"I'll do what I can, but you shouldn't
have fought us."
'"Steve," I says, "you aren't ever going to report our little
fall-out as a fight! Why, a Revenue cutter 'ud laugh at it!"
'"So'd I if I wasn't in the Republican Navy," he says. "But two
of our men are dead, d'ye see, and I'm afraid I'll have to take you
to the Prize Court at Le Havre."
'"Will they condemn my 'baccy?" I asks.
'"To the last ounce. But I was thinking more of the ship. She'd
make a sweet little craft for the Navy if the Prize Court 'ud let me
have her," he says.
'Then I knew there was no hope. I don't blame him - a man
must consider his own interests, but nigh every dollar I had was
in ship or cargo, and Steve kept on saying, "You shouldn't have
fought us."
'Well, then, the lugger took us to Le Havre, and that being the
one time we did want a British ship to rescue us, why, o' course
we never saw one. My cousin spoke his best for us at the Prize
Court. He owned he'd no right to rush alongside in the face o' the
United States flag, but we couldn't get over those two men killed,
d'ye see, and the Court condemned both ship and cargo. They
was kind enough not to make us prisoners - only beggars - and
young L'Estrange was given the BERTHE AURETTE to re-arm into the
French Navy.
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