“That’s easy enough,” answered Bowen. “The very first time I entered Port Royal harbour I saw the craft lying there, and knew her again at once. Thinks I to myself, ‘Now, Dick Bowen, my lad, your first duty is to recover possession of that prize on behalf of the skipper.’ So off I goes to the admiral, stated my case, and made my claim.
“‘That’s all very well, my fine fellow,’ says he, ‘and I don’t doubt but what you’re telling the truth; but, you see,’ says he, ‘you can’t prove it. Now I must have something beyond your bare word before I give up possession of the brig. When you can bring me something in the shape of proof that what you say is true, come to me again, and I’ll see what can be done in the matter.’
“Of course that was all right and straight-for’ard enough, so I went away, and troubled no more about it. The craft is safe enough; they’ve been using her as a cruiser, and taking care of her, and I don’t doubt but what she’s in just as good order as she was on the night when we took her. And now, all we’ve got to do is to go to the admiral again, and make our claim. There’s three of us this time, so that there’ll be no difficulty at all in getting her delivered over to us.”
Chapter Twenty One.
The “Aurora” turns up again.
That same day George waited upon the admiral and formally laid claim to the Jeune Virginie. He was very well received, his statement patiently listened to, and—to make a long story short—in about three weeks afterwards the claim was actually allowed, and the vessel handed over to her rightful owners.
George was agreeably surprised, for—notwithstanding Bowen’s implicit confidence—he fully anticipated that there would be some trouble over the matter. Legal possession once obtained, Leicester had no difficulty in raising money by means of a bottomry bond, and with this he provisioned the brig for six months, intending to take out letters of marque, and endeavour to make good his losses—a resolution in which he was cordially seconded by Bowen.
But, though all this gave him plenty of occupation, he had not forgotten his old crew, and he found—or rather took—time, not only to prepare a complete list of the names and a full description of all those who were still—so far as he knew—in a state of slavery, but also to put it into the hands of the proper authorities, with such an urgent representation of their probable sufferings, that the matter was at once taken up; and he had the satisfaction of knowing, before he sailed, that negotiations were already in progress for their discovery and deliverance.