THE MATAPAN AFFAIR.
37

•       whom Matapan killed in the Straits of Malacca? The
KrthY Baron, it seems was once a pirate."
W " 1 always suspected it."                                         .-"¦*-
«So did I, and I hope we shall never see him again. He
i m-obably gone to take up his abode in some distant land,
tiftis unless he has resumed his former profession, in winch
?» we may reasonably hope he will be hung some day. But,
however that may be, we shall soon hear that his house is
^ThVsky was cloudy, a stiff breeze was blowing, the shore
was hidden from sight by a dense fog and on every side in-
numerable rocks lifted their grim, black heads above the foam-
CrTttewasVaindeed, the immense and gloomy Atlantic, nowhere
So stern'and awe-inspiring as here on the rock-bound coast
nf Brittany.                             .           ,                       ,   .
" Well " exclaimed Doutrelaise, " where are we, and where
fl1.e we going? You have thought it .best to keep the secret
T did not ask you to reveal, but it is time, it seems to
ine to tell me the name and location of the rock where
we are to search for these lost millions."
«You are quite right, my dear friend. Lend me an
attentive ear, and I will treat you to a short course of Breton
g " You have noticed, of course, that we have just left
the narrow channel which serves as an entrance to the Bay
of Brest, and you have also noticed that we have turned
to the right I express myself after the manner of a Par-
isian commissionaire when he undertakes to enlighten some
pedestrian who has lost his way."
" Oh, you can use technical terms if you choose. 1 read
several nautical romances in my youth, and I think I shall be
able to understand you. Besides, I am somewhat acquainted
with the coast, and know that we have rounded Cape Saint-
" Leaving on our larboard the Black Rocks, Beniguet, Mo-
lène and the Onessant, and a host of more dangerous rocks. It
would be difficult to give you any idea of the number of ves-
sels wrecked on this coast.    One of my best comrades sleeps
here.   He was on board the 'Gorgon,' which went to pieces
off the Black Rocks.    Not a man escaped, and no one knows
just where the ship went down.    After that are you surprised
an American vessel, loaded with gold, should be lost?"
" But not here, since we are still moving onward.
" A little further north, my dear fellow, but not very far
from us.    The channel we have followed is called Le Four,
and war vessels venture into it only in the fairest weather.
We have passed not only Cape Saint-Mathieu, but also Capes
Kermorvan and Corsen.    We have also passed Porspoder, a
pretty seaport town, where gigantic lobsters cost only ten
sous, the Isle of Yock, and other rocks, with equally heathen-
ish names."
" I see others before us."
"The largest is Green Island—the other, which wears a
rather forbidding air, is Bosseven. The channel that sepa-
rates them is known as Relec Channel."                         _
" I do not derive much satisfaction from this enumeration.
"In less than a week you will be as familiar with all these
islands as vou are with the Boulevard Haussmann, for it isjn
this immediate neighborhood that we are going to establish
ourselves."
"Whatan enchanting prospect! We shall have need of
all our philosophy. You can fish for gold while I fish for
crabs."
" No jesting, if you please. You will find life here not
without its charms. But we did not come for pleasure, and
our aim should be to succeed as quickly as possible. I will
now explain my plans.
"We shall reach our destination in about half an hour, and
that-will be none too soon, for night is coming on, and I have
no desire to sail about among these rocks after dark. We
sMall anchor upon Green Island, which I pointed out to you
just now, and the Isle of Greem, whicli lies to the left of
Green Island. There is a very good harbor, where our yacht
will be perfectly safe, even in bad weather. Of course we
shall remain on board."
" But where is the wreck?"                         _
"According to the information given Monsieur de la Cal-
prenède by the American sailor, the vessel must have struck
upon one of those rocks that lift their black heads on the left,
before us. I suspect upon that known as West Bosseven to
distinguish it from another island of the same name that lies
considerably further out.
"Bosseven must have some meaning in Breton, but I have
neglected to learn the language; besides I suppose the signifi-
cation of the word is not of much importance, provided the
millions are forthcoming."
" Really, I admire your courage. Yon talk as if you had
seen them. But why do we not anchor mear Bosseven, if
Bosseven is the spot?"
"Because that would be dangerous. There is no good
harbor there, while between the two islands we shall be as
safe as my aunt when she shelters herself behind her Chinese
screen. Besides, on the Isle of Greem there are plenty of
hares and other game which will furnish us with amusement.
You can shoot all day if you do not care to watch the opera-
tions of our divers."
" It seems to me quite evident that you do not know the
exact situation of the wreck."
" I shall know by this time to-morrow, my dear fellow. I
shall start out at daybreak, and my men will explore the
dopths of ocean, in which lie hidden the shattered timbers of
the vessel whose cargo is to enrich a charming young lady
of my acquaintance."
" What a strange thing life is! Think of it! these millions
belonged to a miner, a Californian who devoted twenty years
to accumulating them, and who little suspected he was work-
ing for a ruined nobleman."
" Keep your philosophical reflections for the day of your
success, and remember La Fontaine's fable. Wait until you
have killed your bear before you sell his hide."
"Silence! You are a confounded pessimist—a raven 1 I
will not take you to Bosseven. You would only irritate me
and discourage mv men."
"Very well. Then how am I to spend my time?"
" In thinking of Mademoiselle de la Calprenède. Will not
that occupation suffice? You are a very strange lover if you
cannot be content with hope, while waiting for something
better. There will be nothing to disturb your reveries, as you
will see only the sea and sky."
"You are making fun of me, and that is unkind."
" Do you think I would allow myself to laugh at your anx-
iety if I did not expect to soon allay it? But seriously I shall
not need your assistance for the first few days, and I do not
wish you to become too much bored, so you shall be taken on
shore every morning, and you need not return until night
unless you" desire to do so."
"On shore!   And what, in Heaven's name, am I to do
there?"
" Porsal is a dull place, but the surrounding country is
charming. There is Saint-Pol-de-Léon, too, the quaintest
old place imaginable. There is nothing to prevent you from
pushing on as far as that. The grass grows as luxuriantly in
the streets as in a meadow, and one can count as many grave-
yards as there are houses."
" A most - attractive place Saint-Pol-de-Léou must be,
judging from your description. If I do not enjoy myself in
this charming region, I must be hard to please."
" You are not compelled to explore it. Without leaving
Porsal, which will be our port, you can visit the ruins of
Trémazan Castle, that commands a fine view of the bay.
Look! you can see the tower from here; a well preserved
relic ofthe military engineering of the thirteenth century.
"I have no more taste for ruins than I have for grave-
yards."                                                                 ,. .       .
" That is a pity. I thought you were something of an
archaeologist. Very well, then, you shall make the acquaint-
ance of the inhabitants of Porsal—excellent people and brave
'sailors. It would be a very good idea for one of us to culti-
vate the people on shore, for it is of the greatest importance
that we should make no enemies. We must treat, whenever
an opportunity to offer them a drink presents itself; and we.
will promise to repair their church, which has been greatly
damaged by the fierce tempests that prevail here. I wish the
entire population to be anxious for the success of our enter-
terprise.                              ¦                   .                       ....
" But here we are at the channel, and though our pilot is
thoroughly acquainted with his business, I am going to see
that he does not graze some rock in passing. It woula be
hard to come here to meet with.the same fate that befell the
former owner of these chests of gold.                      #
" Remain here, if you like. The sun is just going down.
It is a sight wliich "Paris cannot offer, and which is well
worthy of your attention."                                                 .
Courtaumer went to the wheel; Doutrelaise felt no desire
to  follow him.     He  knew  nothing about steering; but,