession of my farm.  I no longer fear Sir Marcus Wardhill--
+he can do me no harm, and I will try to live at peace with the old man.
+I will take these two men, Doull and Eagleshay, with me.  Lord Claymore
+will give them their discharge.  They are no longer fit for duty.  They
+shall be well looked after, for I bear them no ill-will for the injury
+they did me.  All has been for the best, I doubt not: we can but do our
+duty and trust in Providence."
+
+Ronald heartily entered into his father's plans, though he felt much
+more sanguine than he did as to the result.  He said that he had little
+doubt but that Lord Claymore would grant a superannuated discharge to
+the two old men.
+
+"All will be right," said Rolf, cheerfully.  "I must, however, take a
+cruise with you first, my lad.  It will be time enough to think of going
+home when we fall in with a ship bound that way."
+
+Rolf had gone into the gun-room soon after his arrival on board, and did
+not return on deck till the evening.  When he made his appearance, the
+marquis and his daughter and the priest were assembled there.  All the
+officers, and especially Glover, welcomed him cordially, and Lord
+Claymore came up and spoke to him in the kindest way.  Rolf looked
+across the deck at the Spanish party, and could not help fixing his eyes
+on the priest.
+
+"I am sure it is him," he exclaimed.  "I never saw a stronger likeness;
+years have only dried him up a little."  And without another word he
+walked up to the old man, and said--
+
+"What, Father Mendez! it is long since we met; but don't you know me?"
+
+The priest cast a calm glance at him, totally free from astonishment, as
+he answered--"Time changes all people.  If it is long since we met, you
+must excuse me if I do not recollect you."
+
+"I forgot that," said Rolf, frankly.  "My name is Morton--we met in
+Shetland.  Were you not then called Father Mendez?"
+
+"I am called Father John," said the priest in the same calm tone as
+before.
+
+This reply would have irritated many men, but Rolf looked at him, and
+said quietly--"That may be your present name, but unless my recollection
+strangely deceives me, you were called Mendez."
+
+The priest bowed and replied--"I have seen many people in the course of
+my life.  It is possible we have met, but you will understand that the
+memory of a man, as he advances in life, is not as good as it was in his
+youth."
+
+"I have the advantage of you in that respect, certainly," persisted
+Rolf, in a manner very different to his usual custom.
+
+"Come, come, Father Mendez! we were too much together in days gone by
+for you to have forgotten me any more than I have forgotten you,"
+continued Morton.  "I do not wish to annoy you, but I wish you to do an
+act of justice.  The son of your former patron and friend, Don Hernan
+Escalante, was carried off from his mother's house by the crew of a
+schooner which suddenly appeared before the place.  He has never since
+been heard of: what has become of him?  I ask.  His mother has friends
+in this ship who will insist on knowing the truth.  It will be wiser for
+you to speak it at once."
+
+The priest was more thrown off his guard by this appeal than he probably
+had ever been before.
+
+"I know nothing of Don Hernan's child," he answered quickly.  "I did not
+carry him off, nor was I privy to it.  I could not be guilty of such a
+deed; the members of my order never employ violence to bring about what
+they desire.  That alone ought to convince you that I am guiltless of
+the charge you make against me."
+
+Morton was not in the slightest degree more convinced than at first by
+what the father said.
+
+"Then, at all events, you do not deny that you were in Shetland, and
+that I knew you as Father Mendez?" said Rolf.
+
+The marquis and his daughter were all this time watching the speaker
+with looks of astonishment.
+
+"There would be no object in denying that such was the case," answered
+the priest.  "I was in Shetland rather more than twenty years ago, and I
+was then known as Father Mendez.  I am at present called Father John."
+
+"I thought so," observed Rolf, bluntly.  "You'll understand me, sir--I
+am but a rough seaman, and all I want is fair play.  You and I were
+present at the marriage of that unhappy lady of Lunnasting Castle.  We
+are the only surviving witnesses, besides Pedro Alvarez, and where he is
+to be found no one knows.  What I ask you is, to help me to see her
+righted, and to find her lost son.  Now that England and Spain are
+friends again, her son may be discovered with less difficulty than
+before; when discovered, assist in enabling him to regain his father's
+property in Spain, which was, if I remember rightly, at once taken
+possession of by his relative, who, from the accounts received in
+Shetland, was a very great rogue; the Marquis of Medea he was called.  I
+am not wrong, I fancy."
+
+Father Mendez rapidly thought over the state of the case.  The marquis
+had certainly supported him during the misfortunes which their country
+had suffered by the French invasion, but he had been anything but a
+generous patron, and it occurred to him that he might make a far better
+bargain with the rightful heir, if he could be found; and he believed
+that Rolf Morton, notwithstanding what he said, had the clue to his
+discovery, if he did not already know where to place his hand on him.
+When therefore, Rolf, feeling that he might have been too abrupt and
+uncourteous in the way he had addressed him, apologised for his
+roughness, the priest answered blandly--
+
+"Do not concern yourself, my friend, on that account.  We are old
+acquaintance.  I have good reason to remember your sterling qualities,
+which far outweigh all others, and I own that it would be with great
+satisfaction that I found you looked upon me as a friend.  I love
+justice as much as you do, and most anxious I am to attain it for the
+son of my old and esteemed friend, Don Hernan.  Tell me how I can assist
+you, and I promise you all the aid I can afford."
+
+Rolf Morton was not so completely deceived by this speech as the priest
+might have supposed.  He, however, thanked him, and rejoined Ronald in
+his quarter-deck walk, which they had to themselves, as the captain and
+most of the officers had, gone below.
+
+Very great was Rolf's surprise when he found that the dignified old
+gentleman on the other side of the deck was the Marquis de Medea, and
+still more so on hearing that the very man who had carried off the young
+Hernan Escalante was in irons below.
+
+Ronald reported to Lord Claymore the fresh discoveries that had been
+made.  "All will go right, Morton, in the end, depend on that," he
+answered.  "I am very sanguine that the young Hernan, if he is
+forthcoming, will obtain his rights, and so will your father his; those
+two old men were not fallen in with by you in so unlikely a way, except
+for some object.  `Never despair!' has always been my motto, adopt it,
+there is no safer one."
+
+Lord Claymore would very gladly have landed the disagreeable marquis and
+the priest on the first part of the coast of Spain they made; but as the
+French still held numerous ports and towns to the west, they would have
+found it impossible to travel towards Cadiz, to which they expressed
+their wishes to proceed, and as there was a lady of the party, he could
+not, without great want of courtesy, have put them on shore.  For the
+sake indeed of Don Josef's daughter, Donna Julia, the captain would very
+gladly have borne with his haughty and morose manners.  The young lady,
+indeed, contrived to enchant every one on board; and those who knew the
+character of her father, and entertained hopes of dispossessing him of
+his property, could not help feeling compassion for one so young and
+lovely, who would, should they succeed, be in reality the principal
+sufferer.
+
+The frigate was not to be idle; numberless were the dashing exploits
+performed by her gallant crew.  In most of them Ronald took an active
+part, and several times his father insisted on accompanying him, as he
+observed, just to make him feel young again.  Numerous vessels were also
+captured--one was a French privateer; some Spaniards taken in a prize
+were on board her.  From these men Lord Claymore learned that within a
+day's sail there was a strong and important castle, garrisoned by French
+troops.  This castle commanded a pass on the road by which the chief
+communication was kept open between the borders of France and the French
+army on the Ebro.  A Spanish force, it was said, had already assembled,
+and commenced the siege of the place, but with little success.  The
+frigate made a long tack off the coast; when she again stood in the fort
+was made out, situated on a commanding elevation, overlooking the road
+which wound along the shore.  The frigate had her guns run out, and the
+crew stood at their quarters, ready for action.  The officers, with
+their glasses, were examining the coast.  The sun shone brightly; the
+water was blue, still more blue was the sky, shedding a brilliancy over
+the sand, the rocks, the hill-sides clothed with verdure, showing here
+and there the darker tints of orange or olive groves, with lighter
+shades where vineyards clothed the ground.  Had it not been for that
+ominous-looking little fort, with its extended outworks, the landscape
+would have exhibited a picture of perfect rest and peace.
+
+Nearer and nearer approached the frigate, gliding majestically over the
+smooth sea.  Suddenly, emerging from a ravine, appeared a long line
+moving slowly on.  Then dots which might have been mistaken for minute
+insects separated from it, and here and there puffs of smoke were seen,
+which were replied to by the fort with other puffs, and the faint
+thunder of cannon was heard on board the frigate.
+
+"Those must be Spaniards attacking the fort," exclaimed the captain,
+mechanically whistling for a breeze to urge on the ship with the
+rapidity that might satisfy his impatience.
+
+In a short time the whole line was enveloped in smoke, and every gun on
+the south side of the fortifications commenced firing, forming so dense
+a cloud that the operations of the assailants could no longer be
+distinguished.
+
+"The Spaniards will have completed the work, and gained all the glory,
+before we can get there to help them," cried Glover.  "I wish we had
+more wind!"
+
+"So do the Spaniards, but depend on it they will wait for us.  There
+will be nothing desperate done till we get up to their assistance,"
+observed Hardman.
+
+The marines were now ordered to prepare for landing.  The captain had
+made up his mind to storm the place under cover of the frigate's guns.
+Morton volunteered to lead the party.  The captain was doubtful about
+letting him go.  Rolf declared that if his son went, he would go also as
+a volunteer.  At last the wished-for breeze came, and the frigate
+rapidly approached the scene of action.
+
+The breeze lifted the canopy of smoke which hung over it, and the
+combatants could now be seen, the Spaniards pushing on in great force
+and clambering over an out-work, from which the French, still fighting
+bravely, were retreating.
+
+"Ay, those Spaniards have many an act of outrage and cruelty to avenge,"
+observed the captain.  "Their blood is up now; I never saw them fight so
+bravely."
+
+The spectacle greatly increased the eagerness of all onboard the frigate
+to take part in the work.  The crews of the boats, and those who were to
+go on the expedition, stood in readiness, with pistols in their belts,
+and cutlasses at their sides; the marines drawn up, stiff and prim,
+ready to step into the boats, offering a strong contrast to the
+blue-jackets, with their rolling, somewhat swaggering movements, while
+several not told off to go were stealing round in the hopes of being
+able to slip unnoticed into the boats.
+
+The Spaniards, apparently encouraged by the approach of the British
+ship, and knowing that those they had some reason to suspect were
+witnesses of their conduct, charged with greater vigour.
+
+At length the wished-for moment arrived.  The "Imperious" teached in as
+close as the depth of water would allow.  A spring had been got ready on
+her cable.  The moment the anchor was dropped she opened her broadside
+on the fort, while the boats collecting on the other, the men sprang
+into them, and giving way, they pulled with lusty strokes towards the
+shore.  The forts opened fire on them, but the boats were small objects,
+and though the shots ploughed up the water ahead and astern of them, no
+one was hit.  As they reached the beach some way to the southward of the
+castle, the marines and bluejackets sprang on shore, and instantly
+formed; then "Onward!" was the word.  The Spaniards welcomed them with
+vivas.  There was little time for Morton to exchange greetings with the
+Spanish chief.  A supply of scaling ladders had been prepared and
+brought on shore, and Lord Claymore had taken good care that they should
+be long enough.  The seamen carried them, and rushed on, following
+Ronald and his father.  Rolf kept up with the activity of a younger man.
+On they went; they soon distanced the Spaniards.  The outworks had been
+secured.  Through them they dashed.  The scaling ladders were planted
+against the walls; the French made some attempt to throw them down, but
+some of the seamen held them fast at the foot while the others climbed
+up.  Nothing could stop their impetuosity.
+
+The Spaniards were now swarming up likewise.  The enemy fought with the
+courage of despair.  They well knew that, should they fall into the
+hands of the Spaniards, their doom would be sealed.  A number of
+Spaniards had made good their footing, when the French charged them with
+such fury that many were cut down, or hurled back over the wall.  Two or
+three were defending themselves bravely.  One of the number fell.
+Morton, seeing what was taking place, and that they would all be killed,
+calling some of his men, made a dash at the enemy.  Rolf was by his
+side, and lifting up the man who had been wounded, bore him out of the
+fight.  More marines and seamen clambered up.
+
+The Frenchmen gave way and fled to the citadel.  Some were cut down
+while bravely defending the gate.  The rest got in; the portal was
+closed, and then a white flag was hung out, as a token that the governor
+was ready to surrender on terms.  His sole proposal was that he and his
+men might be conveyed on board the British ship-of-war, to save them
+from the certainty of being cut to pieces by the Spaniards, should they
+have them in their power.
+
+The Spaniard whom Rolf had rescued was full of gratitude.  He had been
+knocked down, but his wound was not dangerous.  He was a militia-man; a
+brave fellow, as he had proved himself by the ardour with which he had
+scaled the walls.  He put his house and everything he possessed at the
+service of those who had preserved his life.  He lived, he said, some
+way to the south.  He should now return home, having had fighting
+enough, and a wound to show as a proof of his patriotism.
+
+Ronald took the offers at what he believed them worth, and parted from
+him on the most friendly terms.  The prisoners were conveyed on board
+the frigate; and as they embarked, the scowling looks the Spaniards cast
+on them showed what would have been their fate had they remained on
+shore.
+
+Part only of the work to be accomplished was performed.  As the French
+would soon again occupy the fort if it was left without a garrison, and
+as the Spaniards could not be depended on, it was necessary to blow it
+up.  A supply of powder was found in it; some more was landed from the
+ship.  Excavations were made under the walls; the train was laid.  One
+gig only remained.  Bob Doull undertook to fire the train.  The rest of
+the crew were in their seats, with oars in hand, ready to pull off.
+Ronald stood up in the stern-sheets to give the word.  Bob applied the
+match, and stooped down as if to blow it, and was in consequence sent
+reeling backward, while the fire, like a snake, went hissing along the
+ground.  Ronald shouted to him.  He picked himself up, and rushed down
+to the boat with his hair singed and his face blackened like a negro's.
+
+"Shove off, my lads!  Give way!" cried Ronald.
+
+Not a moment was to be lost.  As it was, they could scarcely hope to get
+beyond the influence of the explosion.  There was a hollow, rumbling
+sound, and then, in clouds of smoke and flame and dust, up flew the
+whole of the fortress into the air.  The next moment down rushed huge
+masses of masonry; it seemed indeed as if the solid rock itself had been
+rent, and filled up the whole of the road.  Some loud splashes astern
+showed that the boat had but narrowly escaped destruction.
+
+"The French will find it difficult to pass this way again for some time
+to come," observed Morton to the midshipman who accompanied him.
+
+"Yes, sir," observed the youngster, who was somewhat of a philosopher.
+"It is wonderful how easy it is to knock a thing to pieces.  It must
+have taken some years to have put all those stones together."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THIRTY.
+
+LORD CLAYMORE ON SHORE--MORTON AGAIN MEETS EDDA--RONALD'S NEW FRIEND,
+DON JOSEF.
+
+The frigate continued her cruise further to the south; she touched at
+several places, and Lord Claymore or Morton went constantly on shore to
+urge the Spanish authorities and the people to take up arms, and to
+assist in organising their forces.  From the information the captain
+received, he considered it important to communicate with some
+influential people a short way in the interior.  He gave his
+instructions to Morton, therefore, and directed him to take two men as a
+body-guard, and to set off at once.  Ronald selected Truefitt and Doull,
+the first for his steadiness and the other for his cool courage, and
+having procured a guide and a horse, and two wretched mules which had
+been too decrepit for the enemy to carry off, proceeded on his mission.
+
+Ronald and his guide rode on ahead, the two seamen following.  Neither
+of them were better horsemen than are sailors in general, but they were
+at all events able to stick on, in spite of the kicks and stumbles and
+flounders their animals occasionally gave; each was armed with a good
+thick stick, besides a cutlass by his side and a brace of pistols in his
+belt.  "This is a pleasanter sort of a cruise, mate, to my notion, than
+we've had the chance of for many a day," observed Doull.
+
+"Keep up on your four legs, you brute, now.  The people here, though,
+seems to me to be an outlandish set; did you ever hear such a rum way of
+speaking as they've got? they all seem to have got lumps of biscuit or
+duff, or something of that sort, down their throats."
+
+"That's the way they have.  Different people speak a different lingo,
+just as different animals make different noises," answered Job,
+sententiously.  "I can't say as how I likes these Dons; they've too
+stuck up and stand clear a manner about them to please me."
+
+"That's my notion, too, Job," said Bob.  "I like the Mounseers a
+precious sight better; when one is friends with them, they take to our
+ways a hundred-fold better than these Dons.  They'll talk and laugh
+away, and drink too, with a fellow, just for all the world as if they
+were as regular born Christians as we are.  That's what a Don will never
+do; he won't drink with you, he won't talk to you, he won't laugh or
+dance, and what's more, he won't fight with you; and that's what the
+Mounseers never refuses to do, and that's why I likes them."
+
+Morton enjoyed the change very much, from his usual life on board ship;
+he had not the same objection to the Spaniards as had his followers, and
+as he had now sufficiently mastered their language to converse with
+ease, he was never at a loss for amusement, and was able to obtain all
+the information he required about the country.  Three days were consumed
+in reaching his destination; the French, he found, had lately been in
+that part of the country, but had retired northward.  The people were
+anxious to drive the French out of their country, but they wanted arms,
+and money, and leaders.
+
+Ronald was treated with great courtesy wherever he appeared, and he felt
+himself a much more important personage than he had ever before been.
+He had concluded the work on which he had been sent, and was about to
+return to his ship, when one of the Spanish officials informed him that
+he had received notification of the approach of a British commissioner,
+a military officer, to assist them in organising their forces.
+
+"He must be a great man, an important person," observed the Spaniard;
+"for he travels with many attendants, and his wife and family.  No
+Spanish ladies would dream of travelling about the country at a time
+like this."
+
+Morton considered that it would be his duty to communicate with the
+commissioner, and hearing that he was only a day's journey off, he set
+out to meet him.  The village at which he arrived in the afternoon, like
+most in Spain, consisted of neat, low, white-washed houses, with bright,
+red-tiled roofs, most of them having massive wooden verandahs and
+trellis-work in front, forming arbours, over which vines in rich
+profusion were taught to trail.  The interior, at all events, had a neat
+and clean appearance, but several blackened ruins, loop-holed walls, the
+upper part of which were thickly bespattered with bullet-marks, showed
+that it had been lately the scene of, perhaps, a brief but desperate
+encounter between the hostile forces.  The inn where the British
+commissioner was said to be was pointed out to him.  It was a long low
+building like the rest in the place; the ground floor being divided into
+two compartments, one serving as a kitchen and common eating-room, the
+other as a stable and sleeping-place for the muleteers; the upper part
+consisted of one large room, with dormitories roughly partitioned off
+round it.  An English cavalry soldier was doing duty as sentry at the
+door.  He informed Morton that the colonel had gone out with some of the
+authorities in the neighbourhood, but that the ladies were upstairs.
+
+While Ronald was doubting what he should do, another man appeared and
+begged that he would walk up and remain till the colonel returned.
+Handing the bridle to his attendants with directions to them to wait for
+him, he threw himself off his horse, and followed the servant through
+the dark smoky kitchen to the stairs leading to the upper floor.  His
+heart beat more quickly than usual, for he had a hope, though a faint
+one, that he was about once more to meet Edda Armytage, yet again he
+thought it very improbable that Colonel Armytage would bring her and her
+mother, accustomed as they had been to all the luxuries of life, into a
+part of the country in which travelling was so inconvenient and
+dangerous.  Still they were in Spain.  Of that Mrs Edmonstone had
+assured Glover.  He sprang up the steps.  The door was opened.  He
+walked in with more than usual precipitation.  At one end of the room
+were several persons with cloaks over their shoulders, and, hat in hand,
+sitting silent and solemn, evidently waiting the return of the
+commissioner.  At the further end, in the deep window recess, sat two
+ladies.  The back of one was turned towards him.  The other was looking
+down at a piece of work on which she was engaged.  Though jaded and
+looking very sad, her countenance was, he was certain, that of Mrs
+Armytage.  His quick step roused both the ladies.  They turned round.
+In an instant Edda's hand was placed in his.  The rich blood mantled in
+her cheeks, her eyes sparkled with pleasure.  She forgot everything but
+the happiness of again meeting him.  Mrs Armytage received him most
+cordially.  The Spaniards looked on at what was taking place, and
+twirled their moustachios.  They thought the young stranger officer a
+very happy fellow.  After the first greetings were over, and Ronald had
+explained how he came to be at the place, Mrs Armytage told him that
+Colonel Armytage had met with considerable pecuniary losses, and that
+when he received the appointment he now held, he wished her to accompany
+him, and that Edda had insisted on not being left behind.
+
+"We knew that there were inconveniences to be encountered, though we did
+not suppose that there were any dangers to be feared to which we would
+not gladly submit for the sake of accompanying Colonel Armytage, who so
+much requires our care," observed Mrs Armytage.  "The inconveniences
+are more ridiculous than disagreeable, and I fully believe Edda enjoys
+them; and as to dangers, we have found none hitherto, and rather look
+for them to add zest to the interest of the journey."
+
+Mrs Armytage went on speaking in this strain for some time, when she
+became very grave.  Ronald suspected that, although she might not have
+been unwilling to come, it was not only her husband's state of health
+which had induced her to accompany him.  He knew how selfish and
+tyrannical Colonel Armytage always was, and he suspected that he had not
+given his wife the choice of remaining behind.  Edda, as she watched her
+mother's countenance, grew silent, and a shade of melancholy also stole
+over her features.  Mrs Armytage at last spoke.
+
+"We are truly glad to see you again, Mr Morton, and you know how high
+you stand in both Edda's estimation and mine.  Nothing you have ever
+done has forfeited our regard, but I dread that when Colonel Armytage
+returns he will not treat you in the way that we would desire.  You know
+that he is irritable, and that when he has taken up a prejudice it is
+difficult to eradicate it.  He has not got over the objections which he
+formerly expressed to you.  Earnestly do I wish that he would.  But you
+are generous and noble-minded; you will not think unkindly of us because
+one we are bound to obey treats you unjustly.  I know that I describe my
+daughter's feelings, and I speak thus because I feel that it is due to
+you to say it."
+
+While her mother was speaking, Edda looked up imploringly at Ronald.  He
+could not help perceiving that her countenance wore an expression of
+tenderness and love towards him, and it was a sore trial for him to
+promise compliance with the unjust demands which her father might make
+on him.  Mrs Armytage had spoken as she felt she was bound to do.  In
+her heart she rebelled against her husband's commands.  Edda was old
+enough both to judge and act for herself, she considered.  She had
+perfect confidence in her sense and discretion.  Scarcely conscious of
+what she was doing, she rose from her seat and went to her room, leaving
+her daughter and Ronald together.  The window recess was very deep; Edda
+had retired into it, and was thus concealed from the view of the people
+at the other end of the room.  Ronald stood with his back towards them.
+
+"Edda, I have never ceased to think of you, to ground all my
+expectations of earthly happiness on the hopes of making you mine," he
+exclaimed in a low deep voice.  "You require no assurances of my love
+and my constancy; then promise me that you will not consent to become
+another's whatever may occur.  I dare not ask you to disobey your
+father, and marry me against his will; but for your own sake, for mine,
+I do entreat you not to yield to his authority so far as to marry one
+you cannot love.  I have hopes, great hopes that his objections to me
+may be removed; but till they are so, I dread lest he should compel you
+to give your hand to some one else.  The promise I ask will give you
+strength to resist any unjust exercise of authority.  No one holds in
+more respect than I do the duty of the obedience of a child to a parent;
+but in this case it would, I am certain, work woe to you, sorrow to your
+mother, and ultimate regret to your father.  You will be firm, Edda?
+Promise me."
+
+"Indeed, indeed I will," answered Miss Armytage.  "Most faithfully and
+unreservedly I promise you that."
+
+At that moment there was a commotion among the people at the other end
+of the room, and a scraping of their feet on the floor as they rose from
+their seats.  They simultaneously began to bow with a formal air; the
+noise they had created made Ronald turn his head, and as he did so, he
+saw an officer in full uniform entering the room, followed by a number
+of persons in various costumes.  A second glance told Ronald that
+Colonel Armytage was before him.
+
+Ronald at once advanced to meet him, and said, "I am an officer of his
+Majesty's ship `Imperious.'  I was sent by my captain to communicate
+with the people in this district, and hearing that you were in the
+neighbourhood, I considered it my duty to inform you of what I have
+done."
