When his own guns were ready, and the two vessels moored, Raoul visited both the lugger and felucca, to inspect their preparations, and to say a cheerful word to their men.  He found most things to his mind; where they were not, he ordered changes to be made.  With the lieutenant his conversation was brief, for that officer was one who possessed much experience in this very sort of warfare, and could be relied on.  With Ithuel, he was more communicative; not that he distrusted the citizen of the Granite State, but that he knew him to be a man of unusual resources, could the proper spirit be aroused within him.

“Bien, Etooelle,” he said, when the inspection was ended, “much will depend on the use you make of these two guns.”

“I know that, as well as you do yourself, Captain Rule,” answered the other, biting off at least two inches from half a yard of pig-tail; “and, what’s more, I know that I fight with a rope round my neck.  The spiteful devils will hardly overlook all that’s passed; and though it will be dead ag’in all law, they’ll work out their eends on us both, if we don’t work out our eends on them.  To my mind, the last will be the most agreeable, as well as the most just.”

“Bon!—­Do not throw away your shot, Etooelle.”

“I—­why, Captain Rule, I’m nat’rally economical.  That would be wasteful, and waste I set down for a sin.  The only place I calculate on throwing the shot, is into the face and eyes of the English.  For my part, I wish Nelson himself was in one of them boats—­I wish the man no harm; but I do wish he was in one of them very boats.”

“And, Etooelle, I do not.  It is bad enough as it is, entre nous; and Nelson is very welcome to stay on board his Foudroyant; voila!—­The enemy is in council; we shall soon hear from them.  Adieu, mon ami; remember our two Republiques!"

Raoul squeezed Ithuel’s hand, and entered his boat.  The distance to the ruin was trifling, but it was necessary to make a small circuit in order to reach it.  While doing this, the young mariner discovered a boat pulling from the direction of the marinella, at the foot of the Scaricatojo, which had got so near, unseen, as at first to startle him by its proximity.  A second look, however, satisfied him that no cause of apprehension existed in that quarter.  His eye could not be deceived.  The boat contained Ghita and her uncle; the latter rowing, and the former seated in the stern, with her head bowed to her knees, apparently in tears.  Raoul was alone, sculling the light yawl with a single hand, and he exerted himself to meet these unexpected and, in the circumstances, unwelcome visitors, as far as possible from the rocks.  Presently the two boats lay side by side.

“What means this, Ghita!” the young man exclaimed; “do you not see the English, yonder, at this moment making their preparations to attack us?  In a few minutes we shall be in the midst of a battle, and thou here!”