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business," is an old adage. We shall not hurt you, my lord, as you have only employed words, but we shall put it out of your power to hurt us. Come aft, my lads. Now, my lord, resistance is useless; we are double your numbers, and you have caught a Tartar.'

Lord B. and Mr. Stewart perceived that they were in an awkward predi

cament.

'You may do what you please,' observed Mr. Stewart, but the revenue boats are coming up, recollect.'

'Look you, sir, do you see the revenue cutter?' said Pickersgill.

Stewart looked in that direction, and saw that she was hidden in the fog.

'In five minutes, sir, the boats will be out of sight also, and so will your vessel; we have nothing to fear from them.'

'Indeed, my lord, we have better return,' said Mr. Stewart, who perceived that Pickersgill was right.

'I beg your pardon, you will not go on board of your yacht as soon as you expect. Take the oars out of the boat, my lads, two or three of you, and throw in a couple of our paddles for them to reach the shore with. The rest of you knock down the first man who offers to resist. You are not aware, perhaps, my lord, that you have attempted piracy on the high seas.'

Stewart looked at Lord B. It was true enough. The men of the yacht could offer no resistance; the oars were taken out of the boat and the men put in again.

'My lord,' said Pickersgill, 'your boat is manned-do me the favour to step into it; and you, sir, do the same. I should be sorry to lay my hands upon a peer of the realm, or a king's officer even on half pay.'

Remonstrance was vain; his lordship was led to the boat by two of the smugglers, and Stewart followed.

'I will leave your oars, my lord, at the Weymouth custom-house; and I trust this will be a lesson to you in future to "mind your own business".

The boat was shoved off from the sloop by the smugglers, and was soon

lost sight of in the fog, which had now covered the revenue boats as well as the yacht; at the same time, it brought down a breeze from the eastward.

'Haul to the wind, Morrison,' said Pickersgill, 'we will stand out to get rid of the boats; if they pull on, they will take it for granted that we shall run into the bay, as will the revenue cutter.'

Pickersgill and Corbett were in conversation abaft for a short time, when the former desired the course to be altered two points.

'Keep silence all of you, my lads, and let me know if you hear a gun or a bell from the yacht,' said Pickersgill.

"There is a gun, sir, close to us,' said one of the men--'the sound was right ahead.'

"That will do, keep her as she goes. Aft here, my lads; we cannot run our cargo in the bay, for the cutter has been seen to chase us, and they will all be on the look-out at the preventive stations for us on shore. Now, my lads, I have made up my mind that, as these yacht gentlemen have thought proper to interfere, that I will take possession of the yacht for a few days. We shall then outsail every thing, go where we like unsuspected, and land our cargo with ease. I shall run alongside of her-she can have but few hands on board; and mind, do not hurt any body, but be civil and obey my orders. Morrison, you and your four men and the boy will remain on board as before, and take the vessel to Cherbourg, where we will join you.'

In a short time, another gun was fired from the yacht. Those on board, particularly the ladies, were alarmed: the fog was very thick, and they could not distinguish the length of the vessel. They had seen the boat board, but had not seen her turned adrift without oars, as the fog came on just at that time. The yacht was left with only three seamen on board, and, should it come on bad weather, they were in an awkward predicament. Mr. Hautaine had taken the command, and ordered the

guns to be fired that the boat might be enabled to find them.

The fourth gun was loading, when they perceived the smuggler's cutter close to them, looming through the fog. 'Here they are,' cried the seamen; 'and they have brought the prize along with them. Three cheers for the Arrow!'

'Hilloa! you'll be on board of us,' cried Hautaine.

"That's exactly what I intended to be, sir,' replied Pickersgill, jumping on the quarter-deck, followed by his men. "Who the devil are you?'

"That's exactly the same question that I asked Lord B. when he boarded us,' replied Pickersgill, taking off his hat to the ladies.

'Well, but what business have you here?'

'Exactly the same question which I put to Lord B.,' replied Pickersgill. 'Where is Lord B., sir?' said Cecilia Ossulton, going up to the smuggler; 'is he safe?'

