The first occurrence out of the ordinary course of things that struck the American was the strong light of a lamp shining through an upper window of the government-house—­not that at which the lieutenant was posted, but one above it—­and which had been placed there expressly as an indication to the frigate that Griffin had arrived, and was actively on duty.  It was now two o’clock, or an hour or two before the appearance of light, and the breeze off the adjoining continent was sufficiently strong to force a good sailing vessel, whose canvas had been thickened by the damps of night, some four knots through the water; and as Capraya was less than thirty miles from Porto Ferrajo, abundant time had been give to the Proserpine to gain her offing; that ship having come from behind her cover, as soon as the sun had set, and the haze of evening settled upon the sea.

Ithuel, usually so loquacious and gossiping in his moments of leisure, was silent and observant when he had anything serious on hand.  His eye was still on the window in which the lamp was visible, the pure olive oil that was burning in it throwing out a clear, strong flame; when suddenly a blue-light flashed beneath the place, and he got a momentary glimpse of the body of the man who held it, as he leaned forward from another window.  The motion which now turned his head seaward was instinctive; it was just in time to let him detect a light descending apparently into the water like a falling star; but which, in fact, was merely a signal lantern of the Proserpine coming rapidly down from the end of her gaff.

“Ah! d—­n you,” said Ithuel, grating his teeth and shaking his fist in the direction of the spot where this transient gleam of brightness had disappeared—­“I know you, and your old tricks with your lanterns and night-signals.  Here goes the answer.”

As he said this he touched a rocket, of which he had several in the boat, with the lighted end of the cigar he had been smoking, and it went hissing up into the air, ascending so high as to be plainly visible from the deck of le Feu-Follet before it exploded.  Griffin saw this signal with wonder; the frigate noted it with embarrassment, for it was far to seaward of the lamp; and even ’Maso conceived it necessary to quit his station in order to report the circumstance to the colonel, whom he was to call in the event of any unusual occurrence.  The common impression, however, among all these parties was that a second cruiser had come through the canal from the southward in the course of the night, and that she wished to notify the Proserpine of her position, probably expecting to meet that ship off the island.