+
+"In that light I am perfectly ready to receive you sir," said the
+colonel, with a stiff bow.  "But you will have the goodness to proceed
+at once with your narrative: you see that there are a number of people
+waiting to transact business with me, and that my time is short."
+
+Ronald felt a disagreeable sensation at his heart as the colonel was
+speaking, but he overcame his feelings, and at once entered on the
+business which had brought him to the place.
+
+The manner of Colonel Armytage was stiff and ungracious in the extreme.
+Ronald had done everything so well, and gave so clear an account of all
+the arrangements he had made, that the colonel could not do otherwise
+than express himself satisfied.  At length he rose, and said in a formal
+way, "I think now, sir, our business is ended.  You will, I conclude, at
+once return to your ship, and express to Lord Claymore my satisfaction
+at the arrangements which have been made.  His lordship will, however,
+see the necessity of leaving to me the task which he has hitherto
+performed so efficiently."
+
+Edda had not dared to stir from her seat, but had continued with her
+head bent down over some work, only venturing at times to cast a furtive
+glance at her father and Ronald, to ascertain how they got on together.
+Mrs Armytage soon afterwards joined her, and continued equally silent,
+her countenance exhibiting still greater anxiety and nervousness.
+
+The colonel ceased speaking, and looked as if he expected the young
+officer to make his bow and walk straight out at the door, but Ronald
+felt that he must risk everything rather than take his departure without
+exchanging another word with Edda.  He therefore, as soon as he rose,
+observing that Colonel Armytage had beckoned to one of the Spaniards to
+advance, said quietly, "I will pay my respects to Mrs and Miss Armytage
+before I go."
+
+Before the colonel could reply he had crossed the room to them.
+
+"Mrs Armytage, whatever happens, I entreat you to think favourably of
+me," he said; and then he took Edda's hand, willingly given him, and he
+whispered, "Farewell, dearest; we shall meet, I trust, ere long, again,
+when I have hopes that some of the difficulties which now surround us
+may be surmounted.  Your promise, though we were interrupted before the
+whole was given, has afforded joy and contentment to my heart."
+
+"Oh, but I give it entirely," Edda exclaimed, eagerly.  "No power shall
+make me break it, believe me Ronald."
+
+"You will be benighted, sir, and brigandage is rife," exclaimed Colonel
+Armytage, looking up with an angry glance, which Edda observed, but
+Ronald did not.
+
+"Go, go!" she exclaimed.  "Heaven protect you?"
+
+Morton shook hands with Mrs Armytage, bowed to the colonel, and walked
+with as much dignity as he could command out of the room.
+
+He threw himself on his horse, and rather than remain in the place he
+determined to ride back to a village he had passed on his way there,
+where he might find refreshment and rest both for man and beast during
+the night.
+
+As Ronald passed the group of Spaniards, he saw one of those who had
+come in with Colonel Armytage stare very hard at him.  It struck him at
+the moment that he recollected the man's features.  He had just mounted
+his horse, when the person in question rushed down the steps, and
+grasped him by the hand.
+
+"I am ashamed, my brave friend, that I should not at once have known
+you!" exclaimed the Spaniard.  "But we both of us look to much greater
+advantage than we did on the day we stormed the fort, when we were
+covered with gunpowder and blood.  But you must not go; come to my
+house, it is not many leagues off.  You can be spared from your ship for
+a day or two longer."
+
+Ronald thanked his friend Don Josef very warmly, but assured him that it
+was his duty to make the best of his way to the coast, as the ship would
+be standing in to take him.
+
+"How unfortunate!" said the Spaniard.  "I have to see your
+commissioner--he seems a very great man--or I would accompany you all
+the way, and we might stop at the houses of some of my friends.  Still I
+must go a little way with you.  Wait a moment; I will send for my horse:
+it is a poor animal--the only one those thieving French have left me.
+But a day of retribution is coming, and soon, I hope."
+
+The steed was brought out; it was a far better animal than Ronald
+expected to see.  The Spaniard mounted, and the cavalcade moved on.
+
+The village was soon left behind.  Ronald's new friend, however, had not
+accompanied him more than a league when he said he must return, or he
+should miss his interview altogether with the commissioner.  He had
+given Morton during that time a great deal of information as to the
+state of the country, and the temper of the people generally.  One
+feeling seemed to pervade all classes--the deepest hatred of their late
+master, and a desire to be free.
+
+"Better times may arrive, the country may be restored to peace,
+prosperity may be her lot, and then I trust that you will come and visit
+me at my home, and receive the thanks of my wife and children for the
+benefit you conferred on me."
+
+Saying this with the usual complimentary Spanish expressions, Don Josef
+turned his horse's head, and rode back towards the village from which
+they had started, while Ronald continued his journey.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THIRTY ONE.
+
+A SPANISH INN--THE SPANIARDS AROUSED TO ARMS--RONALD HEADS A GUERILLA
+BAND--EDDA RESCUED BY RONALD.
+
+The sun had set some short time when Ronald, with his companions,
+reached the village where the guide told him he could obtain shelter and
+refreshment.  The village itself was small and mean, and the only house
+of entertainment it possessed offered but few attractions to the
+travellers to remain there.  However, as their beasts required rest,
+they were compelled to dismount, and while the guide with the boys of
+the inn led the animals into the stables, Ronald and the two seamen
+walked into the common room, which served as dining-hall, kitchen, and
+apparently the sleeping-place of the family, as well as of a numerous
+family of fowls.  A very unattractive dame, who presided over the
+culinary department of the establishment, was now engaged in preparing
+supper for a very mixed and somewhat suspicious-looking company, who
+were seated at a long table, on benches at one side of the room.  None
+of them rose as the strangers entered, and the few who condescended to
+pay them any attention scowled at them from under their brows, as if
+resenting their appearance as an intrusion.  Ronald was very little
+moved by the want of courtesy with which he was received, but, walking
+up to the presiding genius of the place, he inquired, in the best
+Spanish he could command, whether he and his followers could have beds
+and food.  The old woman looked up with a sinister expression without
+speaking, while she continued stirring the pot boiling on the huge wood
+fire.  Her eyes were bleared with the smoke, and her face was wrinkled
+and dried, with a few white hairs straggling over her brow, while the
+long yellow tusks which protruded beyond her thin lips gave her a
+peculiarly hag-like look.  Ronald repeated his question.
+
+"Food?--yes, and good enough for any one," she answered in a low
+croaking voice; "but for beds, the enemy carried them off, and
+everything in the house.  There is space enough and to spare, upstairs,
+for a taller man than you to stretch his legs.  You can go and look when
+you have a mind; your valise will serve you as a pillow, and a sack with
+some straw must be your mattress.  Many a better man has slept in a
+worse bed."
+
+"I do not doubt it," answered Ronald, calmly.  "My men and I will manage
+well enough, but we are hungry, and shall be glad of food."
+
+"All in good time," said the old woman, somewhat softening her tone, and
+pleased at being spoken to in her own language.  "You may carry your
+baggage upstairs, and select any corner you like for your
+sleeping-place.  The girl will be in and give you a light presently.
+See that there are no holes in the roof above you, in case it should
+rain.  You will find it warmer too if you avoid those in the floor
+beneath you."
+
+The old woman said this evidently with serious good-will.  Ronald
+thanked her, and directly afterwards a stout buxom girl came from the
+further end of the hall, with a brass oil lamp in her hand.  Taking the
+advice of the old woman, Ronald went upstairs to select a corner where
+he and his party might rest a night.  The apartment consisted of the
+entire upper floor, but as the old woman had warned him, it contained
+not a particle of furniture, though, from its appearance, there was
+little doubt that there would be a large number of inhabitants.  In
+several places through the roof he could see the stars shining, while
+the faint rays of light, and odours anything but faint, which came up
+through the floor, showed the numerous holes and rents which time had
+made in the boards.
+
+"This is a rum place for our lieutenant to sleep in," observed Bob Doull
+to Job; "and as to the gentry below there, they are as cut-throat a crew
+as I ever set eyes on.  I'll not let his valise go out of my hands, for
+it would be whipped up pretty smartly by one of these fellows, and we
+should never see more of it.  Looking at the land from aboard the
+frigate, I never should have thought it was such an outlandish sort of a
+country.  Should you, Job?"
+
+"Can't say much for their manners.  May be they are better than they
+look," answered the elder seaman; "but if it came to a scrimmage, I
+can't say but what I wouldn't mind tackling a dozen of them."
+
+These remarks were made while Morton was taking a survey of the
+unpromising apartment.  It had apparently been used as a barrack by the
+French when, not long ago, they occupied the village, and very little
+trouble had since been taken to clean it out.  Morton asked the girl if
+his surmise was not correct.
+
+"Yes, the demons! they have been here, and Heaven's curse go with them!"
+she answered, with startling fierceness.  "It was dark when you rode in,
+or you would have seen the number of houses burnt down, vineyards and
+orange-groves rooted up for firewood; but that was not all the harm they
+did.  Woe, unutterable woe, they inflicted on thousands.  I had a lover,
+to whom I was betrothed; they slew him, and me they rendered wretched.
+But I need not tell my own griefs.  Thousands have suffered as much as I
+have.  There, senor, that corner you will find the freest from
+inconvenience.  Place your valise and saddle-bags there--they will be
+safe.  We are honest, though our accursed foes have made us poor
+indeed."
+
+The poor girl's dark eyes flashed fire as she spoke.  Ronald felt sure
+that he might trust her entirely.  He ordered Bob and Job, therefore, to
+deposit his scanty baggage in the corner indicated, and to follow him
+below.
+
+"What! does the lieutenant think he'll ever see them again if we does?"
+observed Bob.
+
+"Orders is orders," answered Job; "but just you keep a bright look out
+on the stair while we're below, and as soon as we've stowed away some
+grub, we'll take it watch and watch, and go up and sit on 'em.  The Dons
+will find it a hard job to carry them off then, I'll allow."
+
+Satisfied with their arrangements, the two seamen followed their
+officer.  He took his seat at one end of the table, and, as he did so,
+he fancied the other guests seemed to regard him with more friendly
+glances than before.  Not a minute had elapsed before Maria placed
+before him a smoking puchero (a dish to be found from one end of Spain
+to the other, composed of various sorts of meats minced with spices).
+There was a soup also, of a reddish tinge, from being coloured with
+saffron, and sausages rather too strong of garlic, and very white bread,
+and two dishes of vegetables, one of which was of garbanzos, a sort of
+haricot beans.  There was wine also, and brandy; indeed, the inhabitants
+must have managed cleverly to hide their stores from their invaders to
+enable them to produce so good a supply.  Job and Bob did not conceal
+their astonishment; the viands suited their taste, and they did ample
+justice to them.
+
+Though Ronald was in love, and had just cause to be anxious as to its
+result, and though he had only just parted from his mistress, yet he was
+a sailor; he had been a midshipman, and he had always a remarkably good
+appetite; and now, much to his surprise (for when he stopped at the door
+of the inn he had no thoughts of eating), he felt every inclination to
+do justice to the feast set before him.
+
+"He'll do," observed Job to Bob, as they sat at a respectful distance
+from their officer.  "At first I could not tell what had come over him
+as he got on his horse after he'd been talking to that young lady up at
+the window.  Whenever I sees a man able to take his grub, whatever's the
+matter with him, I knows it's all right."
+
+Ronald had addressed some of the Spaniards near him.  They listened
+respectfully.  He spoke to them of the tyranny to which Spain had been
+so long subject; of the sufferings she had endured; of the only means of
+freedom--the rising of the whole nation, as a man, to throw off the
+yoke.  "The English will help you, but they can only help, remember.  It
+is you who must do the work," he added.
+
+"True, true! the cabaliero speaks well!" resounded from all parts of the
+room.
+
+"It is to urge you to rise in arms, to drive the invaders from your
+country that I have come among you," said Ronald.  He warmed on the
+subject.  His hearers grew enthusiastic.
+
+"We have arms! we have arms!" they shouted.  "We will bring them forth;
+we have powder and shot.  The enemy are not far off.  We will go and
+meet them.  We will drive them before us like sheep."
+
+Ronald was satisfied with the effect of his address.  He knew perfectly
+well that in the morning, after they had cleaned their arms and filled
+their pouches with powder, they would stop and consider before they
+advanced to meet the enemy.  Altogether, he felt that the evening had
+not been ill-spent, and at the end of it the very people who had, when
+he came among them, cast on him such sinister looks, now regarded him
+with the greatest respect.  It was late before he threw himself down on
+a sack of straw in a corner of the upper room, wrapped up in his cloak.
+Though the room was occupied by a large portion of the rest of the
+guests, who kept up a concert of snores all night long, he managed to
+sleep soundly till daylight.
+
+The next morning after breakfast, having bid farewell to his new
+friends, he continued his journey.  Nothing would induce his horse to go
+out of a walk, while the mules refused to proceed at a faster rate than
+their more noble companions, so that their progress was of necessity
+slow.  As they proceeded the sad traces of warfare were everywhere
+visible.  Whole farmsteads burnt to the ground, houses in ruins,
+churches unroofed, groves of orange and olive trees cut down, fences
+destroyed, and fields once fertile returning to a state of nature, and
+overrun with weeds.  The guide looked at them as objects to which he was
+well accustomed, but now and then he ground his teeth and swore
+vengeance on the heads of the fell invaders of his country.
+
+Job had been remarking where the devastating hand of war had passed, and
+had counted up the objects destroyed.  At length he gave expression to
+his thoughts.
+
+"Well, to my mind, it's a mortal pity people take to fighting on shore.
+Why don't they stick to their ships, and always have it out afloat?
+that's the sensible thing, and then the only harm's done to the ships
+and the men who has the fun of the thing, and gets the honour and glory,
+and that's all natural and right."
+
+Bob heartily joined in with Job's notion.
+
+"If I was a king, I wouldn't let 'em," he remarked.  "I'd say, just you
+let the farms, and the gardens, and the women and children, and the
+churches alone; and if you wants to tight, by all manner of means fight
+it out, but keep afloat, and don't come here."
+
+The seamen had been conversing for some time in this strain, when the
+clatter of a horse's hoof was heard behind them, and turning their heads
+they saw the same Spaniard who had accompanied them on their way the day
+before.  They told Morton, who turned his horse's head to meet him.
+
+"Thank heaven that my steed has carried me so well, and that I have come
+up to you," exclaimed Don Josef.  "There is work for you; your aid is
+wanted; you will not refuse it, I know?  But come, ride back with me as
+fast as your beast's legs will move, and I will tell you.  Give him the
+spur! spare him not; I may supply you with a better soon.  The French
+are at no great distance from this; secure as they fancy themselves, we
+have spies among them to inform us of all their movements.  After
+daybreak this morning, one of the spies arrived, and brought me notice
+that the enemy were advancing, and that they having heard that a British
+commissioner was in the neighbourhood, had resolved to carry him off.
+On hearing this, I instantly set out to warn your countryman of the
+danger to which he was exposed, but on my way I met a person who
+informed me that he and his party had set forth at a very early hour,
+and were actually advancing in the very direction where they would
+encounter the enemy.  I, on this, instantly sent forth a person to warn
+him of his danger, and galloped after you, to entreat you to head a
+party, of strength sufficient to meet the enemy.  I directed all the men
+in the district to assemble in arms; they want a leader, however, in
+whom they may have confidence.  I have told them that they would find
+one in you, and they believe me.  You will come, will you not?"
+
+"Indeed, I will!" answered Ronald, belabouring his horse, and digging
+his spurs into his flanks with an energy proportioned to his anxiety.
+So eager was he, that for some time he could scarcely ask questions.
+One thought alone occupied his mind: Edda was in danger, and there was a
+possibility that he might preserve her from it.
+
+The party soon got back to the village, where, in front of the inn, a
+large number of men with arms in their hands were assembled.  They
+received Morton as he rode up with loud vivas.  He had won their regards
+the previous evening by the way he had addressed them, and Don Josef had
+been telling them what a gallant fellow he was.  They were, therefore,
+now prepared to place the most implicit confidence in him, and to hail
+him as a leader in the enterprise Don Josef had projected.  The Spaniard
+had been giving him an exact account of all the information he had
+received, and of the plans he had formed.  Ronald thought them
+excellent; there was, however, no time to be lost.  Messengers with the
+fiery cross--at least a message of the same import--had been sent round
+to all the neighbourhood, and armed men were coming in from every
+direction.  When their numbers were counted, Morton found himself at the
+head of a guerilla band, mustering upwards of three hundred men, cavalry
+and infantry.  They varied more in their arms than in their costume, and
+though many were somewhat ragged, when massed together and all looking
+fierce and eager for the fight, they had a very warlike appearance.
+
+The great object was to overtake Colonel Armytage before he could reach
+the spot where the ambush was supposed to be placed; he travelled with
+only a small escort of a dozen troopers, merely sufficient for
+protection against any brigands who might be roving through the country.
+As to the French, he had fancied that they were at a considerable
+distance, and had no fear of falling in with them: he ought of course to
+have been better informed.  The truth was, that though formal and
+dignified, and so far fitted to have intercourse with the Spaniards, his
+manners were not sufficiently conciliatory to have gained their
+affections, and they consequently neglected to give him the information
+on many points which it was most important for him to obtain.
+
+Job and Bob exchanged a few passing remarks as they bumped along in a
+way to which they were not at all accustomed, and which caused their
+words to come out like shot from guns irregularly served in action, or
+the pantings of a broken-down steam-engine; only such an invention was
+not known in those days.
+
+"I'd sooner be serving my gun aboard the frigate than be on the top of
+this here brute," observed Bob.  "But it's no odds, I suppose; if we
+catches the Mounseers, and drubs them, we shall ride back on their
+backs--eh, Job?"
+
+"Not so sure of that; they'll sham lame and refuse to carry us,"
+answered the other seaman.  "But I say, Bob, what a hurry our
+lieutenant's in; to my mind, it's all about that young lady at the
+window; mark my words, there'll be a splice some day or other, and good
+luck to him too; a finer-hearted fellow never stepped, for all he's a
+boatswain's son.  There's some men born to be officers, and he's one of
+'em."
+
+People seldom dream of the way in which they and their acts are
+discussed by their inferiors.
+
+Don Josef now told Ronald that they were approaching the spot where he
+hoped to overtake Colonel Armytage and his party, but no traces of them
+could be seen.  They must have proceeded faster than Don Josef had
+calculated.  "On, on!" was the cry.  They met a peasant, a half-witted
+fellow; he had seen such a party--a carriage with ladies, a waggon and
+some horsemen--pass an hour before.
+
+"We shall be too late, I fear," exclaimed Don Josef; "but on, my
+friends; we may still overtake the enemy."
+
+The party redoubled their speed; never had Ronald been worked up to such
+a pitch of anxiety and eagerness.
+
+The sound of shots was heard; the road wound among low broken cliffs,
+and trees growing thickly together; it was a likely place for an
+assault; so frequent were the bends made by the road that seldom was
+there a direct view of more than a hundred yards.  Horse and foot rushed
+on, till Ronald remembering that their impetuosity might do more harm
+than good, halted them; and begging Don Josef to remain with them and
+not to advance till summoned, rode on with the two seamen, and six other
+men, of the best-equipped and best-mounted of the party.  Now again he
+pushed on as rapidly as he could.  How his heart beat!  Should he be in
+time to rescue his friends?  If not, how would they be treated?  His
+eagerness prompted him to shout to his men, but he recollected caution
+was necessary, and restrained himself.  Again the rattle of musketry was
+heard, and dropping shots, and even the shouts of the combatants reached
+his ears; he was close to them; a carriage was the first object which
+met his view.  The mule which dragged it had drawn it against the side
+of the cliff, against which it lay half upset.  Before it were a party
+of men drawn up across the pass, and bravely contending against a whole
+host who appeared beyond.  It was evident, however, the small band would
+be quickly overpowered, for men were seen climbing the cliff with
+muskets in hand, belonging to the opposite party.  By their dress, and
+the rapidity with which they climbed the cliffs, they seemed to be
+seamen.  Ronald's plans were formed in a moment; he instantly despatched
+the most trusty of his party to direct Don Josef to send a hundred men
+up the cliffs, so as to gain a higher level than the French, and to
+advance with all rapidity with the rest.  Putting spurs to his horse,
+Ronald, with his small body of companions, darted on, shouting in
+English and Spanish, "To the rescue! to the rescue!  Do not give way--a
+strong force is at hand!"
+
+He had neither been heard nor seen by the commissioner's escort: at that
+moment they wavered and drew back.  Once losing ground, the French
+dashed in among them; while some of the latter engaged each of them in
+single combat, a French officer and several others made their way to the
+carriage; Ronald and his band galloped on.  At that moment only were
+they discovered.  A shriek was heard.  The Frenchmen were dragging the
+ladies from their carriage.  Ronald repeated the shouts he had already
+uttered.  Among the French were sailors as well as soldiers.
+
+"We'll tackle them," cried Job.
+
+"What business has they to be here?" exclaimed Bob.
+
+The French officer was in naval uniform, and Ronald, even at that
+distance, recognised Alfonse Gerardin.
+
+Mrs Armytage and her daughter shrieked for help; they fancied they had
+been attacked by bandits.  They had been more alarmed for the safety of
+Colonel Armytage than for their own; he was nowhere to be seen.
+
+"Fear not, my beloved Edda; you and your mother are in perfect safety,"
+said Alfonse Gerardin, who had thrown himself from his horse.  He was
+now endeavouring to draw her, with as little violence as possible, from
+the carriage.  "I have sought for you through many lands; I have found
+you at last, and we will never again part."
+
+These expressions frightened Edda far more than any threats would have
+done.  There was a concentrated energy and determination in the way he
+spoke them that made her feel that he would keep his word.
+
+"Oh, spare me! spare me!" she exclaimed.  "You are not a brigand; you do
+not war with women.  Let us go free, and hasten to the assistance of my
+father.  You expressed friendship for him.  Prove it now."
+
+"I will, Edda, I swear; but you cannot remain here.  Any moment you may
+be sacrificed.  The shot are falling thickly around.  It is hopeless to
+expect help from any one but me."
+
+At that moment Edda saw him change colour, and then she heard the sound
+of a voice which she knew full well--"To the rescue! to the rescue!"
+while Bob and Job shouted, "Down with the Mounseers; down with them!"
+
+Edda saw Ronald coming.  She struggled to free herself; while Alfonse,
+having leapt on his horse, was attempting to lift her up on the saddle;
+but he was not a good horseman, and it seemed doubtful whether he would
+succeed.
+
+While some of his followers were endeavouring to carry off Mrs
+Armytage, in obedience to his orders, the others were facing about to
+defend themselves against the approaching enemy.  When the French saw
+the small body of men led by Morton, those who had faced to meet them
+boldly advanced.  Morton dashed forward.  His great object was to reach
+Alfonse Gerardin.  He saw nothing else, he thought of nothing else but
+Edda Armytage in his power.
+
+"Release her, or you die!" he shouted.
+
+Truefitt and Doull meantime had each singled out a French seaman, and
+with hearty good-will were attacking them with their cutlasses.  So
+fierce was their onslaught that they drove them back into the midst of
+the _melee_, where Colonel Armytage's troopers were still holding their
+own against their foes.  The French were, however, pressing them very
+hard.  Alfonse looked round and saw that the way was open to him.  In
+another moment Ronald Morton would be at his side.  He stooped down, and
+throwing his arms round Edda, by a violent effort lifted her off the
+ground and placed her on his saddle.
+
+"Retreat, men!" he shouted, "Let alone the other lady."
+
+He was galloping off, but Ronald digging his spurs into his horse's
+flanks, and cutting down a French soldier, who attempted to stop him,
+was in another instant by the side of the young lieutenant.  Gerardin
+saw him coming with uplifted sword.  He raised his own weapon to defend
+himself, while he still held Edda with his left arm.  He knew that
+Ronald would not dare to fire; he doubted whether he would even venture
+to strike, for fear of injuring Miss Armytage.  Ronald's eye was
+practised, his nerves were well strung.
+
+"Release her, villain!--madman!" he shouted again.  He saw what Alfonse,
+who had to turn his head to look at him, did not see, Truefitt and Doull
+springing across the road.  Bob seized the horse's head; the animal
+reared.  Gerardin, in attempting to seize the rein, loosened his hold of
+Edda, and she would have fallen to the ground had not Truefitt caught
+her.  The enemy were gathering thickly around.  Bob, seeing what had
+happened, let go the rein to defend his own head, as well as his
+shipmate's, from the blows showered on them.  Morton, too, was attacked
+on all sides.  He did not seek for revenge.  Gerardin's horse sprang
+forward and saved his rider from the only blow aimed at him by Morton.
