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Oh, if you please," cried Bigley. "Good c'est bon my frien. I make my sheep take you. Lay off, you say, and you land in your leettle boats. My faith, yes! And you tell you fader the Capitaine Apollo Gualtiere he pronounced his surname as if it was Goo-awl-tee-yairrrre make him present of hees sone, and hees young friens. Brave boys. Ha, ha!"
"That fellow has just laid a powder-bag by the door. But, Sep, you can't see any Englishmen there, can you?" "No," I said hastily; "but I'm sure that's the French skipper Gualtiere standing to the left of the French captain." "So it is," whispered Bigley. "I thought I knew the face. Look out!" "What are they going to do?"
Monsieur insults a French gentleman. I am no spy." "Was it not the work of a spy to bring that French sloop here to ravage my place and steal the ore that had been smelted down?" "True, saire, it vas bad; but ze espion was your own countrymen, saire. Ze Capitaine Gualtiere does no do such not you calls dirty vorks as zat." "Jonas Uggleston! It was he, then?" cried my father.
"No, sir, a Frenchman who speaks English pretty well. The officer on the revenue cutter knows him. A Captain Gualtiere, I believe." "Oh!" I exclaimed. "You know him then?" said the officer sharply. "Yes," said my father; "he picked up my son and two companions one day after their boat had been blown out to sea."
"Now, Captain Duncan, would you have liked it when you were on active service?" "That I certainly should not, sir." "Ah, well," said the lieutenant, "I suppose I must be contented with our little prize here. This Gualtiere has long been wanted. A most successful smuggler, sir."
We had no more visits from the French, not even from Captain Gualtiere, and we saw no more of old Jonas Uggleston. He had settled in Dunquerque, he told his son in his letters, and these always contained the advice that he was on no account to leave the service of Captain Duncan, but to do his duty by him as an honest man.
And as I hung there, the oppression from the pig of lead was terrible, and it seemed to please Captain Gualtiere, who was there in a boat opposite, giving orders and laughing at my struggles to escape. "Now," I heard him say in his Frenchy English, "cease to hold ze ropes, and laissez let him go."
"I felt sure of it; but I believed you to have had a hand in it, Captain Gualtiere." "A hand in him, sair. Ze Capitaine Ugglee-stone ask me to join him, it there is months ago, sair; but I am a smugglaire, and a shentilhomme, node a pirate." "Captain Gualtiere," said my father, "you once saved my boy's life, and I have insulted you a prisoner. Sir, I beg your pardon."
Our conversation was stopped by Captain Gualtiere coming up, and pointing westward. "Look you!" he exclaimed, "see, mes amis, la Saucy Lass." "So it is," cried Bigley eagerly, as he shaded his eyes, and gazed at the lugger in full sail about a couple of miles away, and making for the same point as we "so it is: it's father's lugger."
"Monsieur," said Captain Gualtiere; "I am no longer the maitre here; but you vill entaire my cabine, and I pray you to take dejeuner ze breakezefast vis me." The result was that we had a surprisingly good meal, and very refreshing it proved, though I was in terrible pain all the time, and kept on wondering whether I ought to eat and drink.
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