How they will watch for us, but in vain!" Fortunately for the success of their story, the lugger hailed from a northern French port and, as not one on board understood either Spanish or Portuguese, they had no idea that the latter was the language in which the prisoners were speaking.

After an hour of pretended despair, both rose from the deck on which they had been sitting and, on an order being given to trim the sails, went to the ropes and aided the privateersmen to haul at them and, before the end of the day, were doing duty as regular members of the crew.
"They are active young fellows," the captain said to his first mate, as he watched the supposed Spaniards making themselves useful.

"It was lucky for them that they had a fair store of provisions and water in their boat.

We are very short handed, and they will be useful.

I would have let them go if it had not been for the boat but, as we have only one left that can swim, it was too lucky a find to give up." The craft had been heading north when Ryan had first seen her, and she held that course all day.