might be that this plan would seem too dangerous."
Slade's laugh was as harsh as the scraping of a boat against a barnacled ledge. "Look sharp about ill" he commanded Marvin, and with that he turned from him to stand at Corunna's side once more.
Corunna lowered the telescope, glancing quickly at Marvin. "Why, yes," she said, "it might be, but it's got to be done, whether he likes it or not."
"Well," Marvin said, "I don't like it, and I'm not ashamed to say so. What will you do if she's a British cruiser, and she takes all of you aboard as prisoners?"
"She won't," said Slade quickly; "not if we don't fight her."
Marvin turned on him. "Why won't she? The British do any damned thing at all when they're at war! I never heard of anyone getting decent treatment from 'em unless their own ends were served by itl"
- CAPTAIN CAUTION 339
"Perhaps," Argandeau murmured, balancing himself on his toes "perhaps this boon who is so free with his criticism is able to make a better plan, though I do not think so, because he does not have an intelligent look." He met Marvin's angry stare with the faintest lift of an eyebrow.
"There's nothing else to do but fight," Corunna said calmly, "and I somehow doubt that he likes to fight."
"Fight!" Marvin exclaimed. "How can we fight when we're too slow to board anything but a tubl What we might be able to do is scare 'em."
"Scare them?" Slade laughed contemptuously. "You'll make faces at them, no doubtl"
Argandeau nodded his head for emphasis. "Of all the people im the world," he said softly, "the English are the most cruel, but they are not easy to frighten."
"Maybe not," Marvin said, "maybe not; but I've never seen any- body yet that wasn't afraid of cholera!"
Corunna whirled to look at him, while Argandeau opened his mouth wide in a soundless exclamation. "Cholera!" she whispered. "Cholera!"
"Yes, cholera!" Marvin said. "What do you want to run from 'em for, once they've sighted you? It's as good as an invitation! Put about and run for 'em, and when we're within hailing distance, put me in a boat with two men to row and let me try it. If it doesn't work, you're no worse off than you'd be if you kept running."
"What?" Slade cried. "Why, she'd rake us with her bow guns be- fore we had a chance to speak her."
Marvin studied him carefully. "It appears to me you're a little hasty in your judgment," he said. "She'll do nothing of the sort if we run down to her under half sail and at loose ends, yawing as if we had a sick crew and helmsman, and making signals of distress to
bOOt.n
Slade's laugh was as discordant as it was sudden. "It appears to me," he said, "that you're bound to have us takent"
Corunna closed her telescope with a snap. "All hands about shipl" she said to Marvin. Marvin snatched his whistle from his pocket and went to blowing on it as if to blow the bean through the air hole.
Slade moved toward Corunna, who had taken her station at the weather gangway; but at the sound of a gentle laugh from Argan- deau, he stopped. "Down with the helml" she called. "Rise tacks and sheets!" With a creaking of yards and a slatting of rigging against fluttering canvas, the Olive Branch came about and bore off for the
340 CAPTAIN CAUTION
sail that now showed itself to be a ship with topsails so lofty that Marvin knew they could only be handled by the large crew of a war craft.
Half an hour later, the Olive Branch, with everything Iying aback, lay wallowing in the path of the oncoming ship, a wretched slattern of the sea with the French ensign half hoisted to her peak. There was a helmsman at the wheel, but he hung across it, more like a sack of meal than a man. In the shadow of the mainmast lay two still forms, and on the quarter-deck a single dejected figure sat as if helpless on a coil of rope. Off her starboard beam bobbed a small boat, in which two men rowed, while two others huddled in the stern sheets.
The ship, a frigate of thirty-eight guns, came past the boat and rounded smartly
Slade's laugh was as harsh as the scraping of a boat against a barnacled ledge. "Look sharp about ill" he commanded Marvin, and with that he turned from him to stand at Corunna's side once more.
Corunna lowered the telescope, glancing quickly at Marvin. "Why, yes," she said, "it might be, but it's got to be done, whether he likes it or not."
"Well," Marvin said, "I don't like it, and I'm not ashamed to say so. What will you do if she's a British cruiser, and she takes all of you aboard as prisoners?"
"She won't," said Slade quickly; "not if we don't fight her."
Marvin turned on him. "Why won't she? The British do any damned thing at all when they're at war! I never heard of anyone getting decent treatment from 'em unless their own ends were served by itl"
- CAPTAIN CAUTION 339
"Perhaps," Argandeau murmured, balancing himself on his toes "perhaps this boon who is so free with his criticism is able to make a better plan, though I do not think so, because he does not have an intelligent look." He met Marvin's angry stare with the faintest lift of an eyebrow.
"There's nothing else to do but fight," Corunna said calmly, "and I somehow doubt that he likes to fight."
"Fight!" Marvin exclaimed. "How can we fight when we're too slow to board anything but a tubl What we might be able to do is scare 'em."
"Scare them?" Slade laughed contemptuously. "You'll make faces at them, no doubtl"
Argandeau nodded his head for emphasis. "Of all the people im the world," he said softly, "the English are the most cruel, but they are not easy to frighten."
"Maybe not," Marvin said, "maybe not; but I've never seen any- body yet that wasn't afraid of cholera!"
Corunna whirled to look at him, while Argandeau opened his mouth wide in a soundless exclamation. "Cholera!" she whispered. "Cholera!"
"Yes, cholera!" Marvin said. "What do you want to run from 'em for, once they've sighted you? It's as good as an invitation! Put about and run for 'em, and when we're within hailing distance, put me in a boat with two men to row and let me try it. If it doesn't work, you're no worse off than you'd be if you kept running."
"What?" Slade cried. "Why, she'd rake us with her bow guns be- fore we had a chance to speak her."
Marvin studied him carefully. "It appears to me you're a little hasty in your judgment," he said. "She'll do nothing of the sort if we run down to her under half sail and at loose ends, yawing as if we had a sick crew and helmsman, and making signals of distress to
bOOt.n
Slade's laugh was as discordant as it was sudden. "It appears to me," he said, "that you're bound to have us takent"
Corunna closed her telescope with a snap. "All hands about shipl" she said to Marvin. Marvin snatched his whistle from his pocket and went to blowing on it as if to blow the bean through the air hole.
Slade moved toward Corunna, who had taken her station at the weather gangway; but at the sound of a gentle laugh from Argan- deau, he stopped. "Down with the helml" she called. "Rise tacks and sheets!" With a creaking of yards and a slatting of rigging against fluttering canvas, the Olive Branch came about and bore off for the
340 CAPTAIN CAUTION
sail that now showed itself to be a ship with topsails so lofty that Marvin knew they could only be handled by the large crew of a war craft.
Half an hour later, the Olive Branch, with everything Iying aback, lay wallowing in the path of the oncoming ship, a wretched slattern of the sea with the French ensign half hoisted to her peak. There was a helmsman at the wheel, but he hung across it, more like a sack of meal than a man. In the shadow of the mainmast lay two still forms, and on the quarter-deck a single dejected figure sat as if helpless on a coil of rope. Off her starboard beam bobbed a small boat, in which two men rowed, while two others huddled in the stern sheets.
The ship, a frigate of thirty-eight guns, came past the boat and rounded smartly
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