'Yes, madam, he is safe; at least he is in his boat with all his men, and unhurt, but you must excuse me, if I request you and the other ladies to go down below, while I speak to these gentlemen. Be under no alarm, miss; you will receive neither insult nor ill treatment-I have only taken possession of this vessel for the present.'

"Taken possession,' cried Hautaine, 'of a yacht!'

'Yes, sir, since the owner of the yacht thought proper to attempt to take possession of me. I always thought that yachts were pleasure-vessels sailing about for amusement, respected themselves, and not interfering with others; but it appears that such is not the case. The owner of this yacht has thought proper to break through the neutrality, and commence aggression; and, under such circumstances, I have now, in retaliation, taken possession of her.'

'And, pray, what do you mean to do, sir?'

"Simply, for a few days, to make an exchange. I shall send you on board of my vessel as smugglers, while I re

main here with the ladies, and amuse myself with yachting.'

'Why, sir, you cannot meanI have said, gentlemen, and that is enough; I should be sorry to resort to violence, but I must be obeyed. You have, I perceive, three seamen only left; they are not sufficient to take charge of the vessel, and Lord B. and the others you will not meet for several days. My regard for ladies-even common humanity, points out to me that I cannot leave the vessel in this crippled condition. At the same time as I must have hands on board of my own, you will oblige me by going on board, and taking her safely into port.

It is the least return you can make for my kindness. In those dresses. gentlemen, you will not be able to do your duty; oblige me by shifting, and putting on these.' Corbett handed a flannel shirt, a rough jacket and trousers, to Messrs. Hautaine, Ossulton, Vaughan, and Seagrove. After some useless resistance they were stripped, and, having put on the smugglers' attire, they were handed on board of the Happy-go-lucky.

The three English seamen were also sent on board, and confined below, as well as Ossulton's servant, who was also equipped like his master, and confined below with the seamen. Corbett and the men then handed up all the smuggled goods into the yacht, dropped the boat, and made it fast astern; and, Morrison having received his directions, the vessels separated,-Morrison running for Cherbourg, and Pickersgill steering the yacht along shore to the westward. About an hour after this exchange had been effected, the fog cleared up, and shewed the revenue cutter hove to for her boats, which had pulled back, and were close on board of her; and the Happy-go-lucky, about three miles in the offing. Lord B. and his boat's crew were about four miles in shore, paddling and drifting with the tide towards Portland. As soon as the boats were on board, the revenue cutter made all sail after the smuggler, paying no attention to the yacht, and

either not seeing or not caring about the boat which was drifting about in West-Bay.

The Travestie.

'Here we are, Corbett, and now I only wish my venture had been double,' observed Pickersgill; 'but I shall not allow business to absorb me wholly we must add a little amusement. It appears to me, Corbett, that the gentleman's clothes which lie there will fit you, and those of the good-looking fellow who was spokesman will, I am sure, suit me well. Now, let us dress ourselves, and then for breakfast.'

Pickersgill then exchanged his clothes for those of Mr. Hautaine, and Corbett fitted on those of Mr. Ossulton. The steward was summoned up, and he dared not disobey; he appeared on deck, trembling.

'Steward-you will take these clothes below,' said Pickersgill, 'and, observe, I now command this yacht; and, during the time that I am on board, you will pay me the same respect as you did Lord B. You will prepare dinner and breakfast, and do your duty just as if his lordship was on board, and take care that you feed us well, for I will not allow the ladies to be entertained in a less sumptuous manner than before. -You will tell the cook what I say, and now that you have heard me, take care that you obey; if not, recollect that I have my own men here, and if I but point with my finger, overboard you go.T -Do you perfectly comprehend

me?

'Yes, sir,' stammered the steward. 'Yes, sir!-What did I tell you, sirrah? -Yes, my lord.-Do you understand me?'

'Yes-my lord.'

a couple of glasses of brandy, to keep himself from fainting.

"Who are they, and what are they, Mr. Maddox?' cried the lady's-maid, who had been weeping.

'Pirates!-bloody, murderous, stick-atnothing pirates!' replied the steward.

'Oh!' screamed the lady's-maid, 'what will become of us, poor unprotected females!' and she hastened into the cabin, to impart this dreadful intelligence.

