"Am I?"
"You are, and when we get back to America I shall see that the President hears of what you have done."
"Blow me, cap'n, but a great man like he won't care about a boy's swim; why should he?"
The letter from Vernon was read, and he agreed with his lieutenant.
When morning dawned the British ship Monarch was within half a mile of the Caroline and Lively Bee.
The Britisher swung around so that she could bring her long gun in line with the Caroline.
Tempest saw his danger, and swung around at the same time, while the Lively Bee's long gun was aimed straight at the Monarch's mainmast.
The stern-chaser belched forth, and the shot tore across the water, but missed the Caroline.
At the same time a return shot was fired, much to the Britisher's surprise, by the Lively Bee, and a good-sized splinter was taken off the mast.