“Infamous, by heavens!” cried the vice-consul; “I shall write to the foreign office on the subject.”

“I think,” said Jack, “it will be much better to do what I shall propose, which will end in a hearty laugh, and to the confusion of Captain Hogg. Do you dress yourself in your sister’s clothes, and I will bring you off instead of her. Let him imagine that he has your sister secure; I will hand you down to the cabin, and do you lock yourself in. He cannot sail without my orders, and I will not sign the vouchers. The next morning we will open the cabin door and have a good laugh at him. Desire your boat to be off at daylight to take you on shore, and I will then make him proceed to Toulon forthwith. It will be a capital joke.”

So thought the vice-consul, as well as Gascoigne and Captain Hogg. He shook hands with Jack, and was as civil to him as before.

That night Gascoigne left one of Miss Hicks’s many dresses with Azar, who agreed to follow his fortunes, and who packed up all the jewels and money she could lay her hands upon. Poor little child, she trembled with fear and delight. Miss Hicks smuggled, as she thought, a box of clothes on board, and in the box was her fortune of three hundred dollars. Mr. Hicks laughed in his sleeve, so did Jack; and every one went to bed, with expectations that their wishes would be realized. After an early dinner, Captain Hogg and Gascoigne went on board, both squeezing Jack’s hand as if they were never to see him again, and looks of intelligence passed between all parties.

As soon as they were out of the door the vice-consul chuckled, and Miss Hicks, who thought he chuckled at the idea of having rid himself of Captain Hogg, chuckled still more as she looked at our hero, who was her confidant, and our hero, for reasons known to the reader, chuckled more than either of them.

A little before dark, the boat was sent on shore from the brig, which was now under way, and Mr. Hicks, as had been agreed, said that he should go into the office and prepare the vouchers—that is, put on his sister’s clothes. Miss Hicks immediately rose, and wishing our hero a pleasant voyage, as had been agreed, said that she should retire for the night, as she had a bad headache—she wished her brother good night, and went into her room to wait another hour, when our hero, having shoved off the boat to deceive the vice-consul, was to return, meet her in the garden, and take her off to the brig. Our hero then went into the office and assisted the vice-consul, who took off all his own clothes and tied them up in a hankerchief, intending to resume them after he had gone into the cabin.

As soon as he was ready, Jack carried his bundle and led the supposed Miss Hicks down to the boat. They shoved off in a great hurry, and Jack took an opportunity of dropping Mr. Hicks’s bundle overboard. As soon as they arrived alongside, Mr. Hicks ascended, and was handed by Jack down into the cabin: he squeezed Jack’s hand as he entered, saying in a whisper, “To-morrow morning what a laugh we shall have!” and then he locked the door. In the meantime the boat was hooked on and hoisted up, and Jack took the precaution to have the dead lights lowered, that Mr. Hicks might not be able to ascertain what was going on. Gascoigne came up to our hero and squeezed his hand.

“I’m so much obliged to you, Jack. I say, to-morrow morning what a laugh we shall have!”

As soon as the boat was up, and the mainyard filled, Captain Hogg also came up to our hero, shaking him by the hand and thanking him; and he, too, concluded by saying, “I say, Mr. Easy, to-morrow morning what a laugh we shall have!”

“Let those laugh who win,” thought Jack.

The wind was fair, the watch was set, the course was steered, and all went down to their hammocks, and went to sleep, waiting for to-morrow morning. Mr. Hicks, also, having nothing better to do, went to sleep, and by the morning dawn the transport Mary Ann was more than a hundred miles from the African shore.