was evident that he had touched the shore.
Everyone on board remained motionless for half an hour, when the same luminous track was again observed, and the swimmer was soon on board.
“Well?” exclaimed Franz and the sailors in unison.
“They are Spanish smugglers,” said he; “they have with them two Corsican bandits.”
“And what are these Corsican bandits doing here with Spanish smugglers?”
“Alas,” returned the captain with an accent of the most profound pity, “we ought always to help one another. Very often the bandits are hard pressed by gendarmes or carbineers; well, they see a vessel, and good fellows like us on board, they come and demand hospitality of us; you can’t refuse help to a poor hunted devil; we receive them, and for greater security we stand out to sea. This costs us nothing,