Captain Cuffe was aware that his enterprise had failed as soon as he perceived the lugger under her canvas, playing around the felucca, and the boats held in perfect command.  But when he discovered the latter pulling for the shore he was certain that they must have suffered, and he was prepared to learn a serious loss, though not one that bore so large a proportion to the whole numbers of the party sent on the expedition.  Winchester he considerately declined questioning while his wound was being dressed; but Griffin was summoned to his cabin as soon as the boats were hoisted in and stowed.

“Well, Mr. Griffin, a d—­d pretty scrape is this into which you have led me, among you, with your wish to go boating about after luggers and Raoul Yvards!  What will the admiral say when he comes to hear of twenty-two men’s being laid on the shelf, and a felucca to be paid for, as a morning’s amusement?”

“Really, Captain Cuffe, we did our best; but a man might as well have attempted to put out Vesuvius with snowballs as to stand the canister of that infernal lugger!  I don’t think there was a square yard in the felucca that was not peppered.  The men never behaved better; and down to the moment when we last cheered I was as sure of le Feu-Follet as I ever was of my own promotion.”

“Aye, they needn’t call her le Few-Folly any longer—­the Great Folly being a better name.  What the devil did you cheer for at all, sir? did you ever know a Frenchman cheer in your life?  That very cheering was the cause of your being found out before you had time to close.  You should have shouted vive la republique, as all their craft do when we engage them.  A regular English hurrah would split a Frenchman’s throat.”

“I believe we did make a mistake there, sir; but I never was in an action in which we did not cheer; and when it got to be warm—­or to seem warm—­I forgot myself a little.  But we should have had her, sir, for all that, had it not been for one thing.”

“And what is that, pray?  You know, Griffin, I must have something plausible to tell the admiral; it will never do to have it published in the gazette that we were thrashed by our own hallooing.”

“I was about to say, Captain Cuffe, that had not the lugger fired her first broadside just as she did, and had she given us time to get out of the range of her shot, we should have come in upon her before she could have loaded again, and carried her in spite of the breeze that so much favored her.  Our having three men hurt in the launch made some difference, too, and set as many oars catching crabs at a most critical instant.  Everything depends on chance in these matters, you know, sir, and that was our bad luck.”

“Umph!  It will never do to tell Nelson that.  ’Everything was going well, my lord, until three of the launch’s people went to work catching crabs with their oars, which threw the boat astern.’  No, no, that will never do for a gazette.  Let me see, Griffin; after all, the lugger made off from you; you would have had her had she not made sail and stood to the southward and westward on a bowline.”