1
In the King's Name, by George Manville Fenn
The Project Gutenberg EBook of In the King's Name, by George Manville Fenn This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
Title: In the King's Name The Cruise of the "Kestrel"
Author: George Manville Fenn
Release Date: November 6, 2007 [EBook #23386]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK IN THE KING'S NAME ***
Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England
In the King's Name; or, The Cruise of the Kestrel, by George Manville Fenn.
CHAPTER ONE.
ON BOARD THE "KESTREL."
Morning on board the Kestrel, his Britannic majesty's cutter, lying on and off the south coast on the lookout for larks, or what were to her the dainty little birds that the little falcon, her namesake, would pick up. For the Kestrel's wings were widespread to the soft south-easterly breeze that barely rippled the water; and mainsail, gaff topsail, staysail, and jib were so new and white that they seemed to shine like silver in the sun.
The larks the hover-winged Kestrel was on the watch to pick up were smuggling boats of any sort or size, or Jacobite messages, or exiles, or fugitives--anything, in fact, that was not in accordance with the laws of his most gracious majesty King George the Second, whose troops had not long before dealt that fatal blow to the young