At early dawn look-outs were sent aloft to ascertain if any vessels were in sight. They reported three to the south-east, and one to the westward; but what they were it was impossible at that distance to say, as their loftier sails could but indistinctly be seen rising above the horizon.
The Thisbe had already as much sail set as she could carry, but Lieutenant Sterling was making an effort to get up a maintopmast on board the prize.
When Jack and Bill met at breakfast, Jack reported that he had been frequently among the prisoners, but had failed to hear anything which showed that they had the slightest thoughts of attempting to regain their liberty.
“What would you know about the matter even if they had been talking treason?” observed Tom. “I doubt if either of you fellows know much about French.”
“As to that,” said Bill, “we managed to talk to Frenchmen, and to understand what they said to us. That, at least, shows that we do know something about French; not that I wish to boast, only I think I should do much better if I could get hold of some French books.”
Tom laughed. “Oh! I dare say you are going to become a great scholar, and to beat us all,” he observed, with a sneer. “Jack was even declaring that you were likely to be placed on the quarter-deck. That would be a good joke.”
“It would be a good reality for me, though I don’t think it’s what is very likely to happen,” answered Bill, without getting at all angry.
“Nor do I,” said Tom, in the same tone as before. “Just fancy a chap like you turned into an officer. You can jabber a few words of French, and may have picked up a smattering of navigation on board the Foxhound, though I’ve a notion you must pretty well have forgotten all you knew by this time, and you may be fond of books, but all that won’t turn a fellow who has come out of the gutter, as one may say, into a gentleman, as I suppose those on the quarter-deck call themselves.”
“And what do you call them?” exclaimed Jack, not liking to hear such remarks made to Bill. “I wonder you dare to speak in that way.”
“I call myself the son of a gentleman, and I’m thinking when I get into port of writing to my father and asking him to have me placed on the quarter-deck.”