+All these events had passed within a few seconds of time.  At that
+instant the Frenchmen uttered a cry of "Retreat!--retreat!  _Sauve qui
+peut_!"  They had good reason for so doing; for the cliffs on either
+side appeared covered with guerillas, who began firing down upon them,
+while a strong band was seen advancing at full speed along the road.
+
+"Ronald Morton, I hate you!" exclaimed Gerardin, turning round in his
+saddle, and shaking his clenched fist at the English lieutenant.  "You
+have foiled me again and again.  I know you, and who you are; you stand
+between me and my birthright; you shall not foil me again.  I have
+before sought your life; the next time we meet we will not separate till
+one or the other dies."
+
+These last words were uttered as, surrounded by the survivors of his
+band, he was galloping off.  The advantage of having sent the Spaniards
+to crown the height was now apparent.  They drove the French riflemen
+down to the main body, and the enemy, not being able to ascertain the
+number opposed to them, gave way before a very inferior and
+undisciplined force.  Ronald did not attempt to follow them till he had
+placed Edda in safety by the side of her mother, whom he found half
+fainting in the carriage.  Then telling her that he would go in search
+of Colonel Armytage, he leapt on his horse and joined Don Josef and the
+surviving troopers who were moving on in pursuit of the enemy.  He had
+not gone far before he fancied that he could distinguish Colonel
+Armytage mounted on a horse among the French, and drooping as if badly
+wounded.
+
+The road sloped considerably in front.  The French were descending the
+steep.  Calling to his companions to charge, he led the way, attacking
+the rear-guard of the enemy with irresistible impetuosity.  Down they
+went before the Spanish blades like corn before the sickle.  Those in
+front endeavoured to fly.  Some few turned to withstand their opponents,
+but they, too, gave way, and Ronald and his followers fought on till
+they reached the prize the French fancied they had secured: the person
+to capture whom the expedition had apparently been despatched.  The
+colonel, who had been secured to his horse, was almost insensible, and
+seemed not at all aware by whom he had been rescued.  The French,
+meantime, when they discovered the small number of the guerilla band
+opposed to them halted, and seemed about to return; but Ronald showed so
+bold a front that they apparently thought better of it, and on finding
+that they were not again attacked, formed in order, and continued their
+retreat.
+
+Ronald observed, as he rode back, that although there were numbers of
+dead on the road, there was not a wounded man alive among them.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THIRTY TWO.
+
+COLONEL ARMYTAGE WOUNDED--CROSSING THE BAY OF BISCAY--CHASED DURING A
+GALE--THE BRIG DISMASTED--CAPTURED.
+
+Ronald Morton's heart beat high with hope when he rode back, and was
+able to announce to Mrs Armytage and Edda that he had recovered Colonel
+Armytage.  "Though wounded and faint from loss of blood, I trust that he
+is not seriously hurt," he added.
+
+He received an ample reward in the look of love and gratitude which Edda
+gave him.
+
+Before the arrival of the colonel, the carriage was got up, the traces
+were repaired, the mules caught, and everything was in readiness to
+move.  Don Josef, who now came up, insisted on their returning to his
+house.
+
+"Even if the enemy were not in the neighbourhood," he observed, "it
+would be useless for the commissioner to proceed further, utterly unable
+as he is to attend to business."
+
+After a time Colonel Armytage yielded an unwilling consent to the
+arrangement, he had learned that Don Josef was Morton's friend, and he
+was evidently doubting in his mind how he should treat Morton himself.
+He had just rendered him a great service, and the very man whom he had
+once favoured as the suitor of his daughter, and who had promised to
+come and claim her when circumstances would allow him, he had seen in
+the ranks of the enemy, and he now learned had also attempted to carry
+off his daughter.  These thoughts occupied his mind as the carriage
+moved on in the centre of the party.  Ronald had too correct notions of
+generalship not to march in true military order.  He sent forward an
+advanced guard, and kept a rear guard at some distance to give timely
+notice of the approach of an enemy, should they be pursued.  He himself
+was everywhere, seeing that his newly-raised band of guerillas were
+attending to their duty, though he did not fail, whenever he passed, to
+make inquiries at the carriage-window as to how Colonel Armytage was
+bearing his journey.
+
+It was dark when the country-house of Don Josef was reached.  He
+literally made his house the home of the foreigners, for he made them
+occupy all the best rooms, and retired himself to a small chamber remote
+from all the rest.  It was one of those glorious nights which in no part
+of Europe are seen to greater advantage than in the clear atmosphere of
+Spain.  The moon, in full lustre, shone out from a sky undimmed by a
+single cloud, and every object on which its light fell stood out clear
+and defined, casting the darkest of shadows behind it.
+
+When the guerilla band had been refreshed they assembled in the patio,
+or yard in front of the house, and gave vent to their satisfaction at
+their victory in patriotic songs.  It was great enjoyment to Morton to
+find himself again by the side of Edda, and to feel that he had just
+conferred so great a benefit on her father that he could scarcely refuse
+his consent to their union.  He little knew the unyielding nature of the
+man with whom he had to deal.  Both Edda and Ronald referred to the
+threats they had heard uttered by Alfonse Gerardin.
+
+"I cannot understand him," she said, "who he is, nor what he is.  My
+father certainly favoured his suit in a way I could not fancy he would
+do that of a person of whom he knew nothing, while he treats you, whom
+he does know, with evident dislike.  I cannot conceal it from myself.
+You know the pain it must give me.  Nor can I help owning that my father
+is acting a cruel and wrong part."
+
+Ronald knew how near the enemy were, and would have been anxious for the
+safety of his friends had not Don Josef assured him that he had sent out
+scouts to watch their movements, and to give the earliest notice of
+their approach.
+
+The next day a surgeon arrived, who pronounced the wounds Colonel
+Armytage had received to be in no way dangerous, but expressed his
+opinion that he would be unfit for a long time to perform the duties
+intrusted to him.  Of this the colonel himself seemed to be fully aware,
+and he accordingly at once wrote to beg that he might be superseded.
+
+In the afternoon a scout arrived with the information that the French
+were retreating northward.  This was accounted for by the rumour of the
+approach of a strong Spanish force.
+
+Ronald would gladly have remained to watch over the safety of Edda and
+her parents, and Don Josef did not fail to employ every argument he
+could think of to persuade him that he would be right in so doing.  He
+had, however, been absent from his ship much longer than had been
+intended; and though he could give a very good account of the way he had
+employed his time, and he knew that his captain would be perfectly
+satisfied, he felt sure that she would be employed in some work in which
+he would wish to take a part.  Edda had too high a sense of the duty of
+an officer to attempt for a moment to detain him, though her sad looks
+showed how much she felt the parting.  She talked hopefully of the
+future; of the happiness which might be in store for them when her
+father's objections were overcome.
+
+"They must be conquered some day," she exclaimed.  "Why should he object
+on the score of birth?  We are cousins, though distant ones, and as for
+fortune, I have never been ambitious, and shall be well content to share
+what you may have, till--You know some day, Ronald, Lunnasting in all
+probability will be mine.  I am not greedy of it.  I would gladly see it
+belong to my long-lost cousin, poor aunt Hilda's son, if he could be
+found; but after the lapse of so many years, that is not likely.
+Indeed, it is for your sake alone, Ronald, that I should prize it."
+
+Ronald pressed her to his heart.  "Thanks, thanks, generous one," he
+whispered.  "We may yet obtain ample fortune to satisfy our wishes.  Of
+that I have little fear."
+
+The tears came into Mrs Armytage's eyes when Ronald wished her
+farewell.  It appeared to her as if the only person to whom she could
+look with confidence for protection and support was about to leave her,
+for even should Colonel Armytage recover his health, his temper was not
+likely to improve, while, should he grow worse, she would be left in a
+still more helpless condition.
+
+Ten days more passed, and a fine brig stood into the harbour.  The
+master came on shore, and finding out Colonel Armytage, announced
+himself as Captain Carlton, of the "Helen," bound direct for London.
+Nothing could be more convenient; every arrangement was soon concluded;
+the colonel and his family went on board; the generous Don Josef bade
+them farewell, and with a favourable breeze, a course was shaped for the
+Straits of Gibraltar.
+
+The "Helen" remained only a couple of days at Gibraltar.  Colonel
+Armytage refused to go on shore, or to allow his wife or daughter to go.
+They were glad, therefore, once more to be at sea.  The weather
+continued fine, and the wind favourable, and there was every promise of
+a prosperous voyage.  The wind was from the south-east, and as the
+"Helen" ran along the coast of Portugal the sea was perfectly smooth,
+except that a slight ripple played over its surface, on which the sun
+sparkled with dazzling brilliancy.  An awning was spread, under which
+the ladies sat, and when the rock of Lisbon rose in view and the
+pine-crowned heights of Cintra, just then especially notorious, not for
+its beauty, not for its orange groves, but on account of the disgraceful
+treaty which had there lately been concluded, even Colonel Armytage
+condescended to come on deck, and to admire the beauty of the scene.
+Through their glasses the Cork convent could be seen perched on its
+lofty crags, and below them to the north the mass of odd-looking
+buildings known as the palace of Mafra, containing a royal residence, a
+monastery, barracks, and a church.  Further north, little more could be
+seen than a long line of yellow sand, with pine-covered hills.
+
+"Now, ladies, I think you have seen enough of Portugal," said Captain
+Carlton.  "We'll haul off the shore, if you please; for, to tell you the
+truth, it's a treacherous coast, which I'm in no way fond of.  From
+here, right away till we come to Vigo in Spain, there is not a single
+harbour into which a ship can run for shelter; I don't say that it's a
+disgrace to the people--they didn't make the coast; it was so formed for
+some good reason, I doubt not, but still I always like to give it a wide
+berth."
+
+The fine weather continued till the "Helen" had passed Cape Ortegal, and
+was fairly in the Bay of Biscay.  The wind then increased, and became
+variable, and dark clouds were seen banking up in the south-western
+horizon.  The kind old captain became less cheerful than usual.  The
+brig no longer glided on smoothly and sedately as before, but began to
+roll and pitch with the rising sea.  The ladies came on deck, but were
+unable to read and work as they had previously done, but Edda declared
+that she enjoyed the change, and found amusement in looking at the
+dancing seas, and in watching a shoal of porpoises which went careering
+along, sporting and rolling and keeping way with the brig without
+effort.
+
+"Ah, young lady, you are looking at those fellows, are you?" said
+Captain Carlton.  "Just watch how they go along.  Now I have heard
+people on shore talk of a porpoise as a fat, heavy creature who hasn't
+got any spirit in him, just like a hog, for instance, wallowing in the
+mud.  I should like to see the race-horse which could keep up with them.
+They would beat that gallant frigate which passed us the other day, and
+as to this brig you see, they swim round and round her as if she was at
+anchor, and we are going a good seven knots through the water.  People
+fancy when they see their black tails when they dive that they are
+rolling along, but the truth is, there isn't a creature darts quicker
+through its native element than a porpoise."
+
+The captain's lecture on the much-maligned fish was suddenly brought to
+a close by a cry from the masthead of a sail on the larboard-quarter.
+In war time merchantmen keep a sharp look-out, or ought to do so, that
+they may have timely notice to enable them to avoid an enemy.  On the
+present occasion all Captain Carlton could do was to make more sail and
+to continue the same course he had been steering.  As there were
+threatenings of a stiff breeze, if not of a gale, the hands were ordered
+to stand by to take it in again, should it be necessary.
+
+The stranger gained rapidly on the brig, and as she was pronounced to be
+a large ship, then a man-of-war from the squareness of her yards, and at
+length a frigate--
+
+"Could she be the `Imperious?'"  Edda ventured to ask.
+
+The old captain shook his head.
+
+"No, my dear young lady," he answered gravely; "it goes to my heart to
+alarm you, but the truth must be spoken.  I am very much afraid that the
+stranger is an enemy."
+
+Edda's heart sunk within her.  English prisoners, she knew, whether
+combatants or not, were detained in France for years, and the Emperor
+had shown his intention of keeping them till he had attained the objects
+he sought.
+
+Mrs Armytage fainted when she heard the report, and the colonel came on
+deck to ascertain its truth.  He evidently did not like the look of
+things.
+
+"Cannot you make this craft of yours sail faster?" he asked, in an angry
+tone of the master.
+
+"It is the people who built her, sir, are to blame, not me.  I am doing,
+and will do, all a seaman can accomplish to escape the enemy; I have no
+wish to be taken.  I have a wife and family waiting my return home, and
+Heaven have mercy on them! we shall be utterly ruined if the brig is
+taken."
+
+Colonel Armytage was silent; the chances of escape seemed small indeed.
+Still pressed as she was with a far larger amount of canvas than the
+master would have ventured to carry under ordinary circumstances, the
+brig tore through the rising seas at a greater rate than had ever before
+probably been got out of her.
+
+The master stood watching the masts and spars with an anxious eye.  They
+bent and cracked with the greatly increased strain to which they were
+exposed; the weather-shrouds and stays were tautened to the utmost.  At
+length the master turned round to Edda and Mrs Armytage, who, having
+recovered from her first alarm, had come up on deck.
+
+"My dear young lady, and you, ma'am, do go below, let me pray you; this
+is no place for you," he said, with deep earnestness.  "Any moment we
+may have the masts and spars rattling down on our heads, or the enemy's
+shot flying along our decks.  Please Heaven, while the masts stand we'll
+hold on.  They can but take us in the end; but, dear ladies, do go
+below.  We shall act more like men if we know that you are safe."
+
+Thus urged, most unwillingly Edda and her mother retired to the cabin.
+The colonel, however, remained on deck.
+
+"It shall never be said that where danger was present I was absent," he
+remarked.
+
+"Maybe, but you would be of much more use looking after your wife and
+daughter in the cabin," muttered the honest old captain.
+
+Edda and Mrs Armytage went into their own cabin.  They knelt down.
+They could not strive like men, but they could pray that the ship might
+be preserved from the threatened danger, or, if it was Heaven's will
+that it should overtake her, that they might have strength given them to
+bear whatever it was their lot to suffer.
+
+The breeze was freshening rapidly, the movement of the brig increased as
+she plunged with a violent jerk into one sea, and then rose up the
+watery ridge only to sink down again into another watery valley.  Still
+on she tore.  The master was keeping his word.  On a sudden there was a
+cry; then followed a fearful crash.
+
+"Oh, my father! he may have been killed," exclaimed Edda, as she rushed
+on deck.
+
+Both the masts had gone by the board, and the brig lay a helpless wreck
+on the tossing waters.  The frigate was close to them.  For an instant a
+wild hope rose in Edda's heart.  Was she after all the "Imperious?"
+
+The hope was soon banished.  The flag of France flew out from the
+stranger's peak.  Edda looked round for her father, trembling with fear.
+He had fallen, and lay on the deck unable to rise.  She rushed towards
+him, all his unkindness, his harshness and injustice forgotten.  She
+attempted to lift him up; but her strength was unequal to the task.  He
+soon somewhat recovered.
+
+"I am not materially injured, I fancy," he said at length.  "This is a
+fearful accident; I was struck by a falling block, and was stunned.  I
+shall be myself again directly.  But where is the master?  What has
+become of the crew?"
+
+Edda gazed horror-struck at the spectacle which met her sight.  Several
+of the men lay crushed under the masts and heavy spars which had fallen
+on the deck, a few who had leaped below were returning to their
+assistance, but Captain Carlton was nowhere to be seen.  Just then a cry
+struck Edda's ears; she gazed out on the foam-covered sea.  Among the
+wildly leaping waves she caught sight of the old master's countenance--
+it was turned towards the brig with a look of agony.  He was swimming
+bravely, sorely buffeted as he was by the seas.  The effort was beyond
+his strength.  With a wild cry he threw up his arms, and the next sea
+rolled over his head.
+
+Edda would have sunk with horror had not the call of duty supported her.
+
+"Father! oh come below! we can do nothing to help ourselves, and shall
+be safe there," she exclaimed, in an imploring tone.
+
+"No, no, girl; I must be on deck to receive our captors.  See, they are
+coming!"
+
+He raised himself to his feet, and was pointing to the frigate, which,
+having passed to windward of the dismasted brig, was now hove-to.  A
+boat was at that instant being lowered from her side.
+
+"Then I will not leave you, father," said his daughter, clinging to the
+bulwarks near him.
+
+The boat from the French frigate approached; she came close to the brig,
+but it was both difficult and dangerous for the crew to get on board.
+More than once they made the attempt, and each time the boat was driven
+off again by the sea; at last they shouted to the English seamen to come
+and help them.  The surviving crew of the brig had gone below, as is the
+practice of seamen likely to be captured, to put on their best clothing
+and to secure any valuables belonging to them.  At last they appeared,
+and with their assistance and the ropes they hove-to the boat, and the
+Frenchmen succeeded in getting on board.  Their officer was the first up
+the side.  Edda looked at him, and almost shrieked with terror when she
+recognised Alfonse Gerardin.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THIRTY THREE.
+
+THE "IMPERIOUS" HOMEWARD BOUND--THE FIRE-SHIPS ARE PREPARED--THE FRENCH
+FLEET IN BASQUE ROADS--RONALD CONDUCTS A FIRE-SHIP--GENERAL EXPLOSION OF
+FIRE-SHIPS.
+
+The "Imperious," with a fine breeze from the southward, was standing
+across the Bay of Biscay.  She had been actively engaged all the time
+she had been in the Mediterranean, chiefly on the coasts of France and
+Spain, capturing armed ships and merchantmen, destroying telegraph
+stations, blowing up forts, and harassing the enemy in every possible
+way.
+
+The Marquis de Medea and his daughter, with Father Mendez, had been, at
+their own request, put on board a Spanish vessel bound round to Cadiz,
+as they fancied that the unsettled state of the country would make the
+journey by land dangerous and disagreeable.  Don Tacon had before that
+been sent to Malta to take his trial as a pirate, but by some means or
+other he had been completely, if not honourably, acquitted, and very
+soon afterwards disappeared from the island.  He was supposed by some
+speedily to have taken to his old courses, and several merchantmen
+reported that they had been chased by a suspicious-looking lateen-rigged
+craft, on their passage between Gibraltar and Malta.  He had latterly,
+when the ship was at sea, been allowed a good deal of liberty on board
+the frigate, and had been allowed to go about the decks at pleasure.
+
+He was, however, again deprived of this liberty in consequence of having
+been found one day climbing up over the quarter, as if he had been
+prying into the captain's cabin.  No one had seen him go; it was,
+therefore, supposed that he must have been concealed there for some
+time.  When caught he at once begged to be secured.
+
+"My life is not safe if I am left at liberty," he exclaimed, frantically
+tearing his hair.  "I have looked at the past.  I look at the future.  I
+am miserable.  I see nothing but wretchedness before me.  I contemplated
+self-destruction.  I purposed dropping quietly over the stern into the
+water.  I did not wish to create confusion.  If I had jumped overboard
+before you all, a boat would have been lowered, and I should have been
+picked up; but--must I own it?--my courage failed me.  I--I who have
+been in a hundred fights, and have braved death in a thousand forms--I
+felt fear.  I clung to the side trembling, and climbed on board again,
+and here I am."
+
+Ronald had a very just suspicion that Don Tacon was acting.  He had
+formed, indeed, a perfectly just estimate of his consummate impudence
+and roguery, but still it was difficult to account for the reason of his
+having got there.
+
+He might have gone there for the sake of eaves-dropping, for the captain
+was in the cabin at the time, but then it was not likely that he
+understood English enough to comprehend what was said.  There was one
+very suspicious circumstance against the worthy Tacon.
+
+A few days before Ronald had been with the captain in his cabin
+discussing a very important matter.  It was no less than Lord Claymore's
+long-projected plan of destroying the French fleet whenever it could be
+found collected in one of these exposed roadsteads.  Lord Claymore had
+become more than ever sanguine as to the success of his plan.
+
+"It must succeed, my dear Morton," he exclaimed vehemently.  "It will be
+of advantage to our country, equal to that of a great victory; but it
+will be gained without one-tenth part of the loss which a general action
+would entail.  I must obtain my recall forthwith, and lay my plans
+before the Admiralty.  They must listen to me; they can scarcely refuse
+to consider my plans.  They won't do it for love; they never do love a
+man who has got brains in his head, unless those brains are subservient
+to their will and pleasure."
+
+Ronald remembered that such had been some of the remarks made on the
+occasion referred to.  Lord Claymore was rather inclined to laugh at his
+suspicions; but notwithstanding that, took good care that Senor Tacon
+should not again have an opportunity of throwing himself overboard.
+
+It was not till some time after the Don had been sent to Malta, that
+Lord Claymore missed a couple of sheets of paper, on which he had drawn
+out some of his proposed plans.  He, however, thought that very likely
+they had been blown overboard, and troubled himself no more about the
+matter.  After some time he obtained his recall, and the frigate was now
+on her way to England.
+
+"A sail on the starboard bow!" was the cry from the masthead.  The
+captain was anxious to get to England, and if he chased in that
+direction he should be led deep into the bay, and perhaps not be able to
+get out again; but when the stranger was made out to be a frigate, and,
+in all probability an enemy, the temptation to pursue her was
+irresistible.  The helm was put up and all sail made in chase of the
+stranger.  Away flew the gallant "Imperious," with the wind on her
+quarter, and far ahead kept the other frigate, steering directly in for
+the French coast.  There could be now no longer any doubt that she was
+an enemy.  An English ship could never have run in that way; but it was
+strongly suspected that the Emperor had ordered his naval officers to
+avoid fighting unless sure of success.
+
+Once having commenced a pursuit Lord Claymore was not the man to give it
+up until he had caught the chase, or run her to earth.  Every means that
+could be thought of was tried to increase the speed of the frigate, but
+it was soon evident that the enemy was very fast and could easily keep
+ahead.  Still Lord Claymore hoped that some chance might enable him to
+come up with her and bring her to action.  The weather, however
+continued fine, which was so far in favour of the Frenchman, that there
+was little chance of his carrying away any masts or spars, by which the
+"Imperious" might have gained an advantage.  Night drew on; but the moon
+rose and her beams fell on the chase exactly in the position she had so
+long held.  It was now very evident that she was steering for Basque
+Roads.
+
+"She may get there but we'll bring her out for all that," exclaimed the
+captain, as he walked the deck, with his night-glass in hand, watching
+the chase.
+
+Hour after hour passed without the slightest alteration in the relative
+position of the two frigates.  Day came and the chase continued.
+
+The officers each snatched a few hours' rest; the captain probably took
+less than any one.  The land was made out ahead and then on the
+starboard bow.  It was the island of Oleron, forming the south side of
+Basque Roads.  There was no longer any hope of bringing the enemy to
+action, still the "Imperious" stood on.  The chase was seen to bring up
+under a strong fort, below which several line-of-battle ships and two
+frigates were at anchor.
+
+"The fellow has shown us his den, at all events," observed Lord
+Claymore, examining the enemy's squadron, while the frigate continued
+standing in towards the anchorage.  The crew were at their stations,
+eyeing the French squadron and forts with the most perfect unconcern,
+though it was possible for them, had they made the attempt, to blow the
+English frigate out of the water; but so perfect was the confidence of
+the seamen in the captain, that they felt as if there was no more danger
+than in Portsmouth Harbour.
+
+"Morton!" exclaimed the captain, "look at that fleet of Frenchmen.
+Think of the havoc and devastation they will commit among our
+merchantmen and colonies if they get free away from this.  Every one of
+them we could destroy with our fire-ships and explosion vessels.  It
+must be done.  I shall never forgive myself if I do not stir every nerve
+to get the Admiralty to undertake it.  We will stand further in.  I
+delight in thus bearding them in their very harbours."
+
+A shot, however, from the fort, which flew between the masts, showed him
+that he had stood close enough in.  The frigate wore round, and did what
+Job Truefitt observed she wasn't often apt to do--showed her stern to
+the enemy.  It was surprising that she was not pursued.  This made Lord
+Claymore suspect that the line-of-battle ships were not yet completely
+ready for sea.
+
+Away sailed the "Imperious" with all the haste she could make.  The wind
+held fair; England was soon reached.  A powerful squadron, under Lord
+Gambier, was despatched to watch the enemy's fleet, and the captain of
+the "Imperious" used every exertion to obtain leave to carry out his
+plans.
+
+While the captain was absent in London, Morton had charge of the ship.
+He seldom or never went on shore.  As soon as the frigate reached
+Spithead he got Glover to write to his cousin, Mrs Edmonstone, to
+inquire for the Armytages.  Her answer was unsatisfactory; she had heard
+nothing of them for several months.  She, indeed, knew no more of their
+movements than did Ronald himself.  His mind was racked with the most
+painful doubts and fears.  He could not even conjecture where they were.
