“Well, so am I, as I suppose, but I make not such ado thereof as thou,” answered Basset.
The last word had only just escaped his lips, when Arthur Tremayne stepped suddenly to the side of the vessel.
“The Don ahead?” inquired Basset, with sleepy sarcasm.
“I cannot tell what is ahead yet,” said Arthur, concentrating his gaze in an easterly direction. “But there is somewhat approaching us.”
“A sea-gull,” was the suggestion of Basset, with shut eyes.
“Scantly,” said Arthur good-humouredly.
Half idly, half curiously, jack brought his powers to bear on the approaching object. Basset was not sufficiently interested to move.
The object ere long revealed itself as a small vessel, rowing in all haste, and evidently anxious to reach the fleet without losing an hour. The “Revenge” stood out furthest of all the ships to eastward, and was therefore likely to receive the little vessel’s news before any other. Almost before she came within speaking distance, at Arthur’s request, Jack hailed her—that young gentleman being in possession of more stentorian lungs than his friend.
The captain, who replied, was gifted with vocal powers of an equally amazing order. He announced his vessel as the “Falcon,” (Note 3) himself as Thomas Fleming; and his news—enough to make every ear in the fleet tingle—that “the Spaniard” had been sighted that morning off the Lizard. Arthur darted away that instant in search of Drake: Jack and Basset (both wide awake now) stayed to hear the details,—the latter excited, the former sceptical.
“’Tis all but deceiving!” sneered the incredulous Jack. “Thomas Fleming! why, who wist not that Thomas Fleming is more pirate than sea-captain, and that the ‘Falcon’ is well enough known for no honest craft?”