“Disagreeable! Not in the least, quite the contrary. That black grouper looks remarkably beautiful. Another piece of yam, if you please.--Shall I fill you a cup of coffee, Obed? For my own part, I always stow the ground tier of my cargo dry, and then take a topdressing. Write this down as an approved axiom with all thorough breakfast eaters. Why, man, you are off your feed; what are you turning up your ear for, in that incomprehensible fashion, like a duck in thunder? A little of the claret--thank you. The very best butter I have ever eaten out of Ireland--now, some of that avocado pear--and as for biscuit, Leman never came up to it. I say, man,--hillo, where are you?--rouse ye out of your brown study, man.” “Did you hear that, Mr Cringle?” “Hear what?--I heard nothing,” rejoined I; “but hand me over that land crab.--Thank you, and you may send the spawl of that creeping thing along with it; that guana. I had a dislike to eating a lizard at first, but I have got over it somehow;--and a slice of ham, a small taste of the unclean beast, Obed--peach-fed, I’ll warrant.” There was a pause. The report of a great gun came booming along, reverberated from side to side of the lagoon, the echoes growing shorter and shorter, and weaker and weaker, until they growled themselves asleep in a hollow rumble like distant thunder. “Ha, ha! Dick Casket for a thousand! Old Blowhard has stuck in your skirts, Master Obed--but Lord help me, man! let us finish our breakfast; he won’t be here this half hour.” I expected to see mine host’s forehead lowering like a thunder cloud from my ill-timed funning; but to my surprise, his countenance exhibited more amenity than I thought had been in the nature of the beast, as he replied,-- “Why, lieutenant, the felucca put to sea last night, to keep a bright look-out at the mouth of our cove here. I suppose that is him overhauling some vessel.” “It may be so;--hush! there’s another gun--Two!” Obed changed countenance at the double report. “I say, Obed, the felucca did not carry more than one gun when I saw her, and she has had no time to load and fire again.” He did not answer a word, but continued, with a piece of guana on the end of, his fork in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, as if he had been touched by the wand of a magician. Presently we heard one or two dropping shots, quickly thickening into a rattle of musketry. He threw down his food, picked up his hat, and trundled down stairs, as if the devil had kicked him. “Pedro, que hay?” I could hear him say to some one below, who appeared to have arrived in great haste, for he gasped for breath. “Aqui viene la feluca,” answered Pedro; “perseguido por dos Lanchas Canoneras llenas de Gente.” “Abordo entonces, abordo todo el mundo; arma arma, aqui vienen los Engleses; arma, arma!”