+He had expected to have heard that they had long ago arrived in
+England.  He missed the counsel and support of his father at the present
+juncture.  Rolf had some time before returned to England with old Doull
+and Eagleshay.  He had from thence, accompanied by them, gone to
+Shetland, where he had re-occupied his farm.  Ronald received a letter
+from him.  He had abundance of occupation in repairing the house and
+improving the property, which was in a sadly neglected state.  He had
+not seen Sir Marcus Wardhill, but he understood that he was failing.
+The Lady Hilda seldom left the castle.  She was said to spend most of
+the hours of the day and night in her turret chamber, occupying herself
+with her books, though, as the country people observed, she got very
+little good out of them.  "But you know, my dear Ronald," he added, "I
+am not the man to interfere with my neighbours' doings.  I wish that the
+poor Lady Hilda's lot had been happier, and as for Sir Marcus, whatever
+may be his feelings towards me, I never bore him any ill-will."  In a
+P.S. he added, "I have just had a visit from Lawrence Brindister; he
+looks wonderfully little changed.  It is thought wears out a man, they
+say, and he, poor man, does not do much in that way.  He shook me warmly
+by the hand and shuffled about the room, examining everything, and
+talking of old times, while he made his comments on everything he saw.
+He is madder, in my opinion, than ever, for he talked in the strangest
+way of events of which he was cognisant; but when I questioned him, said
+he should say nothing till you made your appearance.  I hope, therefore,
+Ronald, that you will come as soon as you can get leave, and induce our
+eccentric cousin to give us the information he possesses, though I
+confess that I shall not be surprised if after all it turns out he knows
+nothing of importance.  I received a visit from my old friend Captain
+Maitland.  He came over in his boat from North Maven.  He bears his
+eighty winters wonderfully well.  I used to think him an oldish man
+nearly thirty years ago.  How time flies.  Though I say come when you
+can, I would not for a moment draw you away from your duty.  You know
+that so well that I need not have said so.  I shall be looking soon for
+your promotion.  I met Captain Courtney while I was in Portsmouth; he
+told me that you were sure to get it, and that he would see that you
+were not passed by.  Again, my dear boy, good-bye.  No more at present
+from your affectionate father--
+
+"R.M."
+
+His father's letter cheered Ronald for a time.  He was glad to find that
+he was contented with the lot he had selected, and he determined not to
+tell him of his own anxieties and unhappiness.  Glover, at his request,
+again made inquiries of Mrs Edmonstone, but her reply was as before--
+she could gain no information about the Armytages.  The duties of the
+ship, however, gave Ronald ample occupation, so that he had very little
+time to think about himself.
+
+Lord Claymore now returned on board in high spirits.  He had obtained
+his object, and was at once to set to work to prepare the explosion
+vessels and fire-ships according to his proposed plan.
+
+"We must, however, part, Morton, I am on many accounts sorry to say," he
+observed.
+
+"Indeed, so am I, my lord, to hear you say so," answered Ronald.  "I had
+hoped to continue with you in the `Imperious' till she was paid off."
+
+"Why, the fact is, my dear Captain Morton, I have got your commission in
+my pocket, and appointment to a sixteen-gun sloop-of-war, the
+`Scorpion.'  I met Courtney at the Admiralty, and he insisted on my
+bringing it down to you, it having just been put into his hands by the
+first lord.  I sincerely congratulate you, though I must say you have
+only obtained what you deserve."
+
+Morton's heart bounded.  What officer's does not on receiving
+unexpectedly his promotion!  He thanked Lord Claymore most cordially.
+
+"Come on shore then with me in an hour, and go on board your ship and
+take command," said Lord Claymore.  "Get her ready for sea as rapidly as
+possible.  You will accompany me, and I hope before our return we shall
+have managed to destroy the whole French fleet."
+
+Ronald begged that Truefitt and Doull might accompany him, a request
+that was at once granted; and then he put in a word for Glover, and
+asked if he might have him as a first lieutenant.
+
+"Yes, I esteem him; he is a good officer, but I can get a man to fill
+his place, who will suit me better," was the answer.
+
+So it was arranged.  Ronald went on board and read his commission.
+Glover and his two constant followers joined in a few days, and the
+"Scorpion" was rapidly got ready for sea.
+
+Two explosion vessels were, in the meantime, being prepared under Lord
+Claymore's directions, and ten or a dozen fire-ships.  The first were
+terrific engines of destruction.  Ronald accompanied him on board one of
+them.  She in the first place contained one thousand five hundred
+barrels of gunpowder, in casks, placed on end, and bound tightly
+together by stout ropes; the intervening spaces were filled with wet
+sand, rammed down with great force, so that the whole formed one solid
+mass.  On the top of it were placed an immense number of hand grenades
+and rockets, and no less than four hundred live shells with short
+fusees, so that they might explode soon after the fire reached them.
+
+"What do you think of that?" asked Lord Claymore.  "Woe betide the
+unfortunate ship she comes in contact with," he answered.  "Not a man of
+her crew can escape, I should think."
+
+The "Imperious," with the two explosion vessels, the "Scorpion," and
+such of the fire-ships as were ready, sailed for the Bay of Biscay.
+They reached the English blockading squadron under Lord Gambier.  Many
+of the captains were highly indignant at finding one junior to
+themselves appointed to so important a charge.
+
+"I hate to see gallant men yield to feelings so contemptible," observed
+Lord Claymore.  "But let them rail on.  He laughs who wins."
+
+If the deed was to be done, no time was to be lost.  The time for the
+terrific experiment arrived.  The French ships lay at their anchors
+across the harbour with springs on their cables, in two lines, so placed
+that the broadsides of the inner line could be fired clear of the outer
+one.  The island of Aix, with powerful batteries, guarded them on one
+side, that of Oleron, also with strong forts, on the other.  To make
+their position still more secure, a boom of half a mile in length,
+composed of numerous spars, and formed in the shape of an obtuse angle,
+was placed in front of them, and secured by anchors and cables of
+immense thickness.
+
+The French fleet consisted of twelve line-of-battle ships, a store-ship
+of fifty guns, and three frigates, amounting altogether to a number of
+guns perfectly capable of sinking the whole British fleet, had they
+attempted to force an entrance.
+
+Besides the line-of-battle ships, the French had three frigates placed
+as an advanced guard in front of the other lines, and close to the boom.
+This boom was, as has been said, composed of a great number of spars
+lashed together and floated by large buoys, and was secured in its
+position by huge anchors and cables of great thickness.  The boom was in
+the shape of an obtuse angle, the apex facing out, so that, a vessel
+striking it would glance off either on one side or the other.
+
+The object to be attained was, first to force the boom with the
+explosion vessels, so as to allow an entrance for the fireships.  By
+means of these fire-ships it was believed that the whole French squadron
+might be destroyed.
+
+The "Scorpion" lay near the "Imperious," and Lord Claymore invited
+Ronald to accompany him one night to reconnoitre the enemy's position.
+
+Ronald had been dining with Lord Claymore.  Soon after it was dark they
+left the frigate in the captain's gig, and pulled with muffled oars
+towards the boom.  The night was very dark, but the lights on board the
+enemy's ships could be clearly made out.  They enabled Morton, who had
+taken the helm, to steer a right course.  The object to be guarded
+against was falling in with any of the French boats which would be very
+likely rowing guard.  A midshipman with a sharp pair of eyes was placed
+in the bows to give instant notice of the appearance of any other boat.
+It was supposed that, to a certainty, the French would have guard-boats
+on the watch near their boom, and the danger to be apprehended was
+coming suddenly upon them.  However, the gig was a remarkably fast boat,
+and Morton hoped that they might easily escape if pursued.  Of course
+his companion had no doubt about it, or he would not have run the risk,
+seeing that so much depended on his superintendence of the undertaking
+in hand.  Except the rush of the tide as it swept by, a perfect silence
+reigned on the waters.
+
+"How calm and solemn is the night?" thought Ronald.  "How different will
+be to-morrow, when all this space will be full of burning ships, and the
+roar of guns and shrieks of dismay and agony will rend the air!"
+
+At length the boom was reached: they now spoke in low whispers.  Lord
+Claymore pointed out a frigate close to on the other side of it.
+
+"This must be our point of attack," he observed; "we'll break the boom
+and then set fire to that frigate.  She will cut her cables to escape
+her doom, and will carry consternation and confusion among the ships
+astern."
+
+"The plan must succeed if all hands do their duty," answered Ronald.
+
+"That is the point," said Lord Claymore somewhat bitterly.  "Many of
+those to be employed are untried.  I wish that I could trust all as I do
+you.  We'll pull along by the boom a little further, and then make the
+best of our way on board."
+
+The gig had not proceeded fifty fathoms when a voice hailed, "Qui va
+la?"
+
+"Round with the boat, Morton.  Pull up your larboard oars, lads,"
+whispered the captain.
+
+Again a Frenchman hailed, and immediately afterwards a bullet came
+whizzing close to them.  The gig's crew required no urging to bend to
+their oars.  They must have been seen, for a whole volley followed them.
+They were not at first pursued, and it was evident that the French
+boats were at the inner side of the boom.
+
+The shot continued to fall thickly round them, but no one was hit.  At
+last they got beyond the range of fire.
+
+"Avast pulling!" cried Lord Claymore.
+
+The sound of oars was heard on either hand.  It would be impossible to
+fight the enemy with any hope of success.  Plight was their only
+resource.  Morton steered for the frigate.  The enemy's boats continued
+to come after them.  Morton kept a look-out for the frigate's light.
+The Frenchmen saw at length that the pursuit was useless, and gave it
+up.  No sooner was this ascertained than Lord Claymore began to talk on
+various subjects with as much composure as if they had not just narrowly
+escaped losing their lives or liberty.
+
+A strong leading wind was required to execute the project.  It came at
+last.  In the afternoon the boats assembled round the various vessels
+destined for the undertaking, which then proceeded towards the stations
+allotted to them in readiness for the night, when their operations were
+to commence.
+
+It was a solemn time even for the thoughtless, and highly exciting to
+the most phlegmatic.  To many the undertaking appeared desperate in the
+extreme, Ronald had unbounded confidence in the judgment and bravery of
+their leader.  He had himself volunteered to conduct one of the
+fire-ships.  Lord Claymore was to lead in the largest explosion vessel.
+
+Two gun-brigs were stationed at each end of the enemy's line, and within
+the distance of two miles.  They had lights hoisted to guide their
+friends, but screened from the enemy.  In the centre space between these
+two vessels the fire-ships were to be conducted.  The "Imperious" and
+three other frigates anchored about a gun-shot and a half from the boom
+to support the boats accompanying the fire-ships.  Five or six
+sloops-of-war and brigs were placed near the east end of the island to
+make a diversion, while a bomb-vessel and several small craft, supplied
+with rockets, took up their stations near the Boyart shoal.
+
+Under the veil of night the vessels took up their stations.  The wind,
+which was increasing, blew directly into the harbour.  In the centre of
+the space formed by the two light-vessels, the frigates, and the boom,
+were collected the fleet of fire-ships and the explosion vessels.
+
+The awful moment had arrived.  The terrific work of destruction was to
+begin.  The darkness was intense.  The two lights on either hand were
+the only guides on which those piloting the vessels had to depend.  The
+explosion vessels led the way, under all sail.  Morton stood at the helm
+of his fireship to guide her course, his heart beating as it had seldom
+beat before.  He was calm and collected, but fully impressed with the
+awful nature of the work in which he was engaged.  The darkness rendered
+the moment still more solemn.  He could not help feeling also that at
+any instant he and those with him might be launched into eternity.
+
+The train was laid, all was ready; a spark from one of the explosion
+vessels might ignite it suddenly.  He could not see live yards from
+where he stood.  The darkness was oppressive.  A single star in the sky
+above would have been a relief.  His ship proceeded under easy sail, to
+give time for the explosion vessels to produce the intended effect.  The
+eyes of all on board were on the watch for the awful event.  They could
+hear the people of the vessels on either side of them, but could not
+catch even an outline of their forms.  Thus the fleet of fire-ships
+glided on to their work of destruction.
+
+"The leading explosion vessel must be near the boom," observed Job
+Truefitt, who had accompanied him.  "Nothing can have gone amiss, I
+hope."
+
+"Not where he is, sir," answered Bob, confidently.  "See--there! there!"
+
+A terrific roar was heard.  Bright flames darted forth, seeming to reach
+the very sky, and illuminating the whole surrounding space hitherto
+shrouded in darkness.  In the centre the light fell on the fire-ships on
+either side, on the two light vessels with the high land and the forts
+behind them, while right ahead was the French fleet riding calmly at
+anchor.  Like some ocean volcano, the explosion vessel continued for a
+few moments sending upwards its sheets of flame, while missiles of every
+description were flying in showers around.
+
+Ronald trembled for the fate of his gallant friend.  Could he have had
+time to escape?
+
+Ronald's own turn was to come soon.  The fire which had been raging so
+furiously, ceased as rapidly as it had commenced, and all was again
+dark.  Not a minute had passed when a second volcano burst forth, and
+burnt like the first.
+
+"Now, lads, make sail!" shouted Ronald.
+
+The topsails were on the caps; they were hoisted and sheeted home; the
+courses were let fall, and Ronald steered his fire-ship directly for the
+spot where the first explosion had taken place.  He hoped the boom had
+been broken, but if not, he expected to be able to force a passage with
+his ship.  He fancied that he heard Lord Claymore hail as he passed.  He
+hoped that it was his voice.  The wind blew stronger and stronger.  On
+flew the fire-ship.  The boom was reached.  With a crash she forced her
+way through it.  She was bearing directly down for the French fleet.
+
+"To the boats!" shouted Ronald.
+
+The cry was repeated by the other officers with him.
+
+"Wait till I give the word to shove off, so that no one may be left
+behind.  To your stations, and fire the trains," he added.  He looked to
+ascertain that the helm was properly placed, and that the vessel was
+standing the right way.  The instant after small snake-like lines of
+fire was seen stealing along the decks.  Ronald sprang to the side, the
+deck, as he did so, seemed to lift beneath his feet.  He threw himself
+over the bulwarks, and slid down by a rope left there for the purpose,
+into the boat.
+
+"Shove off! shove off!" he shouted.
+
+The other officers were leaping into their respective boats.  He hoped
+that he was, as he intended to be, the last to leave the ship.  Flames
+were bursting forth on every side of the ship, and climbing up the
+masts; rockets were going off, and fiery missiles of all sorts were
+rising from the hold, and falling around in every direction.  Thus amply
+capable of fulfilling her mission of death and destruction, she bore
+down on the French ships.
+
+The boats shoved off, but one poor fellow was blown up before he reached
+the one to which he belonged, and his mangled form fell close to the
+captain's gig.
+
+The rockets, too, were flying in every direction, as many directing
+their course towards the retreating boats as towards the ships of the
+enemy.  No sooner, too, did the French perceive the nature of their
+approaching foe than they opened their fire on her, for the purpose of
+knocking away her masts, and altering the direction in which she was
+coming.  Their shot also fell thickly round the boats.
+
+The lights from his fire-ship showed Morton several others approaching
+the spot; and now the flames burst forth rapidly from one after the
+other; the distance at which they were ignited showing in a certain
+degree the amount of courage and judgment possessed by those who
+commanded them.  Some were close to the boom, others were a mile, and
+others nearly two miles further off.  On drove the fiery masses, like
+huge monsters of destruction, independent of human control.
+
+Every object, far and near, was now lighted up by their flames.  On, on
+they went, carrying havoc, terror, and confusion wherever they went;
+their loud explosions, added to the roar of the guns, which opened on
+them from the whole French squadron, increasing the awfulness of the
+scene.  The enemy soon saw that their firing was in vain: even their
+boats failed to tow aside the fiery masses borne down on them by the
+gale.  One after the other they cut their cables, and attempted to run
+up the harbour; but in the darkness and confusion, aided by terror at
+their approaching foes, they ran on shore, some on one side, some on the
+other; some were already grappled by the flaming ships, which literally
+covered them with showers of fire, while all the time the roar of the
+guns sounded as if a general action was taking place.  Most of the
+fire-ships had got inside the boom, but Morton saw that one only just
+beginning to burn would miss it.
+
+"Now, my lads, we'll get hold of her, and tow her down on the
+Frenchmen!" he exclaimed.
+
+"Ay, ay, sir! we're all ready," was the answer.
+
+On they dashed towards the flaming mass.  They got hold of the burning
+vessel, and towed her up towards the now retreating French ships.
+
+Ronald saw Lord Claymore similarly engaged with another fire-ship.
+While they were pulling on one of the French frigates made sail, and
+passed to windward of them.  As she did so she discharged her broadside
+into the two fire-ships, but the boats escaped without damage.
+
+They were, however, compelled to let go, and allow the fire-ships to
+proceed on their course alone.
+
+"Well done, Morton, those craft are performing their duty admirably!" he
+shouted.  "It is time, however, to be out of this; we can do no more at
+present, I fear."
+
+Morton's own boats and others had joined with Lord Claymore's.  There
+was no difficulty now in seeing their way; the fire-ships gave them
+light enough.  The explosions and the cannonading had much lulled the
+wind; the boats which had ventured inside the boom had again nearly
+reached it, when one of the enemy, which had driven on shore, was seen
+to be grappled by a fire-ship.  In vain the Frenchmen strove to free
+themselves; their burning enemy held them in her deadly embrace till
+their ship was set on fire in several places; not till then did the
+fire-ship drift on, leaving them to their fate.  They were lowering some
+of their boats, but most of them had been destroyed.  It was too clear
+that numbers of the hapless crew must fall victims to the flames.
+
+"They are no longer enemies--we'll try and save them," shouted Morton.
+
+His proposal met with a ready response from the officers and crews of
+the other boats, and in spite of the shot from the heated guns of the
+burning ship, away they dashed to the rescue of the Frenchmen.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR.
+
+EDDA IN GERARDIN'S POWER--THE FRIGATE STEERS FOR ROCHELLE--CAPTAIN
+TACON--PEDRO ALTAREZ AND FATHER MENDEZ--TACON BETRAYS LORD CLAYMORE'S
+PLANS.
+
+When Edda Armytage discovered by whom the brig had been captured, her
+dread of the consequences, added to the grief and terror she had been
+experiencing, overcame her, and she fainted.  When she returned to
+consciousness she found herself on a sofa in a handsome well-furnished
+cabin; her mother was tenderly watching by her side, and her father was
+walking up and down making observations partly to himself and partly to
+his wife.
+
+"Yes, it is provoking to be captured just as we were reaching England, I
+own that," he observed.  "How long we may be detained it is impossible
+to say.  Yet things might be much worse.  For the first lieutenant of
+the ship I have a great regard.  You never appreciated him properly,
+Edda.  Is that poor daughter of ours likely to come round soon?  I must
+beg the surgeon of the ship to see her.  Oh, well, if you think there is
+no danger perhaps she is better as she is.  Now, with regard to this
+young officer, I take a deep interest in him.  His history is, I
+confess, a mystery, but I hope to have the means of clearing it up.
+You, of all people, ought to take an interest in him.  How constant and
+devoted he is to our daughter: from the first time he met her at
+Calcutta he admired her: nothing could be more tender or delicate than
+were his attentions to her when we were in his power.  She has since
+made him the most ungrateful return.  Her coldness, and the scornful way
+in which she treated him, was enough to drive any man away unless he was
+truly and sincerely attached.  You tell me she does not and cannot love
+him.  All nonsense.  It is a daughter's duty to set her affections where
+her father desires.  I have my reasons.  That is sufficient.  You speak
+of that young English lieutenant.  He is a fine-looking fellow--granted.
+But what else is he?  The son of a boatswain--not holding the rank of a
+gentleman.  He has himself risen from before the mast.  He is said to be
+held in estimation in his own service--granted; but he certainly,
+according to my idea, showed the white feather in that duel affair with
+young Maguire."
+
+"But, Colonel Armytage, surely you do not forget that this Monsieur
+Gerardin was among those who made that dreadful attack on us in Spain--
+that he certainly attempted to carry off Edda, and would have succeeded
+had it not been for Mr Morton's gallantry."
+
+Mrs Armytage had seldom ventured to differ so strongly with her
+husband.
+
+"I have always doubted whether it was Gerardin who figured on that
+occasion," he answered.  "Morton, of course, is ready to suppose so, and
+you and Edda were too frightened, I suspect, to know what happened.
+Appearances are deceptive; I did not recognise him, and depend on it he
+will be able to assure us that he was not there."
+
+The lady after this dared not reply.
+
+Colonel Armytage was in an excessively amiable mood.  He was altogether
+not so much displeased at having been taken prisoner, for he anticipated
+very little satisfaction on his arrival in England.  He had left it with
+an accumulation of debts, and he felt very sure that his creditors would
+give him no rest when they heard of his return.  On the other hand he
+could live cheaply in France; the climate suited him; and he concluded
+that though he might be detained as a prisoner, he should be able to
+select his residence.  But what pleased him most was the having fallen
+into the hands of his old acquaintance, Captain Gerardin, and his son,
+who, from his previous acquaintance with them, he was certain would do
+all in their power to make his position as agreeable as they could.
+
+Edda had overheard the latter remarks made by her father.  They did not
+contribute to afford her comfort, although they had the effect of
+arousing her attention.  She kept her eyes shut, however, that she might
+have time to collect her thoughts.  She soon comprehended very clearly
+what had happened, and remembering the counsel given her by Mrs
+Edmonstone, she resolved to treat the young foreigner with the same
+coldness which she had exhibited towards him at Calcutta.  She forgot
+one very important point--their positions had been changed.  He was then
+a prisoner--she was one now.  At length, when her mother bent fondly
+over her with an expression of deep anxiety at her protracted fit, she
+could no longer resist opening her eyes to assure her that she was
+recovering.
+
+A short time after this, a knock was heard at the door of the cabin, and
+the captain of the frigate entered.  He said that he came to take the
+commands of his passengers as to the hour they would prefer having their
+meals.  He was most anxious that they should enjoy every accommodation
+his ship could afford.  He had not forgotten their kindness; and if they
+were destined to be made prisoners he was too happy to be their captor
+that he might prove to them his gratitude.
+
+Though Captain Gerardin's countenance was sufficiently battered and
+weather-worn, there was an honest, good-natured expression about it
+which made Mrs Armytage feel far more confidence in his expressions
+than in those of his son.
+
+It was not till the next day that Edda could be persuaded to go on deck;
+the sea was smooth, and the air soft and balmy, and she could not help
+looking out on the blue ocean which she had learned to love so much.
+Alfonse Gerardin only occasionally approached her.  When he did so his
+manner was so gentle and courteous that she could not help acknowledging
+to herself that she had no reason to complain of him.  Captain Gerardin
+was good-natured and hearty, and laughed and talked with her and her
+father and mother with well-bred ease and freedom.
+
+The frigate, he told them, was attached to a squadron now at anchor near
+Rochelle, and that she was now on her way back to rejoin it.
+
+The next morning land was seen ahead, and soon afterwards the frigate
+came up with a small lateen-rigged craft standing the same way.  Captain
+Gerardin hailed, and asked where she was bound?  In return, a person who
+said he was the captain, replied that he was in search of a French
+squadron which would soon be ready to sail, and that he had very
+important information to communicate.
+
+"We will heave-to, and you can come on board," answered the captain of
+the French frigate.
+
+In a short time a boat was launched from the deck of the little felucca,
+and pulled towards the frigate.  She was soon alongside, and a tall thin
+old man made his appearance on deck.  Captain Gerardin scrutinised him
+severely, and he stared at the captain in return.
+
+"We have met before, my friend, if I mistake not," exclaimed the former.
+"I see before me Don Annibal Tacon."
+
+"The same, though changed, I suspect, since we last parted," said
+Captain Tacon.  "And I may venture to say that I behold one with whom I
+have exchanged some hard knocks, but love not the worse, and whom I once
+knew as Pedro Alvarez; though from the flag under which you serve I
+presume you have changed your name as well as your nation."
+
+"You are right, friend Tacon," answered the captain.  "What is more, you
+are the very man for whom I have been long searching; but let me have
+your information first, and then I will tell you the reason why I have
+been anxious to find you."
+
+"It will take some time," answered the old pirate.  "If you like to make
+sail, I will order the felucca to stand on in your wake."
+
+"No; but direct her to stand on under our lee," said the captain.  "Your
+people may be very honest and faithful, but they may take it into their
+heads to run away, and leave you with us.  It is well to be cautious
+with such gentry."