The ladies in the cabin were not in a very enviable situation. As for the elder Miss Ossulton, (but perhaps, it will be better in future, to distinguish the two ladies, by calling the elder simply Miss Ossulton, and her niece, Cecilia), she was sitting with her salts to her nose agonised with a mixture of trepidation and wounded pride. Mrs. Lascelles was weeping but weeping gently. Cecilia was sad, and her heart was beating with anxiety and suspense when the maid rushed in.

'Oh madam! Oh miss! Oh Mrs. Lascelles! I have found it all out!--they are murderous, bloody, do-every-thing pirates!!'

'Mercy on us!' exclaimed Miss Ossulton, 'surely they will never dare

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'Oh, ma'am, they dare any thing!they just now were throwing the steward overboard-and they have rummaged all the portmanteaus, and dressed themselves in the gentlemen's best clothes-the captain of them told the steward that he was Lord B.-and that if he dared to call him anything else, he would cut his throat from ear to earand if the cook don't give them a good dinner, they swear that they'll chop his right hand off, and make him eat it, without pepper or salt!'

Miss Ossulton screamed, and went off into hysterics.-Mrs. Lascelles and Ce'Pray, steward, whose clothes has this cilia went to her assistance; but the gentleman put on?'

latter had not forgotten the very differ

'Mr.—Mr. Ossulton's, I think-sirent behaviour of Jack Pickersgill, and my lord-I mean.'

Very well, steward; then recollect, in future you always address that gentleman as Mr. Ossulton.'

'Yes, my lord,' and the steward went down below, and was obliged to take

his polite manners, when he boarded the vessel. She did not, therefore, believe what the maid had reported, but still her anxiety and suspense were great, especially about her father. After having restored her aunt, she put

on her bonnet, which was lying on the sofa.

'Where are you going, dear?' said Mrs. Lascelles.

'On deck,' replied Cecilia; 'I must and will speak to these men.' 'Gracious heaven! Miss Ossulton; going on deck! have you heard what Phoebe says?'

'Yes, aunt, I have-but I can wait here no longer.'

'Stop her! stop her! she will be murdered!-she will be-she is mad!' screamed Miss Ossulton; but no one attempted to stop Cecilia, and on deck she went. On her arrival, she found Jack Pickersgill and Corbett walking the deck; one of the smugglers at the helm, and the rest forward, and as quiet as the crew of the yacht. As soon as she made her appearance, Jack took off his hat, and made her a bow. 'I do not know whom I have the honour of addressing, young lady! but I am flattered with this mark of confidence. You feel, and I assure you, you feel correctly, that you are not exactly in lawless hands.'

Cecilia looked with more surprise than fear at Pickersgill; Mr. Hautaine's dress became him, he was a handsome, fine-looking man, and had nothing of the ruffian in his appearance; unless, like Byron's Corsair, he was half savage, half soft. She could not help thinking that she had met many with less pretensions, as far as appearance went, to the claims of a gentleman in fashionable circles.

'I have ventured on deck, sir,' said Cecilia, with a little tremulousness in her voice, 'to request, as a favour, that you will inform me what your intentions may be, with regard to the vessel, and with regard to the ladies?'

'And I feel much obliged to you, for your so doing, and I assure you, I will, as far as I have made up my own mind, answer you candidly: but you tremble-allow me to conduct you to a seat. In few words, then, to remove your present alarm, I intend that the vessel shall be returned to its owner, with every article in it, as religi

ously respected as if they were church property. With respect to you, and the other ladies on board, I pledge you my honour, that you have nothing to fear; that you shall be treated with every respect; your privacy never invaded; and that, in a few days, you will be restored to your friends. Young lady, I pledge my hopes of future salvation to the truth of this; but, at the same time, I must make a few conditions, which, however, will not be very severe.'

'But, sir,' replied Cecilia, much relieved, for Pickersgill had stood by her in the most respectful manner, 'you are, I presume, the captain of the smuggler?-Pray, answer me one question more- -What became of the boat, with Lord B.?-he is my father.'

'I left him in his boat, without a hair of his head touched, young lady: but I took away the oars.'

