"
At that day, Truxtun was the great gun of American naval idolatry, and
had as much local reputation, as Nelson himself enjoyed in
England. The allusion was a sore assault on my modesty; but I got
along with it, as well as I could.
"I endeavoured to do my duty, sir," I answered, trying not to look at
Lucy, and seem meek; "and it would have been a terrible disgrace to
have come home, and been obliged to say the French got the ship from
us, when we were all asleep."
"But you took a ship from the French, in that manner, and kept her
too!" said a soft voice, every intonation of which was music to me.
I looked round and saw the speaking eyes of Lucy, just clear of the
grey coat of her father, behind which she instinctively shrank, the
instant she caught my glance.
"Yes," I answered, "we did something of that sort, and were a little
more fortunate than our enemies. But, you will recollect we were much
favoured by the complaisance of poor Monsieur Le Compte, in leaving us
a schooner to work our mischief in."
"I have always thought that part of your story, Miles, a little
extraordinary," observed Mr. Hardinge; "though I suppose this
Frenchman's liberality was, in some measure, a matter of necessity,
out there, in the middle of the Pacific."
"I hardly think you do Captain Le Compte justice, sir.
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