+
+Captain Tacon was profuse in his thanks.  "Certainly, rogues like mine
+do require to be watched," he remarked.  "Ah, as I have always thought,
+honesty is the best policy, but somehow or other I never could manage to
+adhere to it.  But before you make sail I may as well bring some
+passengers I have on board here.  They are rather unwilling passengers,
+I own; I might call them prisoners, for they are Spaniards, enemies to
+France--an old man, a marquis and his daughter, and a priest.  I took
+them out of a vessel bound for Cadiz; and as I did not know how to
+dispose of her, after removing every thing of value, I scuttled her."
+
+"But what did you do with her crew?" asked the captain of the frigate.
+"Let them go down in her," answered Tacon coolly.  "I thought it would
+show my other prisoners that I was not a man to be trifled with."
+
+"By all means let them come on board here," said the captain of the
+frigate, anxious to get the prisoners out of the power of such a
+ruffian.  "I will send an officer and a boat to conduct them."
+
+A boat was lowered; one of the lieutenants jumped into it, and soon
+returned from the felucca with the persons Tacon had described.  They
+were helped up the frigate's side, and the old man advanced, with his
+daughter leaning on his arm, and followed by the priest, who, though
+concealed by those in front, was, by peering out on one side, able to
+take a steady survey of the officers on the quarter-deck.
+
+The captain received the marquis and his daughter with great politeness.
+
+"We have already ladies on board, and I hope mademoiselle will have no
+cause to complain of her treatment while on board the ship, though our
+accommodation is somewhat limited."
+
+Mrs Armytage and Edda signed to the young lady to come to them, and she
+advanced at once, glad to find herself in the society of some of her own
+sex, whose countenances showed that they were worthy of her confidence.
+
+The marquis stood alone, and the old priest was seen behind him.
+
+No sooner did the eyes of the captain fall on him than he exclaimed,
+"What!  Father Mendez is it you still on this side the grave?  I meet
+you very opportunely, for of all people you were the one I desired to
+see.  What! do you not recollect your old shipmate?"
+
+"Perfectly," answered the priest in a low tone; "but I should have
+thought, Pedro Alvarez, that I was the person of all others you would
+have been most desirous of avoiding--I, who am cognisant of your crimes,
+of the sacrilege you have committed, of your traitorous conduct--you, an
+outcast from the bosom of our Holy Mother Church--even now I find you in
+command of a ship belonging to the enemies of our country.  If I speak,
+it must be to pronounce the curse of our Holy Church and of Heaven on
+your head."
+
+"Hold, father! you are going ahead too fast," exclaimed the old seaman,
+bluntly; "I have braved the curses of your Church too long to care for
+them; those of Heaven--Heaven alone can pronounce or inflict; but call
+not one a traitor who was unjustly driven from his country, and has
+never ceased to love her.  However, you are an ancient comrade, and as
+such have the privilege of speaking freely.  I wish to be on friendly
+terms with you and every human being.  I am never happier with the
+feeling that I have made an enemy.  But, as I was saving, I rejoice to
+meet you, for you can render me a service which will enable me to
+accomplish an object which has been nearer my heart than any other in
+the world."
+
+The English prisoners, as well as the marquis and his daughter, were
+near.
+
+"Yes, I will confess to you, my friends," he added, addressing them: "I
+am not a Frenchman by birth, but a Spaniard--Pedro Alvarez by name, as
+Father Mendez called me.  With your wife's family, as I told you,
+Colonel Armytage, I am well acquainted.  For many months I have resided
+in Shetland."
+
+The marquis started, and cast an inquiring look at the captain's
+countenance.
+
+"Circumstances occurred there of which Father Mendez is cognisant.  We
+will speak of them by-and-by.  My ship was wrecked, and my captain and
+all his crew perished.  I was the only officer saved.  On my return to
+Spain I was accused of heresy, and an officer of the Inquisition was
+sent to apprehend me.  Perhaps the Marquis de Medea may know something
+about that.  In self-defence I was compelled to slay the alguizal.  I
+knew that the vengeance of the Inquisitors would follow me, and I
+escaped on board a ship-of-war which I had been appointed to command.  I
+at length left her, and so managed that my officers believed me to be
+dead, and on their return home reported accordingly that such was the
+case.  I wandered about in many parts of the world till the French
+Republic was established, and then I entered the naval service of
+France, and for convenience' sake changed my name.  For long I continued
+in it and served France faithfully, but an event occurred which
+compelled me for a time to quit it.  I went to India, and for several
+years I remained in the eastern seas in command of a privateer, and
+having made some money in her, I returned to Europe, when I received the
+command of this frigate.  Such has been my career.  There is no great
+mystery in it, but it was necessary that I should give an account of it,
+lest any present should consider me a monster in human shape, and guilty
+of all the crimes of which the father accuses me."
+
+The marquis, who had been anxiously watching the captain's countenance,
+breathed more freely when he ceased speaking.  "Certainly, my friend, I
+think that you have every excuse for your conduct," he exclaimed,
+offering his hand to the captain, who did not seem very anxious to
+accept it.  "I for one shall be happy to welcome you back to Spain when
+peace is restored, and as the Inquisition has been abolished you need
+have no fear on that account.  My friend, Father Mendez, will, I am
+sure, also retract his disparaging expressions he has applied to you.
+He must acknowledge that they are unjust--not such as you deserve.
+Come, father, say that you regret having spoken so harshly of the worthy
+officer."
+
+But the father shook his head without speaking.
+
+"It matters little," said the captain.  "He laughs who wins.  Perhaps
+when all the details are filled up, some of my very worthy friends may
+not be so well pleased."
+
+He looked significantly at the marquis.  At that moment Alfonse Gerardin
+crossed the quarter-deck.  The marquis looked at him and started.
+
+"Who is that young man?" he asked, in an agitated tone.
+
+"One of the officers of my ship, as you see by his uniform," answered
+the captain, carelessly.
+
+"A sail on the larboard beam!" sung out a man from the mast-head.  Soon
+afterwards the cry was heard that there were three, four, five sail--a
+whole fleet of ships in sight.  The captain went aloft, and so did
+several of the officers, to examine the strangers with their glasses.
+On their return on deck, they pronounced them to be English, but the
+greater number of the ships were well on the frigate's quarter.
+
+"As soon as we are seen they will give chase, but we must do our utmost
+to get under the batteries of Aix before they reach us.  We have a good
+excuse for running away."
+
+More sail was set on the frigate.  It was a question, however, whether
+she could reach the shelter which was sought for, in time.  Several of
+the English ships were seen making sail in chase.
+
+Edda Armytage looked out eagerly towards them.  She at all events had no
+wish to remain a prisoner.  Some wild hopes, too, rose in her heart as
+she understood that the pursuing ships were frigates.
+
+"They will not overtake us, young lady," said the captain, who observed
+the nature of her thoughts.  "I would rather, too, that you did not
+indulge in the wish, for I cannot bear to see you disappointed."
+
+"Thank you for your kindness, but it is but natural that I should wish
+to be free," she answered, endeavouring to smile.
+
+She fancied, by the countenances of some of the other officers, that
+they had not the same confidence as the captain.  She observed the point
+for which the French frigate was steering, and it appeared to her that
+the English ships were just as near.  This gave her hopes.  Still she
+was afraid that the French would fight, and that there would be a
+desperate struggle before they allowed their ship to be captured.  She
+was not aware that the French frigate was to windward of Rochelle, and
+that the English were some way to leeward, which gave the advantage to
+the former.  The ships were, however, rapidly approaching each other.
+She saw, indeed, that even the captain thought that there might possibly
+be a fight, for the guns were being cast loose, and powder and shot were
+brought up on deck.
+
+So much engaged had everybody been in observing the movements of the
+English fleet on the larboard beam, that no one had been watching the
+proceedings of the little felucca which had been on the other side.  A
+loud oath from the lips of Don Tacon gave them notice that something was
+wrong, and looking out over the starboard bulwarks she was seen close
+hauled under all sail, standing away to the southward.  The old man
+walked up and down the deck, throwing furious glances at her, while he
+stamped and swore, and tore his hair.
+
+"The rogues, the villains, the scoundrels, to desert me thus!" he
+exclaimed.  "To take advantage of me when they saw that I could not
+pursue them.  Who is one to trust in this world?  My curses go with you,
+you knaves!" he shouted, shaking his fist at the far-distant vessel.
+"Ha! it is some satisfaction to know that none of you know anything of
+navigation, and that you will cast yourselves away to a certainty.  May
+every one of you be food for the fish before many days are over!"
+
+No one pitied the old pirate, and he was allowed to rave on without
+interference.
+
+The frigate tore through the water--the breeze was freshening.  This was
+all in her favour.  Still the British ships were coming up fast; the
+leading frigate began to fire her bow chasers, but the shot fell short.
+She waited for some time.  One fortunate shot, and the Frenchman would
+be her prize.  The forts on the island of Oleron could now be seen
+clearly with the naked eye.  The English frigate drew still nearer.
+Captain Gerardin judged that she was nearly within gunshot.  "Ladies,
+this quarter-deck is no longer a place for you," he said, addressing
+Edda and her mother, and the Spanish young lady.  "I regret to drive you
+from it, but I must use the authority of a captain, and order you
+below."
+
+Mrs Armytage and her daughter saw that he was in earnest, and prepared
+to obey.  A shot which whistled close over the quarter showed the wisdom
+of his order.
+
+"Oh, but my father--my father! will he not come?" exclaimed the daughter
+of the marquis in the most bitter anguish.
+
+"Your father will do as he thinks fit, Donna Julia," said the captain.
+"I only exert my influence where ladies are concerned.  Spain is at
+present united to England.  He cannot be called on to fight."
+
+"And you, Captain Alvarez, you are a Spaniard.  Why unite with the
+enemies of Spain?"
+
+"Spain disinherited me," he answered, turning away.  "But, ladies,
+hasten below, there is no time to be lost."
+
+Another shot came whistling by, and cut short all further conversation.
+
+The captain now ordered a couple of long brass guns to be run out aft to
+return the compliment the English were paying him.  They were served
+well, and the nearer the enemy approached, the more effective they
+became.  At length a shot struck the taffrail, and glancing along the
+bulwarks, sent the splinters flying about the deck.  The marquis turned
+pale.
+
+"It is my duty to go and look after the safety of my daughter," he
+observed, diving rapidly below.
+
+"I am not a belligerent, and if I am wounded I cannot attend to the
+spiritual affaire of the dying," said Father Mendez, following his
+patron.
+
+"It matters little what becomes of me, since all my worldly possessions
+are on board the craft those scoundrels are carrying off," remarked Don
+Tacon, as he sulkily walked the deck.
+
+Colonel Armytage kept his post on the deck, eyeing the English ships.
+
+"It would be wiser for you, sir, to go below," said the captain.  "We
+shall be hotly engaged soon, and there is no reason why you should
+expose your life."
+
+"I have never avoided danger in whatever form it has presented itself,"
+answered the colonel, haughtily.  "I do not feel disposed to show on the
+present occasion that I have a faint heart."
+
+"As you like, colonel," said the captain, shrugging his shoulders.  "It
+is an odd fancy some men have for making targets of their heads."
+
+The shots now came with greater rapidity on board the frigate.  Her
+sails had several holes in them, and some of her standing as well as of
+her running rigging had been cut away.  Still, only one of the chasing
+ships was near enough to fire, but the other two were coming up fast.
+The brave captain looked at his foes, and then at the friendly forts.
+
+"We shall soon escape from them," he observed to his lieutenant.  "But
+one of these shots may any moment cut short my career.  Should I fall,
+fight the ship to the last.  And, Alfonse, remember--Colonel Armytage
+and Father Mendez know all."
+
+The French frigate was drawing in closer and closer to the fort.
+Suddenly one of the guns from it sent a shot flying past her towards her
+enemy.  Several followed.  The French garrison had got the range.
+Still, the Englishman did not give up the pursuit.  A fortunate shot
+might enable him to bring the enemy to closer action.  At length,
+however, a shot from the fort carried away his foretop-gallant-mast,
+another might do still further damage; and as it would have been extreme
+rashness to continue the pursuit further, he hauled his wind and made
+the best of his way out of the range of the guns of the forts, while the
+French frigate came to an anchor safe under their shelter near several
+line-of-battle ships and frigates.
+
+No sooner had the sails been furled than Captain Tacon came aft, and
+begged at once to be taken to the admiral.
+
+"I told you that I was coming to give important information," he said
+coolly.  "I prefer giving it to the admiral, who has the power to reward
+me as I deserve."
+
+The captain had nothing whatever to say against this, and accordingly
+conducted him on board the flag-ship.  The old pirate then gave the
+information that the English had resolved to attempt the destruction of
+the French fleet by fire-ships; and, as a proof, exhibited the plan
+which he had abstracted from Lord Claymore's cabin.
+
+"I will consider the information you have brought me, and judge of the
+probability of its correctness," answered the admiral.  "You shall,
+according as it is found to be correct, receive your reward.  Take him
+on board again, Captain Gerardin, and see that he does not escape.  He
+will probably be equally ready to inform the British government, if he
+has the opportunity, of what we are about."
+
+Tacon looked not over well pleased; he well knew that expostulation
+would be useless.
+
+"The fates are against me, and I am truly an unfortunate and
+much-to-be-pitied man," he muttered, as he was led away.
+
+Captain Gerardin took him back on board the frigate, and, to prevent the
+possibility of his escaping, put him into irons.  "A hard necessity,
+friend Tacon," he remarked; "but necessity often compels us to perform
+unpleasant acts."
+
+"Ah, yes, it is my unfortunate fate!  I am truly much to be
+commiserated," answered the old pirate.  "Now there is the marquis, up
+there, in your cabin.  He is a much greater scoundrel than I am, and yet
+rank and wealth are his lot."
+
+"Oh, we have a bonne-bouche prepared for him, which he may not relish
+much more than you do those manacles on your legs," remarked the
+captain, as he left the worthy Tacon to his solitary reflections.
+
+The French admiral, meantime, paid much more attention to the
+information he had received than he was willing to acknowledge he should
+do.  It corroborated what he had received from other quarters, and he
+instantly issued orders to prepare for the expected attack.  Lord
+Gambier's squadron had for some time been cruising off the coast, and it
+was considered a wonder that Captain Gerardin's frigate had got safe
+into harbour.
+
+Meantime the prisoners, for so they were, though treated more as friends
+and passengers, were detained on board.  The preparations for the attack
+were concluded, and the French were convinced that it could not succeed.
+It was now the common subject of conversation; and Edda heard that Lord
+Claymore was about to take an active part in the operation, and, of
+course, supposing that Ronald Morton was still with him, she felt sure
+that he would likewise be engaged, and would be foremost wherever danger
+was to be encountered.  Never had she passed a time of suspense so
+painful.  It was shared, however, in a great degree, by her mother and
+by Donna Julia.
+
+She was becoming much interested in the young Spanish girl, though she
+could not entirely make out her character.  At all events she was
+warm-hearted and enthusiastic, but though gentle in her manners, she
+seemed more inclined to resent an injury than to forgive it.  Still she
+was very different to her father, for whom Edda had conceived a great
+dislike.  No one, indeed, liked him.  Her father kept studiously aloof
+from his society, and even Father Mendez rarely or never spoke to him.
+Edda's chief annoyance arose from the attentions paid her by Alfonse
+Gerardin; they had become more frequent, and he was far more confident
+in his manner than he had ever before been.  How to treat him under the
+present circumstances she could not tell.  The cabin was no sanctuary to
+her.  He entered it at all times with perfect freedom, and evidently
+with the captain's sanction.
+
+One day, believing that he was on duty on deck, where the rest of the
+party were assembled, she remained in the cabin to read.  She was seated
+on a sofa, and had succeeded in fixing her attention on the book, when
+the door opened, and on looking up she saw Lieutenant Gerardin
+approaching her.  She let her eyes again drop on the page before her,
+but not a word could she read.  He sat down by her side, and before she
+was aware of it had grasped her hand.
+
+"Hear me, Edda!" he exclaimed with vehemence.  "I can exist no longer in
+the state of uncertainty I have endured for so many years.  From the
+first moment I saw you, I loved you.  You know it.  My love was sincere,
+faithful, disinterested.  I am not a mere adventurer, as you may
+suppose.  My birth is equal, if not superior, to yours.  Rank and wealth
+will be mine.  All I offer to lay at your feet.  You doubt my words.
+The means of proving my claims have only lately, in the most wonderful
+way, been placed in the power of my guardian and protector, Pedro
+Alvarez, whom you know as Pierre Gerardin, the captain of the ship.  Let
+me have the satisfaction of telling you, dear Edda, that I am your
+cousin, the long-lost son of Donna Hilda Escalante."
+
+Edda looked incredulously in his face, and endeavoured to withdraw her
+hand; she suspected that he had by some means become acquainted with her
+family history, and having concocted a story, was practising on her
+simplicity.
+
+"I tell you the solemn truth.  Why do you doubt me," he exclaimed,
+almost fiercely.  "You have surely often heard how a child was carried
+away by pirates from Lunnasting, and that no tidings had ever been
+gained of him.  I was that child.  The chief of the band, Tacon, is a
+prisoner on board this ship.  For the sake of obtaining his liberty, he
+will be ready to acknowledge his part in the transaction.  I was rescued
+from his power by my father's faithful lieutenant, and my constant
+friend and guardian, Pedro Alvarez.  He had no means of getting to
+Shetland, nor could he return to Spain.  After wandering about in many
+parts of the world, taking me with him, he repaired to France, then at
+war with England.  He sent to Shetland, and from the answer he received,
+he believed that my mother was dead.  He fancied that, even should he be
+able to get there, my claims would not be acknowledged, and he
+determined, therefore, till peace was restored, not to make the attempt.
+My father, as you may have heard, would have succeeded to the title of
+the Marquis de Medea and to a magnificent estate.  On his death the
+inheritance became mine; but without proofs of my birth, Pedro Alvarez
+himself being unable to return to Spain, how could he hope to succeed in
+obtaining for me my rights?  He had carefully abstained from telling me
+the secret of my birth, and I fully believed that I was his son.  I have
+been brought up as a Frenchman, and as a Frenchman I have always felt
+and acted.  To support the honour and glory of our great emperor has
+always been my ambition and aim; though he may meet with reverses, he
+must succeed in the end--I am sure of that as I am of my own existence.
+Spain, which has foolishly abandoned him, will again be brought under
+his power, and through his means I feel sure that I shall some day
+obtain my father's inheritance.  You look incredulous, lady.  Proud
+England, too, will be humbled, and France, and all who adhere to her,
+will be triumphant.  Those glorious days, when France will rule the
+world, will soon arrive, sweet Edda; and I ask you to share with one who
+loves you with devotion and tenderness unsurpassed, the wealth and rank
+which will then be his."
+
+"I thank you, Monsieur Gerardin, from my heart, I do, for your
+sentiments towards me," she answered, in a gentle tone.  "But be assured
+that I cannot return them.  To be frank with you, my heart is given to
+another.  To you I can only be a cousin, a friend, and well-wisher.  You
+will, I feel sure, find many girls whose hearts are disengaged, who will
+love you for yourself, and not for the wealth and rank which I hope may
+be yours."
+
+"My friend and well-wisher!" he exclaimed, starting up and walking about
+the cabin.  "Those are cold words to address to one who loves you as I
+have done.  You tell me that you love another.  He shall pay the penalty
+of interfering with me.  I knew that he was my rival.  He has escaped me
+often, but the next time we meet we will not part till one has fallen."
+
+He continued pacing up and down before her; and stamping furiously on
+the deck, he exclaimed--"Thus will I trample all my enemies under my
+feet!  Ay, little does that usurping kinsman of mine dream what I
+prepared for him.  I have him in my power, and I will take good care to
+exercise that power.  He lives on under the belief that he is the owner
+of broad lands and wealth unbounded, and it is a pleasure to watch him
+as he paces the deck, and to know that I, all the time, am the true
+marquis, and that he is the impostor.  Ah, cousin Edda! you supposed me
+a quiet, gentlemanly young lieutenant of marine.  You now know who I am
+and what I am.  I am one not to be trifled with--not to be opposed with
+impunity.  You would have thought me a person of importance if I were
+simply the inheritor of the castle and the estates of Lunnasting--those
+estates which would have been yours had I not appeared.  Without them,
+remember, you will be reduced to poverty--the most complete poverty--
+your father confesses as much.  Let that weigh with you.  Your love I
+shall gain ere long.  I fear not on that point.  Come, cousin, be mine--
+be mine.  Neither heaven nor earth shall keep you from me!"
+
+He rushed towards her and endeavoured to grasp her hand.  She shrunk
+from him with dread, for there was a glare in his eye, and a wildness in
+his look which suggested the horrible idea that he was attacked with
+insanity.  She looked round with the intention of escaping from the
+cabin, when the door opened and Donna Julia entered.  Hernan was calm in
+an instant, and bowing to the Spanish lady, he said in English--"Cousin,
+soothe that poor girl.  The blow that I have to strike will be terrible
+indeed to her."
+
+He disappeared as he spoke.  He hurried on deck.  His great anxiety was
+now to bring the marquis, Tacon, Father Mendez, and Pedro Alvarez
+together before Colonel Armytage, that the whole chain of evidence might
+be clearly exhibited to him.  He was about to propose this to the
+captain, when a gun was fired from the flag-ship, and the signal was
+seen flying for the first lieutenants and four boats from every ship to
+come alongside.
+
+Hernan hurried off in obedience to orders.  When he got on board the
+flag-ship he found that a number of vessels which had been seen joining
+the English fleet, then at anchor about six miles off, were supposed to
+be fire-ships, and that an immediate attack from them was apprehended.
+
+The fleet of boats was to be on the watch near the boom, to attack any
+English boats which might approach, or to tow the fire-ships clear of
+the men-of-war.
+
+The night was of pitchy darkness when the flotilla of French boats
+started on their perilous expedition.  Long they watched, every moment
+expecting to see the flames from the fire-ships bursting forth close to
+them, or to be engaged in a deadly conflict with the English boats.
+
+"Hark!" said Hernan to the midshipman by his side; "I hear the sound of
+oars.  Ah, there is a boat!  What boat is that?" he asked, in a loud
+voice.
+
+Little did he dream who was in that boat, that his hated rival was
+almost within his power.  The French boats gave chase.  There could be
+but little doubt that the English boat had been in the midst of them.
+Many a loud oath was sent after her, but she flew faster than they or
+their oaths, and the flotilla returned discomfited to their stations at
+the boom.  Thus the night passed away.  The general opinion was, that
+after all they had little to fear from the threatened fire-ships.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE.
+
+THE FRIGATE ATTEMPTS TO ESCAPE FROM THE FIRE-SHIP--THE BURNING FRIGATE--
+DANGER OF THE PASSENGERS--ESCAPE FROM THE BURNING SHIP--ON BOARD THE
+"SCORPION"--LORD CLAYMORE ILL SUPPORTED--THE "SCORPION" SENT TO THE
+NORTH SEA.
+
+The night passed off without any attack on the French fleet from the
+British fire-ships.  Pedro Alvarez, or rather Captain Gerardin, offered
+to land Colonel Armytage on his parole with his family and Donna Julia,
+so that they might remain in a place of safety in case of threatened
+danger; but the colonel, with his characteristic obstinacy, declined the
+favour, saying that he felt himself in perfect safety on board the
+frigate.  It must be said that the general opinion among the French
+officers was, that the English would not attack them, while he,
+accustomed to hold the navy somewhat in contempt, persuaded himself that
+they would not dare to make the attempt.
+
+The evening had passed much as others had done.  Edda enjoyed it the
+more that Hernan was absent.  The captain, as he had been accustomed,
+brought his guitar into the cabin, and played and sang a number of
+Spanish airs, and persuaded Donna Julia to do the same.  Father Mendez,
+as he well could when he had the will, made himself very agreeable by
+describing many places he had visited, and narrating a number of
+anecdotes.  Even Colonel Armytage entered freely into conversation, and
+he and Father Mendez soon became on very friendly terms.  The marquis
+was the only person who was in ill temper.  He sat aloof from the rest
+of the party, and refused all invitations to join in the conversation.
+The truth was, he had begun to suspect that Pedro Alvarez and Father
+Mendez were plotting against him.  He felt himself in the power of
+Tacon, whom he knew would give them all the information they required,
+while he looked with a suspicious eye on the young lieutenant, whose
+likeness to Don Hernan Escalante had forcibly struck him.  His daughter
+only fancied that he was unhappy at being a prisoner; but as she was in
+very pleasant society, and was treated with all courtesy and kindness,
+she had no cause to complain.
