Part 14 (1/2)
”Coree to my proposal Step on board; crack a bottle with Captain Coopman and me Your men shall be entertained forward, and while the calm lasts you need be in no hurry to take your departure”
Without further hesitation Captain Bart agreed to the proposal
”I trust to your honour, Captain Benbow,” he said
”You iven your word to allow the _Elephant_ to continue her voyage unmolested, you will be able to leave this shi+p whenever you desire”
The three Captains were soon seated in the coate Captain Benbow, having regarded Captain Bart for an instant, put out his hand, exclaiether as lads for two years or more under Adood deal of pretty hard fighting”
”You are perfectly right,” answered Captain Bart ”I ree, when I returned toat the tiainst my old friends the Dutch”
”You and I e, Captain Bart,” observed Benbow, after they had been co notes of certain events which had taken place
”I was born in the year 1650,” said Bart
”Very saht,” observed Benbow ”We both of us have been ploughing the salt water pretty nearly ever since”
”For h it to the end of my days, as most of my ancestors have done; for we men of Dunkerque are born seamen, and fond of the ocean,” said Bart
”And to my belief I am the first of er had been an interested listener to the conversation carried on in English, which Bart spoke remarkably well, as did Captain Coopman
”Will you tell Captain Bart your adventure with the Moors' heads, sir?”
he said, thinking it would interest their guests
The other Captain was eager to hear it, and Benbow gave the account, and told of the wonderful way in which Roger and Stephen had escaped
”You acted bravely, er ”It required no ser_ Those Sallee rovers have become the pest of the ocean I hope that h for my part I would rather catch theood price as a slave, and very useful well-behaved servants they make, always provided their tempers are not irritated, and it is prudent not to allow them to carry arms of any description”
After some time Captain Bart rose to take his leave His men had, he found, been hospitably entertained by the crew of the _Benbow_ frigate
Very loath to quit her, the French their hosts in a most de the hope that England and France would hereafter, as now, remain on friendly ter too ard the French with any a, but wisely kept on board their own vessel
”Now, Captain Bart,” said Benbow ”I must trust to your honour not to interfere with our friend here”
”Certainly, certainly,” answered Captain Bart, and shaking hands with his brother Captains, he stepped into his boat, which pulled leisurely towards his frigate
”Now, my friend,” said Benbow to Captain Coopman, ”yonder Frenchman may be a very honourable person, but it is as well not to trust him more than we can help I would advise you to make sail directly it becomes dark, so that you may put as wide a distance as possible between your two vessels before to-hts for soer, so that he will not knohat direction you have gone”
The Dutch Captain, considering Benbow's advice sound, promised to follow it The calm continued till about half the first watch was over, when a light breeze sprang up frolish and Dutch vessels to ard of Jean Bart's frigate The _Elephant_ immediately liht to proceed frohter than ever, and waited for an hour or , he shaped a course for the Thaood turn to our Dutch friend; I hope that he will e to escape from their clutches”
CHAPTER SEVEN