"I don't mind, father," I exclaimed.
"It wouldn't matter if you did," returned the pater dryly. "But there is one condition I must make, Mr. Conolly."
"And that is——?"
"On board this yacht we all, officers and men, mean to be as comfortable as we possibly can, so there is one topic of conversation, and one only, that I must ask you to avoid. As you are of Hibernian birth I am afraid you will find it difficult to do so."
"Then what is it?" said the doctor, with a slight trace of anxiety on his features.
"Politics," replied my father, with a chuckle.
Chapter X
YARNS IN THE FIRST WATCH
AT midnight on the third day after passing Ushant we had crossed the Bay, and the white flashing light on Cape Finisterre showed abeam. During the night the wind had fallen, but at daybreak a fresh off-shore breeze had sprung up, enabling us to make rapid progress under all plain sail.