“Of course any fool knew that.  And of course he could not ask all such questions.  So, when he came on practice, he said,—­

“‘Mr. Duval, what is the mark for Stephenson’s Shoal?’

“Oh, dear! what fun it was to hear Den answer,—­Lyd Church and the ruins of Lynn Monastery must come in one.  The Shoal was about three miles from Dungeness, and bore S.W. or somewhere from it.  The Soundings were red sand—­or white sand or something,—­very glib.  Then—­

“‘How would you anchor under Dungeness, Mr. Duval?’

“And Duval was not too glib, but very certain.  He would bring it to bear S.W. by W., or, perhaps, W.S.W.; he would keep the Hope open of Dover, and he would try to have twelve fathoms water.

“’Well, Mr. Duval, how does Dungeness bear from Beachy Head?’—­and so on, and so on.

“And Den was very good and modest, but quite correct all the same, and as true to the point as Cocker and Gunter together.  Oh, dear!  I hope the post-captains did not know that Sir Richard was Den’s uncle, and that Den had sailed in and out of Winchelsea harbour, in sight of Beachy Head and Dungeness, ever since the day after he was born!

“But he made no secret of it when we passed-mids dined at the Anchor.

“A jolley time we had!  I slept there.”

With these words, Denis Duval vanishes from the Diary.

Of course, as soon as we had begged Ingham’s pardon, we turned back to find the battle with the Bon Homme Richard.  Little enough was there.  The entry reads thus,—­this time rather more in log-book shape.

On the left-hand page, in columns elaborately ruled,—­

-------------------------------------------------------

-------------------
Week-days. |Sept. 1779.|Wind.|Courses.    |Dist.|Lat.  |Long.  | Bearings.
------------------------------------------------------------

--------------
|           |     |Waiting for |     |      |       | Flamboro. 
Wednesday,\|  22.23.   | S.E.|Convoy till |None.|54 deg. 9’|0 deg.5’ E.| H.
Thursday. /|           |     |11 of       |     |      |       | N. by W.
|           |     |Thursday.   |     |      |       |
------------------------------------------------------------

--------------

The rest of that page is blank.  The right page, headed, “Remarks, &c., on board H.M.S.  Serapis,” in the boy’s best copy-hand, goes on with longer entries than any before.

“42 vessels reported for the convoy.  Mr. Mycock says we shall not wait for the rest.”

“10 o’clock, A.M.  Thursday.  Two men came on board with news of the pirate Jones.  Signal for a coast-pilot,—­weighed and sailed as soon as he came.  As we pass Flamboro’ Head, two sails in sight S.S.W., which the men say are he and his consort.”

Then, for the next twenty-four hours,—­

-------------------------------------------------------

-------------------
Week-days.|Sept. 1779.|Wind. |Courses.|Dist.   |Lat.  |Long.   | Bearings.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
|           |      |        |        |      |        |Flamb.  H.
Thursday,\|  23.24.   |S.S.W.| E.S.E. |Nothing.|52.13.|0.11.  E.|W. aftern. 
Friday.  /|           |      | W.S.W. |        |      |        |W. by N.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Foggy at first,—­clear afterwards.