"Why, to be sure," said the lieutenant, laughing also, "you have a very slaving, piratical look. Who would expect to find a British Admiral aboard so rakish a craft?"
"But unarmed, Fellowes, unarmed!" exclaimed the Admiral. "You won't want to see our papers, will ye?"
And the worthy old sailor chuckled heartily from his throat to the bottom of his waistcoat.
"Will you step into the deck-house, sir," said Captain Acton, "and learn our strange story, which shall not detain you long."
Mr Fellowes bowed with a smile which charmed Lucy by its good-nature, and by the light it kindled in the man's face, where she witnessed that sort of breeding which her heart, as the hearts of most women who are ladies at heart, delight in. The party of four entered the structure, and the cabin servant was ordered to put refreshments on the table.
"This is the yarn, Fellowes," said the Admiral, who, it had been pre-arranged, was to tell the story. "My friend Acton is the owner of this schooner; he is also the owner of another ship, called the Minorca. Now, this ship, of which my friend was good enough to give the command to my son——"
"A fine fellow," interrupted Mr Fellowes. "How is he?"
"Pretty well—pretty middling, I thank ye," answered the Admiral. "But just now in a bit of a fix. It has come to our knowledge that there has been a mutiny on board the Minorca, and that the crew are navigating the vessel to Rio de Janeiro——"
"The Phœbe is bound to that port," again interrupted Mr Fellowes.
"Good!" cried the Admiral, with an expressive look at Captain Acton—"instead," continued Sir William, "of Kingston, Jamaica, to which place her cargo is consigned. We are following her in this clipper, which outsails her by two to one, and we have reason to know that she is now about two days in advance of us. The Minorca is armed: we are not. And your captain will be conferring a very great favour upon us if, seeing that the Phœbe is almost as swift as this schooner, he will allow us to keep him company, so that if we jointly fall in with the Minorca, her crew may be overawed by the guns of the frigate."