"Well, Mr. Griffin," he said, as soon as he had received the salutation
of the officer of the watch, "you have had a still night of it. Yonder
is the Point of Piombino, I see; and here we have got Elba and this
little rocky island again on our larboard hand. One day is surprisingly
like another about these times, for us mariners in particular."
"Do you really think so, Captain Cuffe?--Now, to my notion, this day
hasn't had its equal on the Proserpine's log, since we got hold of
l'Epervier and her convoy. You forget, sir, that we destroyed le
Feu-Follet last night!"
"Aye--that is something--especially for _you_, Griffin. Well, Nelson
will hear of it by mail as soon as we can get into Leghorn, which will
be immediately after I have had an opportunity of communicating with
these people in Porto Ferrajo. After all that has passed, the least we
can do is to let your veechy-govern-the-tories know of our success."
"Sail, ho!" shouted the lookout, on the foretopsail-yard.
The two officers turned, and gazed round them in every direction, when
the captain made the customary demand of "Where-away?"
"Here, sir, close aboard of us, on our larboard hand, and on our
weather quarter."
"On our weather quarter! D--n me if that _can_ be true, Griffin. There
is nothing but the island there. The fellow cannot have mistaken this
little island for the hull of a ship?"
"If he has, sir," answered Griffin, laughing, "it must be for a
twenty-decker.
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