“Yes, sir; but Dr. Parsons came ashore two hours ago to get some supplies, and I heard him say the captain was under the weather again.”
“The prospect of going into action will brighten him up a bit, and I venture to say you will never hear him speak so discouragingly of the future as you have just spoken, not even though we were outnumbered twenty to one.”
“That is about the odds we shall have against us, sir,” the boatman said firmly, but decidedly, “and I allow it is not discouraging to others when a man looks at the situation as it really is, providing he does not show the white feather.”
“I had rather hear you say that we’re like to do the enemy serious harm, than to croak about his sinking us offhand.”
“And how long, sir, with all due respect in the question, do you think we’ve a chance of standing against the British squadron?”
“Till we’ve given him a fair taste of our metal, that I’ll be bound!” my father replied emphatically; and then he turned to look seaward as if intimating that such profitless conversation had best come to an end.
Now it was that we caught a glimpse of the enemy, and that which we saw was by no means heartening.
Our boat, headed for the Tigress, had passed the range of Hospital Point, giving us an opportunity of looking out over the lake to the westward, and we saw the spars of no less than five vessels, two of them being ship-rigged.
To go out against them with three small gunboats each carrying a single gun, seemed much like the veriest folly, and I ceased to feel surprised at the boatman’s belief that we would be sunk offhand.
Alec glanced at me meaningly when we had gazed at the enemy as long as was pleasant, and I read in his eyes nothing but delight that at last we were to do something more than act as spies or carpenters.