“Will you please to tell me, sir, what you wish explained?” inquired Clinch, throwing more surprise than common, even, into his countenance.

“That is an extraordinary question, Mr. Clinch!  I wish the signal you made from yonder headland explained, sir.  Did you not signal the ship, to say that you saw the le Few-Folly down here, at the southward?”

“Well, sir, I’m glad there was no mistake in the matter,” answered Clinch, in a confident and a relieved manner.  “I was afraid at first, Captain Cuffe, my signal had not been understood.”

“Understood!  How could it be mistaken?  You showed a black ball, for ’the lugger’s in sight.’  You’ll not deny that, I trust?”

“No, sir; one black ball, for ‘the lugger’s in sight.’  That’s just what I did show, Captain Cuffe.”

“And three black balls together, for ‘she bears due south from Capri.’  What do you say to that”

“All right, sir.  Three black balls together, for ’she bears due south from Capri.’  I didn’t tell the distance, Captain Cuffe, because Mr. Winchester gave me no signals for that.”

“And these signals you kept showing every half-hour, as long as it was light; even until the Proserpine was off.”

“All according to orders, Captain Cuffe, as Mr. Winchester will tell you.  I was to repeat every half-hour, as long as the lugger was in sight, and the day lasted.”

“Aye, sir; but you were not ordered to send as after a jack-o-lantern, or to mistake some xebec or other, from one of the Greek islands, for a light, handy French lugger”

“Nor did I, Captain Cuffe, begging your pardon, sir.  I signalled the Few-Folly, and nothing else, I give you my word for it.”

Cuffe looked hard at the master’s-mate for a half a minute, and his ire insensibly lessened as he gazed.

“You are too old a seaman, Clinch, not to know what you were about!  If you saw the privateer, be good enough to tell us what has become of her.”

“That is more than I can say, Captain Cuffe, though see her I did; and that so plainly, as to be able to make out her jigger, even.  You know, sir, we shot away her jigger-mast in the chase off Elba, and she got a new one, that steves for’rard uncommonly.  I noticed that when we fell in with her in the Canal of Piombino; and seeing it again, could not but know it.  But there’s no mistaking the saucy Folly, for them that has once seen her; and I am certain we made her out, about four leagues to the southward of the cape, at the time I first signalled.”

“Four leagues!—­I had though she must be at least eight or ten, and kept off that distance, to get her in the net.  Why did you not let us know her distance?”

“Had no signals for that, Captain Cuffe.”

“Well, then, why not send a boat to tell us the fact?”

“Had no orders, sir.  Was told by Mr. Winchester just to signal the lugger and her bearings; and this, you must own, Captain Cuffe, we did plain enough.  Besides, sir—­”