"In using the swate brogue of Ould Ireland, which I lairned from me modther, long life to her, though she died when I was a babby." "Welcome to your superiority in that line, my boy; but I hoped you would forget your brogue before this time, for you have talked all the evening till now without a touch of it," added Louis. "Forgit me brogue? Niver! I'd dhrown mesel' in half a point o' wather afore I'd forgit me modther tongue!" "There is an opening in the land on the starboard side, just ahead of us," Scott announced. "I suppose it is the River Palmones, and there is a village on the north side of it. I missed the Guadarranque River. "Small loss; but are we going into this river, Scott?" asked Louis. "I guess not; I don't know the navigation, and it is not sounded on the chart of the bay. But there are some small vessels in there, for I can see their masts not half a cable's length from the shore." "We don't want anything of them." "There is a boat coming out of the river," said Morris. "All right: there is room enough in this bay for both of us," added Louis, as he glanced in the direction of the outlet of the stream. "I can see the lights in the houses on the shore of the river," continued Morris. The moonlight did not produce a very brilliant illumination of Gibraltar Bay, though it was light enough to enable the voyagers on its waters to see all prominent objects on the shores, and to make out the shape of the points projecting from them. There was not a sail in sight in this part of the bay, though the masts of the small craft in the creek could be plainly distinguished. Both of them were schooners, and they were evidently larger than most of the feluccas seen on the Mediterranean. The boat that was approaching contained five men, two of whom were at the oars. They were pulling out in a direction to intercept the Salihé. Louis examined the boat and the men as well as he could, and though he had been utterly unable to imagine any possible danger in connection with the moonlight excursion, he made up his mind that he, for one, did not care to encounter a group of five men in just this lonely and silent locality. Scott had strictly observed his instructions to keep within about a quarter of a mile of the shore, and the steam-yacht was now at this distance from the land. The rowers in the boat did not seem to be hurrying themselves at the oars, and Louis concluded that it would be a very easy matter for the Salihé to run away from the strangers when it seemed necessary to do so. The steamer continued on her course, and no one expressed any alarm. Suddenly the Salihé stopped short, her keel grinding in the sand or mud. CHAPTER V AT THE MOUTH OF THE PALMONES RIVER