Raoul Yvard was a very different man, at this moment of leisure and idleness, from what he had been a few hours earlier.  Then he trod the deck of his little cruiser with some such feelings as the man who exults in his strength and rejoices in his youth.  Now he felt as all are apt to feel who are rebuked by misfortunes and disease.  Nevertheless, his character had lost none of its high chivalry; and even there, as he sat on the taffrail of the stranded Feu-Follet, he meditated carrying some stout Englishman by surprise and boarding, in the event of his not succeeding in getting off the lugger.  The felucca would greatly aid such an enterprise; and his crew was strong enough, as well as sufficiently trained, to promise success.

On such an expedient, even, was he ruminating, as Ithuel, in obedience to an order given through the trumpet, brought his prize alongside, and secured her to the lugger.  The men who had accompanied the American were now dismissed to their morning’s meal, while Raoul invited their leader to share his frugal repast where he sat.  As the two broke their fasts, questions were put and answered, concerning what had occurred during the hour or two the parties had been separated.  Raoul’s tale was soon told; and then he learned with concern that the crew of the felucca had taken to their boat, and escaped to the landing of the Scaricatojo, on finding that the capture of their vessel was inevitable.  This proved that the character of the wreck was known, and left but little hope that their situation would not be reported to the English in the course of the morning.

CHAPTER XXVII.

     —­“But now lead on;
     In me is no delay; with thee to go,
     Is to stay here:  with thee here to stay,
     Is to go hence unwilling; thou to me
     Art all things under heaven, all places thou.”

     MILTON.

The intelligence communicated by Ithuel essentially altered Raoul’s views of his actual situation.  An active man might go from the Marinella, at the foot of the Scaricatojo, or the place where the crew of the felucca had landed, to the Marina Grande of Sorrento in an hour.  At the latter beach boats were always to be found, and two hours more would carry the messenger, by water, to the ships off Capri, even in a calm.  The first of these important hours had now elapsed some time; and he could not doubt that vigorous aims were already employed in pulling across the few leagues of water that separated the island from the shores of Sorrento.  The day was calm, it is true, and it would be impossible to move the ships; but two frigates and a heavy sloop-of-war might send such a force against him in boats as, in his present situation, would render resistance next to hopeless.