Fitz the Filibuster | Page 2

beautiful countries in the East Indies, or to South
America--anywhere away from these fogs and rains. Why, we haven't
seen the sun for a week."
He went forward, to rest his arms on the bulwark and look out to sea.
The sight was not tempting. The mouth of the Mersey is not attractive
on a misty day, and the nearest land aft showed like a low-down dirty
cloud. Away on the horizon there was a long thick trail of smoke being
left behind by some outward-bound steamer, and running his eyes
along the horizon he caught sight of another being emitted from one of
two huge funnels which were all that was visible of some great Atlantic
steamer making for the busy port.
Nearer in there were two more vessels, one that he made out to be a
brig, and that was all.
"Ugh!" ejaculated the boy. "I wish--I wish--What's the use of wishing?
One never gets what one wants. Whatever are we going to do to-night?
It must mean smuggling. Well, there will be something in that. Going
aboard some small boat and looking at the skipper's papers, and if they
are not right putting somebody on board and bringing her into port. But
there won't be any excitement like one reads about in books. It's a
precious dull life coming to sea."
Fitz Burnett sighed and waited, for the evening was closing in fast, and
then he began to brighten in the expectation of the something fresh that
was to take place that night. But knowing that it might be hours before
they started, he waited--and waited--and waited.

There is an old French proverb which says, Tout vient a point a qui sait
attendre, and this may be roughly interpreted, "Everything comes to the
man who waits." Let's suppose that it comes to the boy.
CHAPTER TWO.
BRAVO, BOY!
The dim evening gave place to a dark night. The Tonans had for some
two or three hours been stealing along very slowly not far from land,
and that something important was on the way was evident from the
captain's movements, and the sharp look-out that was being kept up,
and still more so from the fact that no lights were shown.
The gunboat's cutter had been swung out ready for lowering down at a
moment's notice, the armed crew stood waiting, and one man was in the
stern-sheets whose duty it was to look after the lantern, which was kept
carefully shaded.
Fitz, who was the readiest of the ready, had long before noted with
intense interest the fact that they showed no lights, and his interest
increased when the lieutenant became so far communicative that he
stood gazing out through the darkness side by side with his junior, and
said softly--
"I am afraid we shall miss her, my lad. She'll steal by us in the darkness,
and it will all prove to be labour in vain."
Fitz waited to hear more, but no more came, for the lieutenant moved
off to join the captain.
"I wish he wouldn't be so jolly mysterious," said the midshipman to
himself. "I am an officer too, and he might have said a little more."
But it was all waiting, and no farther intercourse till close upon eight
bells, when Fitz, feeling regularly tired out, said to himself--
"Bother! I wish I hadn't asked leave to go. I should have been

comfortably asleep by now."
He had hardly thought this when there was a quick movement behind
him, and simultaneously he caught sight of a dim light off the
starboard-bow. An order was given in a low tone, and with a silence
and method learned on board a man-of-war, the boat's crew, followed
by their officers, took their places in the cutter, and in obedience to
another command the boat was lowered down, kissed the water, the
hooks were withdrawn, she was pushed off, the oars fell on either side,
and away they glided over the dancing waters in the direction of the
distant light.
"Now we are off, Fitz," said the lieutenant eagerly, speaking almost in a
whisper, but without the slightest necessity, for the light was far away.
"Yes, sir, now we are off," replied the boy, almost resentfully, and his
tone suggested that he would have liked to say, Why can't you tell me
where we are going? Possibly the officer took it in this light, for he
continued--
"This ought to be a bit of excitement for you, Burnett. We are after a
schooner bound for somewhere south, laden with contraband of war."
"War, sir?" whispered the lad excitedly.
"Well, some petty Central American squabble; and the captain has had
instructions that this schooner is going to steal out of port to-night.
Some one informed. We got the information