"Then he will perish!' cried Cecilia, putting her handkerchief to her eyes.

'No, young lady, he is on shore probably by this time; although I took away his means of assisting to capture us, I left him the means of gaining the land. It is not every one who would have done that, after his conduct to us.'

'I begged him not to go,' said Cecilia; 'I told him that it was not fair, and that he had no quarrel with the smugglers.'

I thank you even for that,' replied Pickersgill; and now, miss-I have not the pleasure of recollecting his lordship's family name.'

'Ossulton, sir,' said Cecilia, looking at Pickersgill with surprise.

"Then, with your permission, Miss Ossulton, I will now make you my confidant; excuse my using so free a term, but it is because I wish to relieve your fears; at the same time, I cannot permit you to divulge all my intentions to the whole party on board; I feel that I may trust you, for you have courage, and where there is courage, there generally is truth; but you must first tell me whether you will condescend to accept these terms?'

Cecilia demurred a moment-the idea of being the confidant of a smuggler rather startled her; but still, her knowledge of what his intentions were, if she might not reveal them, might be important, as, perhaps, she might dissuade him. She could be in no worse position than she was now, and she might be in a much better. The conduct of Pickersgill had been such, up to the present, as to inspire confidence; and although he defied the laws, he appeared to regard the courtesies of life. Cecilia was a courageous girl, and at length she replied:-

'Provided what you desire me to keep secret will not be injurious to any one, or compromise me, in my peculiar situation, I consent.'

'I would not hurt a fly, Miss Ossulton, but in self-defence, and I have too much respect for you, from your conduct during our short meeting, to compromise you. Allow me now to be very candid; and then, perhaps, you will acknowledge that, in my situation, others would do the same; and, perhaps, not show half so much forbearance. Your father, without any right whatever, interferes with me, and my calling; he attempts to make me a prisoner, to have me thrown in jail, heavily fined, and, perhaps, sent out of the country. I will not enter into any defence of smuggling; it is sufficient to say, that there are pains and penalties attached to the infraction of certain laws, and that I choose to risk them --but Lord B. was not empowered by government to attack me-it was a gratuitous act, and had I thrown him, and all his crew into the sea, I should have been justified, for it was in short an act of piracy on their part. Now, as your father has thought to turn a yacht into a revenue cutter, you cannot be surprised at my retaliating, in turning her into a smuggler; and as he has mixed up looking after the revenue with yachting, he cannot be surprised if I retaliate, by mixing up a little yachting with smuggling. I have dressed your male companions as smugglers, and have sent them in the smug

Herrig, British Anth.

gling vessel to Cherbourg, where they will be safely landed; and I have dressed myself, and the only person whom I could join with me in this frolic, as gentlemen, in their places. My object is two-fold; one is, to land my cargo, which I have now on board, and which is very valuable; the other is, to retaliate upon your father and his companions, for their attempt upon me, by stepping into their shoes, and enjoying, for a day or two, their luxuries. It is my intention to make free with nothing, but his lordship's wine and eatables, that you may be assured of; but I shall have no pleasure, if the ladies do not sit down to the dinner-table with us, as they did before with your father

and his friends.'

'You can hardly expect that, sir,' said Cecilia.

'Yes, I do and that will be not only the price of the early release of the yacht and themselves, but it will also be the only means by which they will obtain any thing to eat. You observe, Miss Ossulton, the sins of the fathers are visited on the children. I have now told you what I mean to do, and what I wish. I leave you to think of it, and decide whether it will not be best for all parties to consent. You have my permission to tell the other ladies, that whatever may be their conduct, they are as secure from ill treatment or rudeness, as if they were in Grosvenor Square; but I cannot answer that they will not be hungry, if, after such forbearance in every point, they show so little gratitude, as not to honour me with their company.'

"Then I am to understand, that we are to be starved into submission.'

'No, not starved, Miss Ossulton; but recollect, that you will be on bread and water, and detained until you do consent, and your detention will increase the anxiety of your father.'

'You know how to persuade,' said Cecilia. As far as I am concerned, I trust I shall ever be ready to sacrifice any feelings of pride, to spare my father so much uneasiness. With your permission, I will now go down into the

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