[CHAPTER III.]
THE LIEUTENANT'S STORY.
"I know you, John Tempest, better than you know me," commenced Captain Vernon, "and before you sign the ship's log I want to have a talk with you."
Tempest followed, wondering much at the manner and deference shown to him by the captain of the privateer.
"Sit down, and place yourself outside a stiff glass of that brandy," said Vernon, helping himself at the same time to a similar dose.
"You possess a time-honored name, young man, and have spunk to maintain it. Have you forgotten that you were on the Essex when the British boarded her and demanded the surrender of a deserter?
"Your captain ordered the alleged deserter to prove his citizenship, and he couldn't!"
"But he gave his word," said Tempest.