+
+Some of the other officers of the ship came in, cards were introduced,
+and the marquis was tempted to play.  Colonel Armytage joined him.  It
+was a somewhat incongruous collection of people.  With music and
+conversation the evening passed rapidly away, and the party continued
+together till a much later hour than usual.
+
+The captain handed his guitar to Donna Julia with a gallant bow.
+
+"One more song, sweet lady," he said.  "It is seldom we seamen enjoy the
+delightful harmony you have afforded us this evening."
+
+Donna Julia took the instrument, and running her fingers over the cords
+commenced a low and plaintive air.  Her voice was sweet, but not strong,
+though it was sufficient to fill the cabin, and to rivet the attention
+of all present.  The air was sad and plaintive, and from the pathos with
+which she sung, it showed too clearly her own feelings.  It is wonderful
+how music unlocks the heart, and melts the long pent-up stream.  Not a
+sound but that sweet voice was heard.  The seamen on their watch
+overhead stopped in their walk to listen to strains so unusual.
+Suddenly a roar, more terrific than the bursting of a volcano, was
+heard, followed by shrieks, and groans, and cries; a bright light was
+seen glancing over the water through the stern ports; the ship shook
+from her keel.  The guitar fell from Donna Julia's hands.  Mrs Armytage
+grasped her daughter's arm, expecting something more dreadful to follow,
+and believing that the ship was about to blow up.  The gentlemen started
+to their feet; the officers rushed out of the cabin.  The scene which
+met their view was sufficient to inspire the stoutest heart with fear.
+Directly ahead, and rushing towards them, was a vast fiery mass,
+furiously darting forth flames, sufficient, should it reach her, to wrap
+the frigate in a destructive embrace.  At the same time, from out of
+this floating volcano, shot forth red-hot missiles, which fell in
+destructive showers on her decks.  The crew, in dismay, were running for
+shelter below, till their captain's voice was heard high above the din,
+calling on them to act like men, and to endeavour to save the ship by
+throwing overboard their dangerous visitors.
+
+The remaining boats were then ordered to be lowered to tow aside the
+burning mass now close at hand.  But who would venture to approach it?
+
+"Alfonse would have attempted it!" exclaimed the captain, but not an
+officer moved.  Certain destruction would be their doom.
+
+"I then must go myself; who will follow me?" cried the captain.
+
+Numbers of the crew sprang towards the boats.  There was ample light to
+see what was to be done.  At that instant the flames and sparks darted
+up higher than ever, and then, as if it were the work of magic, there
+was total darkness; the explosion vessel had sunk: the frigate was
+saved.
+
+"We must get under weigh," cried the captain.  "The boom has been
+shattered.  Another vessel may strike the same spot with more success,
+and we may not escape her so easily."
+
+The crew flew aloft to loosen sails.  They were eager to avoid a similar
+danger to that which had almost paralysed them.  Before they were again
+off the yards another fearful explosion took place close to them, but
+though numerous fiery fragments fell on board, few were hurt.  Had they
+not been aloft many more would have suffered.  The cable was slipped,
+and the frigate now began to move through the water.
+
+On hearing the second explosion, the remaining occupants of the cabin
+rushed up on deck.  Colonel Armytage was the least agitated, but even he
+did not attempt to quiet the alarm of his wife and daughter.  Father
+Mendez trembled like an aspen leaf.  The usual calmness of his exterior
+had disappeared.  The danger which threatened was strange,
+incomprehensible.  So occupied were the officers and crew, that none of
+the party were observed.  The spectacle which soon after met their sight
+was not calculated to allay their terror.
+
+For a few minutes all was again darkness, and then rapidly, one after
+the other, masses of flame burst forth from the surface of the ocean,
+hurrying towards them.  As they approached, the sails and rigging of
+large vessels were seen amid the flames.  No human beings could have
+stood on those decks; but yet onward came, rushing impetuously, the
+burning fleet.  They were the much dreaded fire-ships.  On they came.
+The boom had been forced.  By what power could they be resisted?  The
+French ships opened their fire on them, and shot were flying about among
+friends and foes, increasing the confusion and dismay.  Still the
+fire-ships sailed on, intent on their mission of destruction.  Now a
+line-of-battle ship was grappled.  For long her gallant crew in vain
+sacrificed their lives in the attempt to free her from the fire-ship's
+deadly embrace.  The cables were cat, and both together drifted away to
+leeward.  And now dismay seized nearly all the French officers and
+crews.  Simultaneously the cables were slipped, and they endeavoured to
+avoid the threatened danger by flight.  Some effected their escape, but
+others were overtaken by the fire-ships, and were seen surrounded by
+flames.  The frigate had been kept under weigh, firing sometimes at the
+fire-ships as they sailed by, and at others at boats which were supposed
+to be English.  As the fire reached the guns of the burning ships they
+were discharged right and left, and a whole broadside was poured into
+the frigate.  It was blowing strong--a shot struck her foremast, and
+with all its top hamper away it went over the side, carrying the
+maintopmast with it.  The frigate luffed up into the wind and became
+unmanageable.  A fire-ship was approaching.  On it came.  It got
+entangled in the wreck of the mast, and soon the frigate herself was
+wrapped in flames.
+
+Edda saw and comprehended the danger.  "Oh, mother, we will die
+together!" she exclaimed, for she saw no hope of escape.
+
+The crew, led by their captain, made many gallant attempts to cut clear
+the wreck and the fire-ships, but each time the fierce heat of the
+flames drove them back again.  Still they persevered.  They all saw
+that, with the few boats they had remaining, unless the flames were
+subdued they must be destroyed.  From the rest of the squadron they
+could expect no help; some of the ships were seeking safety in flight,
+others were in alike predicament as themselves.  The French officers
+exerted themselves heroically.  Again and again they led their men up
+among the flames, where many, as with axes in hand they cut away at the
+spars or ropes, lost their hold and fell headlong into the burning mass,
+or were suffocated by the smoke.  Many were precipitated into the water;
+and their shrieks were heard as they struggled vainly in their endeavour
+to reach the burning frigate driving away before them.  Even at that
+moment the brave Pedro Alvarez did not forget his passengers.  He had
+done all that a man could do to save the ship, but he believed that his
+efforts would prove fruitless.  He now thought of the means of saving
+his friends.  He was hurrying to the cabin when he perceived them
+grouped together on the deck.  The three ladies stood, not shrieking nor
+giving way to fear, but calm and collected, waiting till they received
+directions what to do.  Colonel Armytage, with the marquis and Father
+Mendez were endeavouring to shield them from the sparks, which flew
+thickly around, and threatened to ignite their dresses.  The colonel
+looked up and saw that the flames were rapidly gaining on the ship.  He
+was not altogether so stubborn and selfish as not to wish to preserve
+the lives of his wife and daughter.  The awful scene made him also more
+kind and gentle than usual.
+
+"Edda--wife, daughter, we must get you into the boats," he said.  "Donna
+Julia, and her father, and the priest will accompany us.  I must obtain
+assistance from some of the crew."
+
+"The boats--the boats!" shouted the captain, rushing now to one side of
+the ship--now to the other; they were gone!
+
+Some of the dastards among the crew, in selfish haste to save
+themselves, had leaped into them and pulled away.
+
+Where all this time was the first-lieutenant of the ship?  He with his
+boats had not returned; what had become of him no one could tell.  He
+might have missed the frigate, and gone in another direction, or might
+have been captured by the English.  Secretly, Pedro Alvarez hoped that
+this might be the case, for whatever his adopted son, who had always
+been brought up as a Frenchman, might think on the subject, he had begun
+to wish that he could be engaged in fighting the battles of his native
+country, instead of those of her enemies and oppressors.
+
+Thinking of Hernan reminded him of his prisoner, and the old pirate
+Tacon.  To his adopted son the old man's life was of the greatest
+importance.  Should he be destroyed one chief witness of his identity
+would be lost.  He hurried below to release him.  He was only just in
+time to save him from suffocation, for the smoke was already finding its
+way along the decks.  He had found the armourer on his way, and ordering
+him to knock off the prisoner's fetters, he dragged him up, and placed
+him close to Colonel Armytage.
+
+"Much depends on his safety: keep your eye on him, sir," he said.
+
+A terrible idea occurred to him.  The magazine had not been drowned.
+Should it not be done, all on board might be blown to destruction.  It
+was a work of awful danger, for a spark might fly in before the powder
+was destroyed, and produce the dreaded catastrophe.  He gave the
+necessary orders, and then devoted himself to other endeavours to save
+the lives of some of those on board.  That all could be saved, he knew
+was impossible.
+
+For some time longer, efforts were made to clear the fireship, and while
+some of the crew were thus employed, others, under the captain's
+superintendence, were endeavouring to form a raft, but at length the
+flames seemed resolved to claim their victim.  And now a scene of the
+wildest confusion ensued.  Many who had hitherto been exerting
+themselves manfully abandoned all hope; some threw themselves overboard,
+others rushed below to the spirit-store, hoping to reach it before the
+fire had gained possession of the hold.  Some rushed aft, imploring the
+captain to save them, and shouting loudly for boats to come to their
+assistance.  No one among that multitude of rough men stood so calm and
+resigned as Mrs Armytage and her daughter.  Donna Julia was scarcely
+less so; but her hands were clasped firmly, and every now and then she
+moved a few paces with rapid steps up and down the deck, regardless of
+the sparks which fell around her.  Edda stood motionless, with her head
+turned away from the flames, and her eye ranging with undefined hope
+seaward, over the water.
+
+"There are boats coming!--boats! boats!" was the cry.
+
+A shout was raised by the remainder of the crew clustered on the
+quarter-deck.
+
+"Lieutenant Gerardin and our comrades have arrived."
+
+The crew began to rush to the sides to throw themselves into the boats,
+but a warning cry was raised in English, "Keep back, or we pull away!"
+One boat, however, dashed alongside.  Ropes were hove to the people in
+her by the captain and others, and an officer climbed up on board, and
+instead of Alfonse Gerardin, whom she expected, Edda beheld, to her
+unspeakable joy, Ronald Morton.  The bright glare revealed her to him.
+He did not look to see who else was there.  He knew her in a moment.  He
+asked not how she came there, but clasping her in his arms, he carried
+her to the side of the vessel.
+
+"Oh, Ronald, my mother!" she exclaimed.
+
+Several persons had followed him.
+
+"I'll look after her, miss," said Job Truefitt, taking up Mrs Armytage,
+with as much ease as if she had been a child, and accompanying his
+chief.  An officer--it was Glover--who had got on board from one of the
+other boats, seeing Donna Julia, without a word, lifting her in his
+arms, carried her to the ship's side.  With the assistance of Pedro
+Alvarez they were lowered safely into the boats.  Many of the seamen
+were then about to leap in, but the captain drove them back with his
+sword.
+
+"Shame on you! there are old men and a priest to be first placed in
+safety," he shouted.  "Help them first, and then think about
+yourselves."
+
+Even at that awful moment the men obeyed.  The marquis and the priest
+were lowered down, and Colonel Armytage followed.  As Pedro Alvarez was
+helping him down the side he said in a low voice, "Keep an eye on old
+Tacon, he is even now meditating how he may escape.  I will lower him
+down to you."
+
+The captain then caught hold of Tacon, and without much ceremony sent
+him down after the rest.
+
+Ronald's boat was now full enough, and he ordered the men to shove off
+and lie on their oars, while the other boats took off the remainder of
+the crew.
+
+A considerable number of the Frenchmen had been taken off the burning
+ship, when Ronald saw the brave captain standing by himself, he having
+refused to quit her till his men were in safety.
+
+"It were a pity so brave a fellow should be lost," said Ronald.
+
+"Oh, do--do save him!" cried Edda, who heard the remark.  "He is kind
+and good as well as brave."
+
+This was enough; he once more steered the boat towards the burning ship.
+Just then a burning spar fell from aloft.  It appeared to strike him,
+for he disappeared.  A groan escaped all who saw the accident.
+
+"He may not be killed though, sir," said Job Truefitt.  "If I may, I'll
+look for him."
+
+Ronald gave him leave.  There were numbers of ropes hanging over the
+frigate's quarter.  Job swarmed up by one of them, and directly after
+appeared with the captain, about whose body he had secured a rope.  He
+lowered him down into the boat, and followed immediately.  Still numbers
+of the crew remained.  Many who had gone below hearing that there were
+boats alongside, came up with the hopes of escaping.  When the already
+overloaded boats pulled away their rage and despair knew no bounds.
+They were seen standing on the hammock-nettings, or in the mizzen
+rigging, shaking their fists and uttering the most dreadful imprecations
+on the heads of those whom they considered were deserting them.  As it
+was, the boats were so full that not another person could have been
+received on board with safety.
+
+Morton gave the orders for the boats to pull back to the "Scorpion."  It
+was heavy work, for there was a strong wind and a heavy sea; but the
+crews encouraging each other cheerfully pulled on.
+
+What joy filled Morton's heart at having been the means of preserving
+Edda's life and that of her father and mother!  He did not press her to
+say much; but a few words explained how they came to be on board the
+French frigate.
+
+Her feelings were not dissimilar to his.  She was with him again, and
+she had no fear for the future.
+
+Pedro Alvarez, too, was perfectly satisfied with having been taken
+prisoner, when he found from Colonel Armytage who was his captor.  "The
+very man I wished to meet," he said to himself.  "He will tell me where
+his father is to be found, and Rolf Morton is an important witness in
+proving the claim of my poor Hernan.  Where can he be though?  Probably
+he had gone with the boats to the assistance of some of the other ships,
+and was not aware of our danger."
+
+Just before daylight the boats reached the "Scorpion."  The ladies were
+carried below to obtain that rest they so much required, and Ronald
+accommodated the rest of the party as well as he could.
+
+Pedro Alvarez at once went up to him and claimed his acquaintance.  "I
+wish to tell you of circumstances with which it is important you should
+be acquainted without delay," he said.  "I know that you have every
+reason to be interested in Donna Hilda Escalante, known as the Lady of
+Lunnasting."
+
+Ronald was all attention.  He knew how really interested Mrs Armytage
+was in all concerning her unhappy sister, while he was most anxious to
+show his gratitude by serving her.
+
+Pedro Alvarez then explained who he himself was, and told his astonished
+hearer that the pirate Tacon, whom he had on board, was the very man who
+had carried off Hilda's child, which child had been rescued and brought
+up by him.
+
+"Then the young officer whom I have so often and so unexpectedly met,
+and who appears to have such bitter animosity towards me, is no other
+than Hernan Escalante, the long-lost son of my kind patroness Donna
+Hilda?" exclaimed Ronald.
+
+"Such is the case," said Pedro Alvarez.  "He has fallen in love with his
+fair cousin, and he believes that you are his rival.  He has another
+reason for disliking you, but of that by-and-by.  I believe that I can
+do you a service, and certainly you can do me a considerable one.  You
+owe me a good turn, let me tell you; for in consequence of having
+assisted you to escape, I was obliged to take command of a privateer,
+bound for the East Indies, and to make my escape from France.  I was
+wandering about in those seas for many years; but at length, having some
+friends in power, I was reinstated in the French navy.  However, my
+heart has never been estranged from Spain.  She is at peace with
+England; and as I now hope to see the great object of my existence
+accomplished--the son of my old captain established in his rights--I
+purpose throwing off my allegiance to France, and becoming once more a
+Spaniard.  I have told you all this, at a moment so unfitting, because I
+am anxious that you should endeavour to prevent any of the persons who
+were on board my frigate from escaping.  Tacon will certainly make the
+attempt.  He does not know of what crimes he may be found guilty, and
+instinctively will do what he can to be at liberty."
+
+In a few words the worthy Pedro also told Ronald who the marquis and the
+old priest were, and he undertook to do his best to keep a watch on them
+till they had given the evidence required to establish young Hernan in
+his rights.
+
+"Believe me," he added, "I wish him no ill, and I would gladly make any
+sacrifice to see him restored to his mother and the possessor of his
+paternal inheritance.  As to the marquis, I am not surprised at what you
+tell me; I never liked him when we had him on board the `Imperious,'
+while the priest always puzzled me.  Tacon showed himself to be a most
+perfect rogue, and I suspect will give us no little trouble before we
+can get the required truth out of him.  However, as it can be proved
+that he committed an act of piracy in attacking a Spanish vessel, I
+shall take the liberty of putting him into irons, to prevent the chance
+of his escaping."
+
+Pedro Alvarez was well satisfied with the arrangements made by Morton,
+while the miserable Tacon complained bitterly of the hard fate to which
+he was doomed.
+
+"Oh, the malice and cruelty of this world!" he exclaimed.  "I no sooner
+get my legs out of one pair of irons than I find them clapped into
+another--wretched--ill-used man that I am!  What have I done to deserve
+such a lot?"
+
+When daylight returned, the effect produced by the fireships became
+apparent.  The whole French fleet lay scattered about in every
+direction.  Some had disappeared altogether.  They had either sunk or
+effected their escape up the harbour, but the greater number lay hard
+and fast on shore, some so much on the heel that a few shots from the
+British ships would have knocked holes in their bottoms, and when the
+tide rose have effectually prevented their again floating.
+
+Soon after daybreak the gallant Lord Claymore, the soul and moving
+spirit of the enterprise, signalised to the Admiral that the whole might
+be destroyed.  For a long time no notice of his signals was taken.  At
+length some vessels were sent to his assistance, but much valuable time
+was lost, and several of the French ships, by throwing overboard their
+stores and guns, floated, and got higher up the harbour.
+
+When the British squadron did get into action, they performed their work
+effectually, and four line-of-battle ships and a fifty-gun ship were
+taken, two of which were at once destroyed.  The other two were not set
+on fire till night, when a panic seized the French crews, who believed
+them to be more fire-ships, and then some again cut their cables, and
+endeavoured to escape up the harbour, while one captain and his ship's
+company abandoned their ship altogether.  One man only was left on
+board, who, by his bravery and presence of mind, prevented her from
+becoming a prize to an English midshipman and his boat's crew.  When the
+boat pulled up, he hailed in a loud voice, ordering her to keep off, and
+having a number of marines' muskets ready, he fired them one after the
+other with such rapidity, that the midshipman of course fully believed
+that a considerable part of the crew were still on board.
+
+The next day some fresh fire-ships were fitted for the purpose of
+destroying the enemy's ships on shore, which could not otherwise be got
+at.  The wind was, however, unfavourable, and the enterprise was
+ultimately abandoned.
+
+Ronald's own ship was not engaged in these operations, and he perhaps
+was secretly not sorry to avoid the risk his passengers would have run
+had she been so.  He, however, accompanied Lord Claymore, and assisted
+in capturing the line-of-battle ships and in removing the prisoners.  He
+made all the inquiries he could from the prisoners for Alfonse Gerardin,
+but not a word could he hear of him, and he began to fear that he must
+have been killed.
+
+"Poor Hernan!" he said to himself; "it will be sad if such is your fate
+at the very moment that there is a prospect of your being restored to
+your name and station."
+
+Directly after this Lord Claymore returned to England, and the
+"Scorpion" was also ordered home.
+
+Although most of the prisoners taken from the burning frigate were
+removed, on Morton's application Pedro Alvarez was allowed to remain on
+board the corvette.  He kept likewise that worthy, Tacon, as he felt
+sure that if he did not he should never seen him again.  Colonel
+Armytage behaved much more courteously to Ronald than he had formerly
+done, but still there was more stiffness in his manner than was
+pleasant; and in his presence his wife and daughter appeared restrained
+and uneasy, as if he had laid injunctions on them which they would
+gladly have broken through.
+
+The day after the marquis got on board he was seized with a severe
+illness, brought on by the anxiety and alarm which he had experienced.
+The surgeon pronounced it to be very dangerous.  Glover had given up his
+cabin to him, and now assisted poor Donna Julia in tending him, which he
+did with the greatest devotion.
+
+The "Scorpion" had a quick passage to Plymouth, where Colonel Armytage
+and his family went on shore.
+
+Edda's last words to Ronald were, "We must live in hope.  My father may
+compel me to remain single, as I will not marry in opposition to his
+wishes; but at the same time I will marry no one but you."
+
+What more could a lover wisely desire?
+
+"Hope has borne me up hitherto.  It will, I trust, continue to sustain
+me," answered Ronald, as, having escorted her and her parents on shore,
+he was compelled to return on board.
+
+The marquis continued too ill to be moved, and Father Mendez claimed the
+right, as his confessor, of remaining with him.  To this Morton had no
+objection, especially as the priest interfered with no one, and made
+himself a very agreeable companion.  Ronald was doubting how to dispose
+of Pedro Alvarez, for whom he had begun to feel much regard.  He was
+very unwilling to send him on shore, where he would have been committed
+to prison.  While he was thus uncertain how to act, he received orders
+to fill up with provisions and stores, and proceed to the north seas for
+a summer cruise.  For this he was not sorry, for though he would have
+preferred being more actively engaged in the Channel, it gave him the
+prospect of visiting Shetland.  He had written to his father as soon as
+he reached England, and told him everything that occurred.  It would now
+be impossible for him to know what steps he might think fit to take till
+he could meet him in Shetland.  He thought over the matter with regard
+to Pedro Alvarez, and thinking it probable that he would not be inquired
+for, he offered to allow him to remain on board as his guest, on
+receiving his parole that he would not escape.  This he of course at
+once gave, as he was himself very anxious to visit Shetland, that he
+might communicate with Sir Marcus Wardhill and Hilda, in order to
+arrange the proofs necessary for Hernan to establish his claims.
+
+The marquis, as he lay on his sick bed, little dreamed of the probable
+result of his plots and contrivances, and of the reverse of fortune
+preparing for him.
+
+Pedro Alvarez had clearly explained all his plans to Ronald.
+
+"I will, my friend, help you to the utmost to do justice to the wronged;
+and scarcely any event will give me greater satisfaction than seeing
+Donna Hilda Escalante recover her son," said Morton; "but I fear that by
+so doing I shall make a mortal enemy of Colonel Armytage, who would
+otherwise succeed to the Lunnasting property; and I shall deprive his
+daughter of the fortune which would fall to her."
+
+Pedro Alvarez looked at him hard.
+
+"Should Hernan Escalante ever succeed to the Lunnasting property, I can
+answer for it that Miss Armytage will not be the sufferer," he answered.
+
+The remark shot a pang through Ronald's heart.  "Should Hernan become
+owner of Lunnasting, and a Spanish marquis, what pressure will Colonel
+Armytage bring to bear to compel Edda to break her promises to me, and
+to unite herself to him.  It was of that the Spaniard was thinking.  But
+no; I have heard and read of the falsehood and faithlessness of women,
+but I will not believe that Edda Armytage could by any possibility be
+guilty of such treachery: the very thought is dishonouring to her.  Did
+I think that such a union would tend to her happiness, I would release
+her from her promise; but I feel sure it would not.  No, no! wealth and
+rank would not bribe her.  She loves me.  What pride and happiness to
+know that I am loved for myself, and myself alone!  Should I be
+deceived, life in future will indeed be a blank."
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THIRTY SIX.
+
+LUNNASTING CASTLE--LAWRENCE BRINDISTER--LAWRENCE'S MYSTERIOUS SAYINGS--
+UNPLEASANT ANNOUNCEMENT TO SIR MARCUS--ARRIVAL OF THE "SCORPION"--THE
+PRIEST'S VISIT TO HILDA.
+
+Hilda Wardhill, or rather Donna Hilda Escalante, was to be seen in her
+turret chamber in the same spot, and almost in the same position, as
+when first in her youth and glorious beauty she was introduced to the
+reader.  Years had dimmed and changed that beauty, but had not
+altogether destroyed it; and as she now sat habited in black, her
+complexion pure as alabaster, and her light hair braided over her
+forehead, which was bowed down over a volume of huge dimensions, she
+presented a subject which a painter would have delighted to portray.
+She leaned back in her chair, and pressing her hand on her brow,
+exclaimed, "In vain have I studied to ascertain how, or in what guise he
+will return.  I demand an answer, but the oracles cruelly refuse to
+reply.  O that I had the potent secret by which I could compel an
+answer, and that the dark veil which hides the future might be torn
+aside to disclose the view I long to see!  Yet of one thing I am
+certain--the time cannot be far distant; of this many significant events
+have warned me.  The return of Rolf Morton after so long an absence is
+strange; my father's illness, and his strong desire to see my sister
+Edda once more, and her daughter, who they tell me is as lovely as she
+was.  The old man's illness will, I doubt not, induce that stern English
+colonel to come down, that he may secure some share of his wealth.  He
+dreams not that my Hernan will return some day to claim his own, and
+prevent poor Edda's daughter from becoming the Lady of Lunnasting, as
+they now believe she will be."
