"Do not undress; be ready at any moment to go to quarters."
Such was the command given the men who were sent below to sleep, after the watch was set for the night.
Tempest was not anxious for sleep, although he had been up all the previous night.
He had sent word to Bertha that if she liked to walk the deck with him, he should be pleased to have her company.
The lady was delighted.
She could not sleep, and the air of the little cabin was stifling.
She had been too much afraid to go on deck during the day, and had no real knowledge of the great events which had transpired.
Flushed as Tempest was with victory, he yet hesitated to tell Bertha all that had transpired, for war is no fit subject for feminine ears.
But she was fit to be a soldier's wife. Full of patriotic zeal, the overthrow of the British was a subject she rejoiced to hear spoken of; and when her own lover was the hero, her delight was beyond all computation.
The sails of the Caroline filled at the first puff of wind, and she kept at hailing distance with the Lively Bee.