into the wind, to leeward of it, her starboard bulwarks studded with gun crews.
The men in the boat gave way, pulling wearily toward the ship.
A blue-clad figure on the quarter-deck bawled at them through a trumpet. "What barque is that?"
Argandeau rose in the stern of the boat, holding to Marvin's shoulder. "La Petite Citoyenne de Douarnenez!" he called back, passing his hand weakly over his close-cropped head.
"Speak Englishl" bawled the holder of the trumpet.
Argandeau turned to Marvin, seeming to hold him in conversation, and the small boat came rocking closer to the tall black cruiser.
The Frenchman turned to the quarter-deck again. His face was pale, and there was an unnatural redness to his lips. "I ask you, please, you give us opium."
There was a running on the frigate's quarter-deck. "Halt, therel Arretezl Get to hell out of herel Get around under our lee quarter! Lee! Leel" The man with the trumpet waved it violently.
Slowly the small boat rounded the high windows of the frigate's stern and came up under her lee quarter. On his feet once more, Argandeau lifted a pallid and imploring face to the taffrail above him. "Two men die this day," he said. "Five have sick, very much vomitl Maybe we all die unless we get opiuml"
"Well, what is it?" the blue-coated man shouted, his voice somewhat shrill. "You got cholera on that barque? Hey? What you got cholera?"
"I think yes," Argandeau said wearily. "You give opium?"
"Sheer off, there!" the blue-coated man shouted. "Yes, we'll give you opium and laudanum! Here, clap onto this liner Hurry up with that line, therel"
CAPTAIN CAUTION 34
A slender rope fell across the boat. Argandeau, crouched in the bottom, caught it and slowly hauled it in. Fastened to its end was a package. He rose to his feet as if to thank the frigate, but already her sails were filling and those on her quarter-deck too occupied, seemingly, to listen. Listlessly the small boat turned toward the Olive Branch. The frigate slipped rapidly to the westward so rapidly that the figures on her quarter-deck quickly shrank to featureless dots. Argandeau scooped up a handful of seawater and dashed it over his powdered face and reddened lips.
"Hal" he said softly. "For a consideration I will give Monsieur Talma, of the Theatre Franc,ais, a lesson in acting, eh? Now I think we know how to come safe to France."
XI
RACKED by a southwest gale, the Olive Branch tumbled across the Bay of Biscay. In the cabin, Corunna, Slade and Argandeau bent low over a chart pinned to the cabin table and studied the ragged and inhospitable coast of France, while the bulkheads groaned and the hanging lamp plunged and jerked above their heads. Marvin, rewarded for his help in escaping the British frigate by the title of third mate, sat by himself on a locker.
'When I sail the Formidable," Argandeau said, "I come gaily from far countries; and Sweeshl I vanish into La Rochelle like an arrow, no matter what wind I have. I am indifferent to lee shores in my beautiful Formidahle. Ah, ahl" He sighed heavily. "She mind me like a woman in the ecstasies of obedience to her first love. I have never been slow to make either vessels or ladies obedient."
"It was she, was it not, who went up in smoke?" Corunna asked dryly.
Argandeau made her a quick bow. "You interrupt!" he said. "I was about to say that I have not been slow to tell a woman what to do, once I learn what it is she wishes to do. Now I cannot tell what this barque wishes to do on a lee shore; and these lee shores of Normandy and Brittany, they are not affable. You look on this chart how the head of Brittany thrusts itself out to seal It is the head of a dragon, snarling at the ocean, eh? That is how she is, too a snarler! Me, I would run into La Rochelle, but maybe you find it more comfortable to sail around the dragon's head and come in under the land at Roscoff or Morlaix. They have a drawback, those ports they are close to England. For smugglers, that is good; for us, it
The men in the boat gave way, pulling wearily toward the ship.
A blue-clad figure on the quarter-deck bawled at them through a trumpet. "What barque is that?"
Argandeau rose in the stern of the boat, holding to Marvin's shoulder. "La Petite Citoyenne de Douarnenez!" he called back, passing his hand weakly over his close-cropped head.
"Speak Englishl" bawled the holder of the trumpet.
Argandeau turned to Marvin, seeming to hold him in conversation, and the small boat came rocking closer to the tall black cruiser.
The Frenchman turned to the quarter-deck again. His face was pale, and there was an unnatural redness to his lips. "I ask you, please, you give us opium."
There was a running on the frigate's quarter-deck. "Halt, therel Arretezl Get to hell out of herel Get around under our lee quarter! Lee! Leel" The man with the trumpet waved it violently.
Slowly the small boat rounded the high windows of the frigate's stern and came up under her lee quarter. On his feet once more, Argandeau lifted a pallid and imploring face to the taffrail above him. "Two men die this day," he said. "Five have sick, very much vomitl Maybe we all die unless we get opiuml"
"Well, what is it?" the blue-coated man shouted, his voice somewhat shrill. "You got cholera on that barque? Hey? What you got cholera?"
"I think yes," Argandeau said wearily. "You give opium?"
"Sheer off, there!" the blue-coated man shouted. "Yes, we'll give you opium and laudanum! Here, clap onto this liner Hurry up with that line, therel"
CAPTAIN CAUTION 34
A slender rope fell across the boat. Argandeau, crouched in the bottom, caught it and slowly hauled it in. Fastened to its end was a package. He rose to his feet as if to thank the frigate, but already her sails were filling and those on her quarter-deck too occupied, seemingly, to listen. Listlessly the small boat turned toward the Olive Branch. The frigate slipped rapidly to the westward so rapidly that the figures on her quarter-deck quickly shrank to featureless dots. Argandeau scooped up a handful of seawater and dashed it over his powdered face and reddened lips.
"Hal" he said softly. "For a consideration I will give Monsieur Talma, of the Theatre Franc,ais, a lesson in acting, eh? Now I think we know how to come safe to France."
XI
RACKED by a southwest gale, the Olive Branch tumbled across the Bay of Biscay. In the cabin, Corunna, Slade and Argandeau bent low over a chart pinned to the cabin table and studied the ragged and inhospitable coast of France, while the bulkheads groaned and the hanging lamp plunged and jerked above their heads. Marvin, rewarded for his help in escaping the British frigate by the title of third mate, sat by himself on a locker.
'When I sail the Formidable," Argandeau said, "I come gaily from far countries; and Sweeshl I vanish into La Rochelle like an arrow, no matter what wind I have. I am indifferent to lee shores in my beautiful Formidahle. Ah, ahl" He sighed heavily. "She mind me like a woman in the ecstasies of obedience to her first love. I have never been slow to make either vessels or ladies obedient."
"It was she, was it not, who went up in smoke?" Corunna asked dryly.
Argandeau made her a quick bow. "You interrupt!" he said. "I was about to say that I have not been slow to tell a woman what to do, once I learn what it is she wishes to do. Now I cannot tell what this barque wishes to do on a lee shore; and these lee shores of Normandy and Brittany, they are not affable. You look on this chart how the head of Brittany thrusts itself out to seal It is the head of a dragon, snarling at the ocean, eh? That is how she is, too a snarler! Me, I would run into La Rochelle, but maybe you find it more comfortable to sail around the dragon's head and come in under the land at Roscoff or Morlaix. They have a drawback, those ports they are close to England. For smugglers, that is good; for us, it
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