"I have one, sir, but I hardly hope it will merit your approbation," replied the third lieutenant of the Chatauqua.
"We will hear it, if you please. By the way, our picket boats report that a steamer came down the bay this morning, and moored inside the Middle Ground. It may be the one mentioned in your letter—the Tallapoosa."
"Probably it is, sir. She can now only be waiting the arrival of Lieutenant Pillgrim, who is to command her."
"We must capture that man. State your plan, Mr. Somers."
The young officer, with no little trepidation, related the particulars of the method he had considered for the capture of the Ben Lomond.
"Very daring and impudent, Mr. Somers," said the admiral, as he glanced with a meaning smile at Captain Cascabel.
"Mr. Somers's forte is daring and impudence. But his scheme, besides being based on mere theory, is absolutely fool-hardy," added the captain, throwing a whole bucket of cold water on the young officer's prospects.
"I do not wholly agree with you, captain. By the report of the picket boats, there is certainly a sea-going steamer in the bay. That, in a measure, confirms Mr. Somers's theory. Now, if the vessel is there, the young man may bring her out if he has the ability to do so."
"What force do you require, Mr. Somers?"
"The first cutter of the Chatauqua, and twenty-four men."