that was now menacing the lugger, he had seen a meeting between her and a privateer English lugger, one of the two or three of that rig which sailed out of England, and his observant eye had noted the flags she had shown on the occasion.  Now, as privateersmen are not expected to be expert or even very accurate in the use of signals, he had ventured to show these very numbers, let it prove for better or worse.  Had he been on the quarter-deck of the frigate, he would have ascertained, through the benedictions bestowed by Captain Cuffe, that his ruse had so far succeeded as to cause that officer to attribute his unintelligible answer to ignorance, rather than to design.  Nevertheless, the frigate did not seem disposed to alter her course; for, either influenced by a desire to anchor, or by a determination to take a still closer look at the lugger, she stood on, nearing the eastern side of the bay, at the rate of some six miles to the hour.

Raoul Yvard now thought it time to look to the safety of le Feu-Follet in person.  Previously to landing he had given instructions as to what was to be done in the event of the frigate’s coming close in; but matters now seemed so very serious that he hurried down the hill, overtaking Vito Viti in his way, who was repairing to the harbor to give instructions to certain boatmen concerning the manner in which the quarantine laws were to be regarded, in an intercourse with a British frigate.

“You ought to be infinitely happy at the prospect of meeting an honorable countryman in this Sir Brown,” observed the short-winded podesta, who usually put himself out of breath both in ascending and descending the steep street, “for he really seems determined to anchor in our bay, Signor Smees.”

“To tell you the truth, Signor Podesta, I wish I was half as well persuaded that it is Sir Brown and la Proserpine as I was an hour ago.  I see symptoms of its being a republican, after all, and must have a care for ze Ving-and-Ving.”

“The devil carry away all republicans, is my humble prayer, Signor Capitano; but I can hardly believe that so graceful and gracious-looking a frigate can possibly belong to such wretches.”

“Ah!  Signore, if that were all, I fear we should have to yield the palm to the French,” answered Raoul, laughing; “for the best-looking craft in His Majesty’s service are republican prizes.  Even should this frigate turn out to be the Proserpine herself, she can claim no better origin.  But I think the vice-governatore has not done well in deserting the batteries, since this stranger does not answer our signals as she should.  The last communication has proved quite unintelligible to him.”

Raoul was nearer to the truth than he imagined perhaps, for certainly Ithuel’s numbers had made nonsense, according to the signal book of the Proserpine; but his confident manner had an effect on Vito Viti, who was duped by his seeming earnestness, as well as by a circumstance which, rightly considered, told as much against as it did in favor of his companion.