+
+Her hand slowly dropped from her brow, and she gazed forth on the ocean.
+
+"What--what is yonder object?  Is it a phantom of the brain or a
+reality?" she exclaimed, rising from her seat, and pointing towards the
+south-west.  "See, there--there at the very spot where that beautiful
+ship first appeared, which the cruel ocean dashed to fragments on these
+rocks of Shetland, floats her counterpart.  Can it be her--the `Saint
+Cecilia' herself?  Is all that has passed for these long years a dream?
+No, no; it has been too real, too palpable, too full of pain, and
+sorrow, and hope deferred, to be a dream.  Yet, what is that?--a ship,
+come to mock me, as others have done; first to raise my hopes that my
+long-lost son is on board, and again as bitterly to disappoint them."
+
+"Yes, cousin; that is a ship, and a very fine ship, too; a British
+man-of-war, I judge, by the ensign which floats proudly at her peak,"
+said a voice behind her.
+
+Hilda turned quickly round, and an angry frown rose on her brow as she
+saw Lawrence Brindister, who had entered just as she had discovered the
+strange ship.  He shuffled up to the window, with a peculiar gait partly
+caused by the size of his shoes.  His appearance, as he advanced in age,
+had become more grotesque.  He wore a gay-flowered waistcoat, with knee
+breeches, and huge silver buckles on his shoes.  His coat, which was
+much too large for his now shrunken figure, was trimmed with gold lace
+in a style already long gone out of fashion.  His grey eyes looked
+larger and rounder than ever, while his hair, which had become perfectly
+white, was cropped short, and stood on end like the quills of an
+irritated porcupine.
+
+"Why comes she here, I wonder?" he continued.  "Once upon a time, I
+would have gone to ascertain, but my old arms can now scarcely paddle a
+boat across the voe, and were I to attempt to go, and the tide catch me,
+I might be swept helplessly out to sea.  It might not be a bad ending
+for the puir auld daft bodie, you'll be saying, cousin, and a wonder it
+had never happened before.  But I've some work to do before that time,
+Hilda.  `The prince will hae his ain again!  The prince will hae his ain
+again!' and before long too, let me tell you, cousin."
+
+"Lawrence, what is the import of those words?" exclaimed Hilda,
+vehemently, grasping his arm as she spoke; "for years past you have
+uttered them.  I adjure you, tell me what you mean."
+
+"Cousin, I am but a puir fule," answered Lawrence, looking calmly into
+her face; "fules speak mony things without meaning, ye ken."
+
+Hilda looked steadfastly in his face, and he returned her gaze with an
+expression so unmoved and idiotic, that she saw it was hopeless to
+expect a satisfactory reply.
+
+They were standing close to the window as she turned from him; her
+glance once more ranged over the ocean.  Again she stopped and gazed;
+Lawrence watched the direction of her eyes.
+
+"Ha, ha, cousin! you have discovered the other craft, have you?  Who
+comes in her, think you?  Guests are expected at the castle, I
+understand, and some at the cottage, if so you choose to designate my
+friend Rolf Morton's abode; sages learned in the law coming to
+investigate a knotty subject, to unravel a long-continued mystery."
+
+"I understand you not," answered Hilda, still continuing to watch the
+two vessels.  The latter-mentioned one was a cutter or smack, such as
+was employed in the summer months to keep up the communication between
+the islands and the ports of Aberdeen and Leith.  She had come
+apparently from Lerwick, and was now observed to be steering directly
+for Lunnasting, while the corvette kept in the offing, and was, as far
+as could be seen, about to enter Eastling Sound from the east, or to
+pass it by altogether.  The smack had got a favourable slant of wind,
+and rapidly approached.
+
+Hilda stood watching her with trembling anxiety.  Lawrence was also
+watching her narrowly, and taking apparently a strange pleasure in so
+doing.  At length an idea seemed to strike him.
+
+"I'll be off, and tell Sir Marcus of his coming guests," he exclaimed,
+shuffling out of the room.  "He little wots how near at hand they are,
+and what strange tidings some of them may chance to bring.  Ho, ho, ho!
+you shall reap as you sow; there's truth in that saying.  Ho, ho, ho!
+`The prince will hae his ain again!'"
+
+With these words on his lips he approached the door of Sir Marcus's
+chamber.  The old man was seated in a large armchair, propped up with
+cushions, before a blazing fire.  His long white hair drawn back, and
+fastened in a queue behind, exposed his high thin forehead, while his
+lustreless eyes and fallen jaw showed that the hand of time was pressing
+heavily on him, and summoning him to conclude his career on earth.
+
+"They're coming, cousin! they're coming!" exclaimed Lawrence.
+
+"Who--who?" asked the old man, rousing up, but trembling violently.
+"Who do you mean, Lawrence?"
+
+"Colonel Armytage and his wife and daughter, whom you sent for, and some
+gentlemen learned in the law, whom you didn't send for, I ween.
+There'll be strange doings at Lunnasting before long, Sir Marcus.  Ho,
+ho, ho!  `The prince will hae his ain again, his ain again!'"  And
+Lawrence, shouting and laughing, shuffled out of the room.
+
+Meantime, Hilda had been watching the corvette and the smack.  What the
+former was about to do still remained doubtful, but the latter continued
+her course till she came to an anchor close in with the mouth of the
+voe.  A boat which Hilda recognised as belonging to Rolf Morton went out
+to meet her.  The smack's own boat was also lowered, and several people
+among whom were two ladies, embarked in her.
+
+A tall thin man stepped into Rolfs boat with the air of a sailor, and
+having shaken him warmly by the hand, assisted in two other gentlemen in
+black dresses, who showed by their movements that they were far from
+well accustomed to nautical adventure.
+
+While Rolfs boat proceeded up the voe, the other pulled towards the
+Lunnasting landing-place.  Hilda would fain have watched the proceedings
+of the corvette, but believing that her sister had arrived she hurried
+down to meet her.  At first she was about to go down to the
+landing-place, but her courage failed, and she waited in the great hall
+to receive her guests.  At last they entered, ushered in by Lawrence,
+who kept bowing and flourishing his three-cornered hat before them in a
+way which seemed more like mockery than respect.
+
+Colonel Armytage approached Hilda with formal respect, but the sisters
+threw themselves into each other's arms, and the younger found vent for
+her feelings in a torrent of tears; but not a drop fell from Hilda's
+eye.  Edda stood hesitating for a moment, and then threw her arms round
+her aunt's neck, and kissed her affectionately.
+
+"Oh, may you be more happy than either of us!" was all Hilda said, as
+she looked at the sweet face beaming up at her.
+
+A gentleman followed Colonel Armytage into the room.  Hilda looked
+towards him as if to inquire who he was.
+
+"He is Mr Boland, my legal adviser," said the colonel.  "I thought it
+wiser to bring him, in case any difficulties should arise about the
+succession to this property."
+
+"What difficulties can arise--what doubts are there?" inquired Hilda, in
+an agitated tone.
+
+"Matters will be explained to you, madam, shortly," answered Colonel
+Armytage, suspecting that Hilda had not heard of the discovery of her
+son.
+
+He was not a man who would have attempted to prevent him from obtaining
+his rights, but he had not virtue enough to resist the wish that he
+might, after all, never appear to claim them.
+
+The meeting between Sir Marcus Wardhill and his once favourite daughter
+was very painful.  He scarcely aroused himself to greet her.
+
+"You have come a long distance, daughter, and have been a long time
+coming," he said, putting out his hand, and looking up coldly in her
+face.  "I suppose you feared the old man might die and leave his wealth
+elsewhere; it was that made you come, Edda?"
+
+Mrs Armytage, with her eyes full of tears, stooped down and kissed the
+old man's forehead.  "Father, no--do not be so cruel as to speak thus,"
+she sobbed out.  "Money I have never coveted.  You sent for Colonel
+Armytage; you desired us to accompany him, and most gladly we came; but
+it was to see you, and you only, dear father."
+
+"Ah, so I did--now I recollect," said Sir Marcus.  "I never loved him
+and he never loved me, but he is a man--he has sense; he knows the
+world; he can rule a disorderly household.  Go out, all of you.  Let him
+come in; we have matters to arrange, and no time is to be lost.  Go, go
+quickly!"
+
+Colonel Armytage and Mr Boland, when summoned, hurried up to the old
+man's room with due alacrity.  They were closeted an hour or more with
+Sir Marcus, and when they came out there was a look of satisfaction in
+the colonel's countenance which showed that he believed he had attained
+the object he had in view incoming to see his father-in-law.  When he
+soon afterwards met his wife, he appeared to be in far better humour
+than she had long known him.
+
+"Your father, my good wife, is a far more reasonable man than I expected
+to find him," he said, taking her hand with an unusually affectionate
+air.  "I had few or no difficulties with him.  He told me, what I have
+long suspected, that your sister Hilda is the victim at times of strange
+hallucinations, that she is eccentric always--in fact, that she is
+totally unable to manage this property.  He has therefore, in the most
+sensible way, left it entirely to us, with the proviso that we make a
+certain allowance for your sister's maintenance.  Our daughter,
+therefore, becomes the heiress of Lunnasting, and as such I feel has a
+right to make as good a match as any girl in the kingdom."
+
+"Poor Hilda!" was all Mrs Armytage said; she was going to add, "Poor
+Edda!" for she foresaw the grief and trouble prepared for her daughter.
+
+"Why, madam, you do not look pleased at this announcement of our good
+fortune," said Colonel Armytage.
+
+"How can I, when I know that my poor sister, who has so long been
+mistress here, will ere long find herself almost disinherited?"
+
+"Nonsensical idea!" said Colonel Armytage, scornfully.  "Your sister
+will be as happy as her nature will allow her, with her books and
+abstruse studies, which, by all accounts, have turned her brain, and
+unfitted her for every-day life.  However, we will not discuss the
+subject.  It is settled to my satisfaction, at all events.  I am no
+longer the miserable beggar I was two hours ago.  By-the-by, what has
+become of our tall friend who accompanied us from Aberdeen?  I expected
+to have seen him here.  He seemed to be perfectly well acquainted with
+the state of things here, and intimate with those two black-coated
+gentlemen who professed to be ministers.  From the tone of their
+conversation, and the merry twinkle in their eyes, I rather suspected
+them, to say the truth."
+
+"A fine-looking old gentlemen came off to receive them," said Mrs
+Armytage.  "He is a resident of the island.  I know no more."
+
+"It matters not; I only hope that we shall not have to encounter that
+tall, red-haired young man again," observed the colonel.  "His manner to
+me was most offensive; he is a sailor, I feel sure, by the way he walked
+the deck.  He recognised the sloop-of-war we saw in the offing; but when
+I asked her name he pretended not to hear my question; and the look he
+gave me, as he turned round, prevented me from again asking it.  I
+wonder, though, what has become of her!  Some of the people on board the
+smack seemed to think that she might anchor in the Sound near here.
+What is the name gived to it?"
+
+"Eastling Sound," answered Mrs Armytage; "we can have a perfect view of
+it from the eastern tower, if you like to go there."
+
+When Colonel and Mrs Armytage reached the tower, they found their
+daughter already there, attended by Lawrence Brindister, who had placed
+himself before her, that she might rest a telescope on his shoulder to
+look at the corvette, which was gliding gracefully down Eastling Sound,
+and shortening sail preparatory to coming to an anchor.  Edda had not
+heard her parents' approach.
+
+"Yonder seems truly a brave and gallant ship, sweet cousin mine," said
+Lawrence.  "Can you guess her name, or whence she comes?"
+
+"Yes, yes--it is the `Scorpion!'" she exclaimed.
+
+"And what is there wonderful in the `Scorpion,' fair coz?" asked
+Lawrence.
+
+"Do not you know, cousin Lawrence, that she is commanded by a very brave
+officer, Captain Ronald Morton?" said Edda.
+
+"That is fortunate, indeed," exclaimed Lawrence, turning round suddenly,
+and encountering Colonel Armytage's gaze fixed on him.
+
+"Why is it fortunate?" asked the colonel.
+
+"Because he is, I opine, a very brave officer, as your daughter says,
+good sir," answered Lawrence.  And away he shuffled down the steps.
+
+There was a pause of some duration.
+
+"Remember, Edda," said her father, at last, "if your conjecture is
+right, and yonder vessel is commanded by Captain Morton, should he
+venture here, I command you to have no communication with him.  He is a
+mere adventurer; you are heiress of Lunnasting, and the lands
+appertaining to it.  Listen, girl! you will drive me mad if you look so
+melancholy, instead of rejoicing at your good fortune."
+
+Hilda had been watching the corvette from her own tower, and seeing a
+boat leave the ship and approach the landing-place, she descended to the
+hall to learn who the strangers were, and to receive them, should they
+visit the castle.  A note was soon afterwards put into her hands,
+informing her that two old acquaintances had arrived, and craved leave
+to see her.
+
+She desired that they might be admitted, and in a short time the stout,
+well-knit figure of Pedro Alvarez was seen entering the hall, while by
+his side glided the attenuated form of the priest, Father Mendez.
+
+Changed as they were by years, Hilda knew them at once.  She trembled
+violently, and it was with difficulty she could rise to receive them.
+
+"You are welcome, old friends," she exclaimed; "but speak--tell me by
+what wonderful means have you reached Lunnasting once more?  What event
+do you come to announce?"
+
+"The father, lady, is a more fitting person than I am to tell you,"
+answered Pedro Alvarez.  "He has more command of the language necessary
+to convey to you the information we possess."
+
+Hilda again started from the chair into which she had sunk, and seizing
+the priest's arm, she exclaimed, "Speak without delay!  You come to tell
+me of my son: yes, is it not so?  He is found!  Speak--speak! where is
+he?  Why did you not bring him?  Oh! do not mock me!"
+
+"Lady, we come not to mock you," said the priest, quietly.  "You speak
+of your son; he is, we believe, alive, and more, that he can be found."
+
+Hilda clasped her hands in speechless eagerness, fixing her eyes
+intently on the countenance of the priest.
+
+"He can be found, I say; but at once to save you from disappointment, I
+must tell you that he is not here.  By a wonderful chain of
+circumstances, not only has his life been preserved, but we can, without
+doubt, prove his identity to satisfy the most rigid demands of a court
+of law."
+
+The priest's slow mode of speaking did not at all satisfy poor Hilda's
+eagerness.  She turned to his companion.
+
+"Tell, Pedro Alvarez, where is he?" she exclaimed.  "I care not now for
+the means by which he has been preserved.  Where can I find him?  When
+can I see him?  You swore to search for him.  Did you fulfil your
+promise?  Oh! bring him to me, if you have found him."
+
+"Lady, I did fulfil my promise most faithfully, and to the service of
+your son I have devoted my life.  It may be weeks or months before you
+can see him, but I have every reason to hope that he is safe at this
+moment in France.  But the means were afforded me of coming here, and,
+moreover, of producing all the existing witnesses necessary to prove the
+legality of his birth in the first place, his identity in the second,
+and his right, if not to the castle and estates of Lunnasting, to the
+rank which his father would have held of Marquis de Medea, and the
+valuable property attached to it."
+
+The hapless mother heaved a deep sigh.
+
+"All that I doubt not; but could you not have brought him to me?" she
+gasped out, as she sunk once more back in her seat.  It was some time
+before either she or her visitors again spoke.  At last Father Mendez
+saw that it would be advantageous to her to break the silence.
+
+"Donna Hilda, I crave your pardon," he said, "but I have been charged
+with a request from the captain of yonder ship, one who owns himself to
+be deeply indebted to you in his youth, Ronald Morton.  It is, that you
+will give shelter to an old man, who has long been ill, and his
+daughter, who has accompanied him.  I will not tell you the old man's
+name; but he feels that he has much to ask you to forgive, ere he can
+die in peace.  He has not many days to live, so you will not have long
+to exercise your mercy."
+
+Hilda scarcely appeared to comprehend the last remarks.
+
+"Yes, yes; whatever you desire, most readily do I grant," she answered.
+"An old man, you say?  If he thinks that he can die in peace on shore,
+let him come here and finish his remaining days."
+
+It was some time before Hilda was sufficiently tranquillised to listen
+to the details which Pedro Alvarez had to give her of the recapture of
+her son from the pirate Tacon, the causes of his flight from Europe,
+which prevented him from bringing Hernan back to Shetland, and his
+ultimate meeting with Tacon and Father Mendez, and of the aid which
+Ronald Morton had promised towards the accomplishment of his object.
+
+"He was always a noble, generous boy!" she exclaimed, warmly; but she
+was little aware of the sacrifice Ronald was prepared to make to assist
+his rival, and one who had shown such bitter animosity towards him in
+obtaining his rights.
+
+By this time the "Scorpion's" boat returned under charge of Lieutenant
+Glover, with the Marquis de Medea, as Don Josef de Villavicencio had
+hitherto been called, and his daughter Julia.  She, poor girl, had at
+first been astounded with the information that another person intervened
+between the title and estates her father had held, and that he had no
+right to them; but latterly, in consequence of the delicate endeavours
+of Glover to console her, she had become much more reconciled to her
+lot.
+
+Whatever were the motives which influenced him, Father Mendez, armed
+with the information he had gained from Tacon, so worked either on the
+fears or better feelings of the dying marquis, that he professed himself
+ready to confess his crime, and to do his utmost to right the wronged.
+
+Hilda, still ignorant of who he was, had him conveyed to one of the best
+chambers in the castle, and directed that all his wants should be
+attended to, while another room near his was prepared for Donna Julia.
+
+Ronald Morton was of course not aware of the arrival of Edda Armytage
+and her parents; and feeling that it might be an intrusion, under the
+circumstances, to present himself before Hilda on that day, he directed
+Glover to say that he hoped to pay his respects in person on the
+following morning, and then hastened on towards his father's house.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN.
+
+RONALD VISITS LUNNASTING CASTLE--LEGAL VISITORS ARRIVE AT LUNNASTING--
+THE RIGHTFUL HEIR DISCOVERED--THE PRINCE HAS GOT HIS AIN AGAIN.
+
+With a heart agitated by a variety of conflicting feelings, Ronald
+Morton, the day after the "Scorpion" reached Eastling Sound, approached
+Lunnasting Castle.  He was followed at a distance by his father and the
+three gentlemen who had arrived by the smack from Aberdeen.  His great
+wish was that he might first meet Edda, and break to her the discoveries
+which had been made, and which it was now necessary to disclose.
+"Should I be unable to meet her, I will endeavour to see the Lady Hilda
+by herself, and it will soften the blow, when I am able to remind her
+that her son will undoubtedly succeed in establishing his claim to his
+father's inheritance."  This thought was uppermost in Ronald's mind, as
+he opened the well-known wicket and was crossing the court-yard to enter
+the hall.
+
+At that moment Colonel Armytage was sallying out to inspect the domain
+which he hoped soon would be his own.  He stopped, and looking with an
+angry frown on his frown at Ronald, said, "Captain Morton, it will
+prevent mistakes in future, if I at once tell you that I cannot allow
+your visits to this house, especially if paid, as I have reason to
+suppose, for the sake of seeing my daughter.  While on service I was
+always ready to treat you as an equal in rank, but you must remember
+that your birth does not entitle you to associate on the same terms with
+the owners of Lunnasting; and as, at the express wish of Sir Marcus
+Wardhill, I am henceforth to be master here, I must at once, to save
+unpleasantness for the future, forbid you the castle."
+
+Morton bowed; though he bit his lip at the insult offered him, there was
+a smile in his eye which showed that he was not very much moved by the
+colonel's behaviour.
+
+"I will not dispute the matter with you now, sir," he answered, calmly.
+"But I have a matter of importance on which to speak with the Lady
+Hilda, and unless she refuses to see me, I feel myself bound to
+communicate with her."
+
+Colonel Armytage, notwithstanding all Morton could say, was determined
+that he should not enter.  He was still holding out against what Ronald
+was urging, when Rolf Morton and his friends entered the court-yard.
+
+"Colonel Armytage, these gentlemen have come expressly to see Sir Marcus
+Wardhill and his daughter, the Lady Hilda," said Ronald firmly.  "I must
+introduce them.  My former captain and friend, Lord Claymore; Mr Frazer
+and Mr Scott, two eminent lawyers from Scotland; and my father, whom
+you have heard of as Mr Rolf Morton."
+
+Colonel Armytage looked confused.
+
+"Of course, my lord and gentlemen, if you desire to see Sir Marcus
+Wardhill, I cannot prevent you.  I will lead the way and prepare him for
+your visit."
+
+Scarcely had Colonel Armytage disappeared than another party entered the
+court-yard.  In the centre walked the worthy Captain Tacon, who was
+examining the building with much curiosity, and looking about him with a
+swaggering air of independence.  He was guarded on either side by Job
+Truefitt and young Doull, who showed by their looks that they were not
+at all likely to allow him to escape from want of watchfulness.
+Directly after them came the elder Doull and Archy Eagleshay.  Ronald
+directed them to wait in the hall while he went to look for Pedro
+Alvarez and Father Mendez.  During his absence another person arrived,
+who was warmly greeted by Lord Claymore and the two lawyers as Mr
+Cameron, the Sheriff-Substitute for Shetland.
+
+In a few minutes Colonel Armytage returned, and announced that Sir
+Marcus Wardhill was prepared to receive them.
+
+He seemed very much astonished at the appearance of so many strangers,
+and probably had a presentiment of what was preparing for him.
+
+He was, however, a man of the world; he was also an honourable man,
+according to his own code; he knew that nothing was to be gained by
+contending against authority, and much by yielding gracefully; and he
+also did not desire to oppose an act of justice, even though he might be
+the sufferer.  With a proud resolution to do all that the strictest
+justice could require of him, he led the way to Sir Marcus's room.
+
+Here also his daughters and granddaughter, accompanied by Pedro Alvarez
+and Father Mendez, were assembled, and and before they sat down two
+servants wheeled in, on a sofa, the old Spanish marquis, who was
+followed by his weeping daughter.  Edda invited her to come and sit by
+her, but she declined, and stood holding her father's hand, while the
+priest stood on the other side of the sofa, every now and then stooping
+down to whisper into his ear.
+
+The old man looked up and inquired why so many people were assembled;
+but when he saw Mr Cameron and the two lawyers he bowed his head,
+whispering slowly--"Some criminal to be tried, I see: let the case go
+on."
+
+"Not exactly that, Sir Marcus," said the sheriff.  "I have been
+requested to attend here to investigate two important cases, in both of
+which Lord Claymore, who is known to you, has taken much interest.  At
+his request, my two learned friends, Mr Scott and Mr Frazer, have come
+from Edinburgh to assist us in our investigations; but it depends on
+circumstances whether the cases are or are not carried into a court of
+law, and thus made public.  With which shall we proceed first, my lord?"
+
+"By all means with that relating to the son of a lady present--the wife
+of a Spanish officer, Don Hernan Escalante," said Lord Claymore.  "We
+all must feel how anxious she must be to know that the interests of her
+child have been secured."
+
+It is not necessary to describe all the examinations which took place.
+Hilda's marriage with Don Hernan was proved by three surviving
+witnesses--Father Mendez, Pedro Alvarez, and Rolf Morton, though the
+loss of the certificate, one of the lawyers was of opinion, might prove
+a difficulty in a Spanish court.
+
+"It is one a few hundred dollars may get over," observed Pedro Alvarez,
+with a shrug of his shoulders.
+
+The birth of the child, and its abduction by strangers, was proved with
+equal ease.  And now Captain Tacon was led forward, and in pure
+Castilian, which Pedro Alvarez translated, confessed that he was the
+person who carried off the young Hernan.
+
+"But there, there is the man who instigated me to commit the deed!" he
+exclaimed, pointing to the marquis, who lay on the sofa with his eyes
+half closed.
+
+"Yes, I confess my crime," said the old man, slowly raising himself up.
+"I have enjoyed but little happiness since.  My palaces have been burnt
+down, and my plate and jewels carried off by the French.  May the
+rightful owner enjoy what remains.  I have done what my father confessor
+directed.  I am prepared for the grave which yawns to receive me, and a
+few hundred dollars which my daughter possesses will enable her to enter
+a convent, and there forget my sorrow and shame."
+
+Pedro Alvarez then described his recovery of young Hernan, and his
+career up to the moment he parted from him.
+
+"I can without difficulty communicate with friends in France, who will
+inform him of what has occurred, and enable him to come here without
+delay," he added.  "Thence he can go to Spain, and take possession of
+his estates."
+
+What the marquis had said was translated to Sir Marcus.  The number of
+people collected, and the discussions taking place, had had the effect
+of rousing him up, and his intellect seemed as bright and acute as ever.
+
+"Then, Colonel Armytage, since a male heir is found for Lunnasting, I
+fear that I must alter the will which I lately made in your favour."
+
+"You may save yourself that trouble, Sir Marcus," said the sheriff,
+somewhat sternly.  "There is another claimant to the Lunnasting
+property.  I would save your daughters from the pain of listening to the
+investigation of the case which must now be held.  They will, however,
+perhaps wish to see that justice is done to all parties, and they may be
+assured that it is with the greatest unwillingness that I shall say
+anything which may wound their feelings."
+
+Mrs Armytage thanked the sheriff, and expressed her wish to remain; but
+Hilda did not speak.  She had sat like a statue with her hands clasped
+during the examination of the witnesses, once only casting a look of
+reproach at the marquis, when he confessed that he had instigated Tacon
+to carry off her son.  Still she sat in the same position, lost in
+thought, and utterly regardless of everything around.
+
+"Sir Marcus Wardhill," said the sheriff, "as you well know, the heir to
+these estates was Bertram Brindister.  He was first in succession before
+your wife, but unaccountably disappeared, and was supposed to have been
+washed away by the sea.  Two witnesses have now appeared, who can prove
+that he was designedly carried off by a noted smuggler and outlaw,
+Halled Yell by name, and by themselves.  They are both present.  All
+three men and the child were rescued from a wreck by Captain Andrew
+Scarsdale, who brought up the boy under the name of Rolf Morton.  You
+knew his father.  There stands the present Bertram Brindister, the real
+Lord of Lunnasting; is he not like his father?"
+
+Sir Marcus looked up furtively at Rolf Morton, who stood with a calm
+countenance, expressive of more pain than triumph, directly in front of
+him.
+
+"Yes, yes, he is very like," he answered, and then conquering any fear
+he might have felt, he added--"But gentlemen, assertions are not proofs.
+This latter tale is too clumsy an imitation of the first we have just
+heard not to make a man of sense discredit it.  Let us hear what the men
+have to say."
+
+On this the two old men, Doull and Eagleshay, stepped forward and
+described their having carried off a child from Whalsey at the very time
+the boy, Bertram Brindister, was missed, and all the events which
+followed, but they could neither of them tell the exact date of the
+occurrence.
+
+"I thought so," said Sir Marcus, calmly.  "The man I see before me may
+be Bertram Brindister, but it cannot be proved; nor can, as far as I can
+see, the instigator of the crime be discovered, if, as I say, there is
+truth in the story, which I am inclined to doubt.  An important link is
+missing, and your case, gentlemen, falls to the ground."
+
+"But the link is found, and truth is triumphant.  `The prince will hae
+his ain again!  The prince will hae his ain again!'" exclaimed Lawrence
+Brindister, starting up and flourishing two papers in his hands, while
+he skipped about the room, in doubt to whom he should deliver them.
+"This is your marriage certificate, cousin Hilda, and I have been a
+faithful guardian of it; and this, Mr Sheriff, is the link you require
+to prove that honest Rolf Morton is really Bertram Brindister, and
+rightful Lord of Lunnasting, and that yonder old man, who has tyrannised
+over me, and insulted me and wronged me in every way, is an impostor;
+and that he instigated the villain Yell to abduct the heir that the
+inheritance might be his.  See, it is the paper signed by Yell, and
+those other two men, and delivered to honest Andrew Scarsdale.  Many a
+long year have I kept it.  You all have heard that it was locked up in
+Captain Scarsdale's chest, which, guided by a hand more potent than that
+of man, came floating by the northern end of Whalsey, and was drawn on
+shore by me and my old dog, Surly Grind.  In a cave I had hard by, I
+kept the chest and its contents, but months passed away before I
+examined them.  When I did, I saw well that nothing would be gained by
+publishing them.  The rightful heir was away, and with his means how
+could he hope to contend with the wily and astute Sir Marcus Wardhill?
+So I did what many a wiser man might not have done, I bided my time.
+Maybe, Sir Marcus, you have thought me at times a greater fool than I
+was; but which is the greatest fool of the two--the man who obeys, or he
+who sets Heaven at defiance?  Once, who could compete with me at school
+or college? and what might I not have been had you not, when I was
+struck down by illness, taken advantage of my weakness, and by sending
+me to a madhouse, confirmed my malady; but fool as you called me, I can
+see that Heaven's retributive justice has chastised you through life.
+Me you got into your power on the ground that I was insane, and the mind
+of the daughter, in whom you took such pride, often totters on its
+throne; her son was carried off, as was the rightful heir, and for long
+weary years has she waited his return, while the daughter you loved has
+been a stranger to your sight; and now deprived of fortune, dishonoured,
+and disgraced, you are sinking unregretted into the grave."
+
+"Oh spare him! spare him!" cried Edda, gliding forward and taking the
+old man's hand, for neither her mother nor Hilda could speak.  "Let his
+grey hairs, cousin Lawrence, be his protection."
+
+The old man's head had fallen on his bosom.  He was breathing with
+difficulty, but she did not perceive it.
+
+Ronald sprang to her side.  "For your sake Edda, no one belonging to you
+shall suffer; my generous father promised me this.  Be mine.  The only
+objection Colonel Armytage urged against me no longer exists.  Let us
+afford a home to those whom it will be our duty to cherish and console."
+
+Colonel Armytage, who had through all the proceedings maintained as calm
+and dignified a deportment as he could command, overheard the words, and
+stepping forward said, "Captain Morton, or I should rather say, Captain
+Brindister--for I fully believe that name is yours--you have acted nobly
+and generously; you have taught me to think better of the world than I
+was inclined to do.  My daughter's hand is your's as her heart is
+already, and may she prove as good a wife to you as her mother has to
+me, and may her lot be far happier.  I will use all my influence to
+persuade Sir Marcus not to oppose your father's claims, and I trust that
+the act he so long ago committed may not be bruited abroad to bring
+discredit on the family."
+
+"After all, colonel, you are a wiser man than I took you for," said
+Lawrence, resuming again his former and usual extravagant manner.  "Blow
+the wind as it may, you always sail before it, and you keep your hat
+ready to bow to the rising star.  That's the way of the world, and what
+can a poor fool like me do but approve it.  But what care I now how the
+world wags!--`The prince has got his am again--his ain again!'  Said I
+not the truth when I sang that song!"
+
+
+
+CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT.
+
+THE PRIEST GOES IN SEARCH OF HERNAN--THE "SCORPION" ENGAGES A FRENCH
+SHIP--THE VICTOR'S RETURN.
+
+As the "Scorpion" required her rigging set up, Ronald had a good excuse
+for remaining in Eastling Sound longer than he might otherwise have
+done.  He came on shore every day; and his first lieutenant, Mr Glover,
+was wonderfully fertile in excuses for coming also, as soon as the
+duties of the ship would allow him.  It was remarked that when he came
+Donna Julia took the opportunity of leaving her father's room, except
+when he went in to visit the old man.  At last Ronald taxed him with the
+singularity of his proceedings.
+
+"The fact is, Captain Morton, that she is a sweetly pretty, good girl,"
+he answered; "and as, instead of being an heiress and a marchioness, she
+is likely to be penniless, I've made up my mind to splice her, if she
+will have me, as I couldn't otherwise look after her properly when her
+old father slips his cable, which he may do any day."
+
+Ronald advised him to make his offer forthwith, which he did, and was
+without hesitation accepted.  The next day the old marquis died, and was
+buried, with due ceremony, within the walls of the old Roman Catholic
+chapel in which Hilda's unfortunate marriage took place.
+
+Lord Claymore was so much interested in Hilda that he did not
+immediately take his departure from Whalsey.
+
+Pedro Alvarez had at once written to France, enclosing a letter to
+Hernan, telling him of the wonderful change in his fortunes.  It was
+evident, however, that he was more likely to be discovered if some one
+could go over to look for him.  Father Mendez volunteered to go.
+
+Lord Claymore and Rolf supplied the father with ample funds, and he
+forthwith started on his journey.
+
+It was thought prudent to keep the worthy Tacon a prisoner, in case he
+might be required as a witness, should other claimants arise to oppose
+Hernan; but as he was well fed and amply supplied with whisky, he did
+not complain of his fate.
+
+At length the "Scorpion" was ready for sea.  The sails were loosed, and
+all was in readiness to weigh.  Ronald was still on shore, and had
+accompanied Edda to the summit of the eastern tower, the upper room in
+which she had appropriated to herself.  As they stood together on the
+summit, his glance, as he looked seaward, fell on a sail just rising
+above the horizon.  He watched her narrowly, and pronounced that she was
+drawing nearer.
+
+"Edda, farewell, dearest!" he exclaimed.  "I must hasten on board, and
+sail in chase of yonder vessel.  I received notice this morning from
+Lerwick that several merchantmen have been chased by a sloop-of-war, and
+some expected have not made their appearance, which it is supposed she
+may have captured.  I must not delay a moment.  Who knows but what I may
+bring her back in triumph!"
+
+He hastened down to his boat, and as fast the crew could bend their
+backs to the oars, pulled on board the corvette.  The anchor was
+tripped, and under all sail she stood away in chase of the stranger.
+
+Edda remained on the top of the tower watching the receding ship.  She
+was soon joined by Donna Julia.  Poor girl! her lover too had gone away,
+and she was equally anxious with Edda.
+
+They were not long in private, for they were soon joined by Lord
+Claymore and Rolf Morton; Pedro Alvarez and other inmates of the castle
+followed.
+
+The stranger, a corvette, was standing in towards Whalsey close hauled
+on the starboard tack, and when the "Scorpion" rounded the island and
+showed herself, she continued on the same course.
+
+"That fellow by the cut of his canvas is a Frenchman," observed Lord
+Claymore; "what think you, Captain Alvarez?"
+
+"No doubt about it," answered Pedro Alvarez.  "But I know of no French
+ship in these seas."
+
+"See--see! there goes up the French flag!" exclaimed Lord Claymore; "she
+is going about to, as she does not wish to commence the fight while the
+`Scorpion' has the weather-gauge.  A brave fellow commands that craft;
+he has no intention, at all events, of avoiding an engagement."
+
+Both vessels were now seen standing away from the land, the "Scorpion"
+steering both so as most speedily to come up with the enemy, and at the
+same time to keep the advantage of the wind which she possessed, while
+the other was manoeuvring to avoid a close engagement till she had
+gained the weather-gauge.
+
+"Ronald will not let him do that," cried Rolf.  "See, the `Scorpion' is
+gaining on her.  She has got her within range of her guns.  There goes
+the first shot."
+
+As he spoke, a puff of smoke was seen to proceed from the bows of the
+English ship, and the sound of the gun struck faintly on their ears.
+Another and another followed as soon as they could be brought to bear.
+
+As the "Scorpion" was coming up on the quarter of the French ship, the
+latter could not at first discharge her broadside guns with any effect,
+but as her enemy got more abeam of her she too opened fire, and shot
+after shot was exchanged in rapid succession.
+
+The interest of all the spectators became intense, though exhibited in
+different ways.  Lord Claymore was all excitement and animation,
+evidently wishing himself on board the "Scorpion."
+
+Rolf now waved his hand--now addressed his son--now cheered as the
+"Scorpion" delivered an effective broadside.
+
+The colonel stood as if snuffing up the smoke of battle, and coolly
+criticising the manoeuvres of the combatants.
+
+The interests of Pedro Alvarez seemed now to side with the flag of
+France, under which he had so long fought, now with the "Scorpion,"
+commanded by his friend.  Lawrence kept moving about the platform
+rubbing his hands and cheering loudly every time a broadside was
+delivered.
+
+"Well done, `Scorpion'!"
+
+"Bravo, my boy!" shouted Lord Claymore and Rolf, in concert, as the
+Frenchman's foretop-mast went over the side.
+
+This caused him to luff up, and the "Scorpion," shooting ahead, poured a
+raking broadside into his bows.  On this, the Frenchman's helm was put
+to starboard, by which he was able to fire his hitherto disengaged
+starboard broadside.  It had, however, the effect of bringing his head
+round, and now once more he stood towards the land, while the "Scorpion"
+ran on in an opposite direction.  It was but for a minute, she also
+quickly came about and ranged up on the enemy's weather beam, pouring in
+the whole of her larboard broadside.
+
+As the smoke cleared away, the Frenchman was seen with her foremast and
+main-top-mast gone, while the "Scorpion" did not appear to have lost a
+spar.
+
+"Hurrah, my brave Ronald! the day is yours," shouted Rolf.  "It is but a
+matter of time."
+
+Still the Frenchman fired on, but the wreck of his masts seemed to
+impede the working of his foremost guns.  It appeared as if the
+"Scorpion" was about again to pass ahead, when the two ships met, and
+lay locked together in a deadly embrace.  The guns continued to roar as
+before, and clouds of smoke enveloped the combatants.  It was a period
+of awful suspense--no one on the platform spoke.  The firing ceased; the
+canopy of smoke disappeared.  The two flags of England and France flew
+out as before from the peaks of the two ships.
+
+"Morton has boarded the Frenchman," cried Lord Claymore at length.  "No
+doubt now as to the result.  The Frenchmen fight bravely though.  At
+them again, my boys!  Hurrah!--hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!" shouted Rolf.
+"Down comes the Frenchmen's flag."
+
+The fight was over, the "Scorpion" was the victor.
+
+The two ships rapidly approached, steering for the west end of Eastling
+Island, and when at the entrance of the sound, and not far from the
+castle, they both came to an anchor.  A boat was seen to be lowered from
+the "Scorpion," and with rapid strokes to approach the castle.  With
+what eagerness did Edda watch her till she could distinguish the people
+on board.  She uttered a cry of joy as she saw Ronald himself steering
+the boat.  At the same time she perceived a person stretched at his
+length in the stern sheets.  Poor Donna Julia almost fainted with alarm
+lest Glover should be the wounded man.  Together they hurried down to
+the landing-place, where the rest of the party had already gone.
+
+Where all this time was Hilda?  She, too, had witnessed the fight.  She
+had seen the desperate struggle, the flag of France hauled down, the
+ships brought to an anchor, and a wounded officer lowered into the boat.
+A vague, yet overpowering dread had seized her.  She attempted to go
+down that she might meet the boat at the landing-place, but her strength
+failed, and she sunk back in her chair near the window, whence she could
+watch the boat as it glided rapidly by.
+
+Her sister found her thus.
+
+"Hilda, nerve yourself for a great trial," she said, as she took her
+hand to lead her to the door, where Rolf Morton stood ready to conduct
+her down the steps.
+
+A group was collected round a couch in the great hall.  As Hilda
+entered, they opened out, and a young man in the naval uniform of France
+was seen extended upon it.  Pedro Alvarez stood by him, holding one
+hand, while the surgeon of the "Scorpion" was feeling the wrist of the
+other, and administering a restorative.  Hilda tottered forward.
+
+"Who is that?" she asked in a hollow voice, as she gazed eagerly at the
+countenance of the wounded man.
+
+"Madam," said Pedro Alvarez, looking up, "that is Hernan Escalante, your
+son."
+
+"Mother!" whispered the young officer, and the light returned to his
+eyes, which had appeared so lustreless.
+
+"My son, my son, have I indeed found you, and thus sorely wounded!"
+cried Hilda, kneeling down to impress a kiss on his brow, while she cast
+her arms around him.
+
+"I shall soon recover now that I know I have you to live for," he
+answered, in a faint voice.
+
+"Oh, will he live!  Can you cure him?" she exclaimed, turning to the
+surgeon.  "Gold, any amount you can name, shall be your reward if he
+recovers."
+
+"I will do my best, madam," said the surgeon, bowing; "he is young and
+strong, and I have seen those who have received worse hurts survive."
+
+Young Hernan was by Hilda's directions carried to her room.  Day and
+night she watched over him, jealous of the interference of all others.
+
+Though he long hung between life and death, her constant care was
+rewarded, and the surgeon pronounced him at length out of danger.  He
+remained, however, too weak to be moved.
+
+The only person besides the surgeon whom Hilda would allow to come near
+him was the faithful pastor of Lunnasting.  He knew well how to minister
+to a soul diseased; and Hilda herself, while listening to the words of
+Truth which were addressed to her son, had her own mind enlightened, and
+was brought to trust to the loving mercy of Him who had restored to her
+her long-lost child.  Hernan, too, awakened to a sense of the sinfulness
+of the designs which his own evil passions had induced him to entertain,
+sought for pardon through the only means by which pardon can be
+obtained.
+
+When at length he rose from his sick bed he was truly an altered man,
+and Pedro Alvarez acknowledged that he loved him better than ever,
+although a Protestant minister had been the means of his reformation.
+
+Sir Marcus Wardhill died shortly after, in a state of utter imbecility,
+without recognising his grandson.
+
+On her father's death Hilda accompanied her son to Spain, where Hernan
+succeeded in establishing his rights to his paternal estates.  He had,
+however, never entirely recovered from his wounds, and in two years
+Hilda had to endure the grief of seeing him die in her arms; but she
+bore it with fortitude, and, invited by her loving relatives at
+Lunnasting, returned to spend the evening of her days in Shetland.
+
+Glover having married Donna Julia, inherited Hernan's estates in Spain.
+Their children, brought up partly in the Protestant faith, became the
+ancestors of those who have since fought the battle for the truth in
+that long-benighted land.
+
+Pedro Alvarez not being perfectly satisfied that the officers of the
+Inquisition, though itself abolished, might not by some means get hold
+of him, continued a welcome inmate to the end of his days at Lunnasting
+Castle, the constant companion of Lawrence Brindister, who, on the death
+of Sir Marcus recovered his intellect so far that he was looked upon by
+Ronald's large family of young cousins as a most agreeable and amusing
+old gentleman, the chief promoter of every sort of pastime and amusement
+in which they were indulged.
+
+For several years a gaunt old beggar might be seen at the corner of one
+of the streets of Cadiz, surpassing his mendicant brethren in the
+loudness of his complaints and the squalor of the rags which covered
+him; and one day Glover, passing by, recognised in him his quondam
+acquaintance, the ex-pirate, Tacon.
+
+Father Mendez was never again heard of, nor was any surmise offered as
+to what had become of him.
+
+As Admiral Sir Ronald Brindister might object to have more of his
+private history brought to light, we must bring, our tale to a
+conclusion.
+
+THE END.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Ronald Morton, or the Fire Ships, by 
+W.H.G. Kingston
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK RONALD MORTON, OR THE FIRE SHIPS ***
+
+***** This file should be named 21389.txt or 21389.zip *****
+This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
+        http://www.gutenberg.org/2/1/3/8/21389/
+
+Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England
+
+Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
+will be renamed.
+
+Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
+one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation
+(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without
+permission and without paying copyright royalties.  Special rules,
+set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to
+copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to
+protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.  Project
+Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you
+charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.  If you
+do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the
+rules is very easy.  You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose
+such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and
+research.  They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do
+practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.  Redistribution is
+subject to the trademark license, especially commercial
+redistribution.
+
+
+
+*** START: FULL LICENSE ***
+
+THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE
+PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK
+
+To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free
+distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work
+(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or online at
+http://gutenberg.org/license).
+
+
+Section 1.  General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic works
+
+1.A.  By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to
+and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property
+(trademark/copyright) agreement.  If you do not agree to abide by all
+the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy
+all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession.
+If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the
+terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or
+entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.
+
+1.B.  "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark.  It may only be
+used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who
+agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement.  There are a few
+things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works
+even without complying with the full terms of this agreement.  See
+paragraph 1.C below.  There are a lot of things you can do with Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement
+and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.  See paragraph 1.E below.
+
+1.C.  The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation"
+or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic works.  Nearly all the individual works in the
+collection are in the public domain in the United States.  If an
+individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are
+located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from
+copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative
+works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg
+are removed.  Of course, we hope that you will support the Project
+Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by
+freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of
+this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with
+the work.  You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by
+keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project
+Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others.
+
+1.D.  The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern
+what you can do with this work.  Copyright laws in most countries are in
+a constant state of change.  If you are outside the United States, check
+the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
+before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or
+creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project
+Gutenberg-tm work.  The Foundation makes no representations concerning
+the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United
+States.
+
+1.E.  Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:
+
+1.E.1.  The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate
+access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently
+whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the
+phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project
+Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed,
+copied or distributed:
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+1.E.2.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived
+from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is
+posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied
+and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees
+or charges.  If you are redistributing or providing access to a work
+with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the
+work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1
+through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the
+Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or
+1.E.9.
+
+1.E.3.  If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted
+with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution
+must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional
+terms imposed by the copyright holder.  Additional terms will be linked
+to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the
+permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work.
+
+1.E.4.  Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this
+work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm.
+
+1.E.5.  Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this
+electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without
+prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with
+active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm License.
+
+1.E.6.  You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
+compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any
+word processing or hypertext form.  However, if you provide access to or
+distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than
+"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version
+posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org),
+you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a
+copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
+request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other
+form.  Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
+
+1.E.7.  Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying,
+performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works
+unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.
+
+1.E.8.  You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing
+access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided
+that
+
+- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
+     the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method
+     you already use to calculate your applicable taxes.  The fee is
+     owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he
+     has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the
+     Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation.  Royalty payments
+     must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you
+     prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax
+     returns.  Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and
+     sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the
+     address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to
+     the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."
+
+- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies
+     you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he
+     does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm
+     License.  You must require such a user to return or
+     destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium
+     and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of
+     Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any
+     money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the
+     electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days
+     of receipt of the work.
+
+- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
+     distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.
+
+1.E.9.  If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm
+electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set
+forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from
+both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael
+Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark.  Contact the
+Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.
+
+1.F.
+
+1.F.1.  Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable
+effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread
+public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm
+collection.  Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain
+"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or
+corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual
+property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a
+computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by
+your equipment.
+
+1.F.2.  LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right
+of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project
+Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project
+Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all
+liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal
+fees.  YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT
+LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE
+PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH F3.  YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE
+TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE
+LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR
+INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
+DAMAGE.
+
+1.F.3.  LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a
+defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can
+receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a
+written explanation to the person you received the work from.  If you
+received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with
+your written explanation.  The person or entity that provided you with
+the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a
+refund.  If you received the work electronically, the person or entity
+providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to
+receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.  If the second copy
+is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further
+opportunities to fix the problem.
+
+1.F.4.  Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth
+in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS' WITH NO OTHER
+WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO
+WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.
+
+1.F.5.  Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied
+warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages.
+If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the
+law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be
+interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by
+the applicable state law.  The invalidity or unenforceability of any
+provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions.
+
+1.F.6.  INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the
+trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone
+providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance
+with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production,
+promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works,
+harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees,
+that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do
+or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm
+work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any
+Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause.
+
+
+Section  2.  Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of
+electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers
+including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers.  It exists
+because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from
+people in all walks of life.
+
+Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the
+assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's
+goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will
+remain freely available for generations to come.  In 2001, the Project
+Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure
+and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations.
+To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation
+and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4
+and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org.
+
+
+Section 3.  Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
+Foundation
+
+The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit
+501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the
+state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal
+Revenue Service.  The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification
+number is 64-6221541.  Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at
+http://pglaf.org/fundraising.  Contributions to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent
+permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.
+
+The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S.
+Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered
+throughout numerous locations.  Its business office is located at
+809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887, email
+business@pglaf.org.  Email contact links and up to date contact
+information can be found at the Foundation's web site and official
+page at http://pglaf.org
+
+For additional contact information:
+     Dr. Gregory B. Newby
+     Chief Executive and Director
+     gbnewby@pglaf.org
+
+
+Section 4.  Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg
+Literary Archive Foundation
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide
+spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of
+increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be
+freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest
+array of equipment including outdated equipment.  Many small donations
+($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt
+status with the IRS.
+
+The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating
+charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United
+States.  Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a
+considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up
+with these requirements.  We do not solicit donations in locations
+where we have not received written confirmation of compliance.  To
+SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any
+particular state visit http://pglaf.org
+
+While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we
+have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition
+against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who
+approach us with offers to donate.
+
+International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make
+any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from
+outside the United States.  U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.
+
+Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation
+methods and addresses.  Donations are accepted in a number of other
+ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations.
+To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate
+
+
+Section 5.  General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic
+works.
+
+Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm
+concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared
+with anyone.  For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project
+Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.
+
+
+Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed
+editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S.
+unless a copyright notice is included.  Thus, we do not necessarily
+keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.
+
+
+Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility:
+
+     http://www.gutenberg.org
+
+This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm,
+including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary
+Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to
+subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.