you." "That's all very fine, Ebenezer; but there's your one thousand to come yet, which you don't give us, you know; and that's the dearest of it all, for stolen fruit is ever the sweetest." The pleasure that Ebenezer seemed to feel in | ty-five thousand pounds that this gentleman gave this occupation was almost indescribable. He took out each shiny bar with as much tenderness and care as if it were a newly-born infant; some who knew him said, with more than he would have shown had it been a human being, weighing them over with fond delight, and gazing with as much affection almost as if they had been his own. Several of the other passengers also took an ingot or two in their hand with a sort of sigh, as if they lamented the abandonment which had been forced upon them. "Stolen!" suddenly shrieked Ebenezer, in reply; "you precious, eternal, tarnation, superfine thieves and robbers, it's all stolen! It's all plundered-it's all robbed, and that's a fact! Stand off-off, I say! I've got a bowie-knife as well as the best of you, and I'll use it, too, in One of the young men took up one to Broad- defence of my precious gold, that's a fact! You brim, proffering it him to weigh, but the Quaker, shall have my life-blood first, you shall! Haven't simply remarking that it was the root of all evil, you got enough, you etarnal, thundering, thievdeclined any farther acquaintance with it. As ish-bred mutineers ?" and as Ebenezer gave utfor Mr. St. John, neither by word nor look did he terance to this bold defiance, wrung, from time interfere with any passing opinion. to time, by the extremity of the moment, he whipped from beneath his jacket an instrument of the kind he named, and brandished it aloft with a fierceness and energy that seemed as if he really would use its keen edge, rather than be parted from what appeared to him, as he said, dearer than his life. In a few minutes the seaman who had been sent for the spring weighing-machine returned with that instrument in his hand; and Boston Bill, having weighed three or four of the bars at random, proceeded to make a calculation upon the back of an old letter upon his hat as to what ought to be the value of the box. are." "Ebenezer Wire," slowly and sternly answer "I guess you are a pretty considerable go-ed the leader, "I have heard of you before toahead sort of a chap, you are," said Ebenezer, day for a cowardly, hard-hearted, white-livered who seemed bent, if possible, to make friends old-screw, as you know yourself to be; and even with the mammon of unrighteousness; "and if you had the soul to use that bit of steel in the you're pretty considerable quick to cipher, you way you talk, which you know, as well as I do, you have not, even then, I say, what chance "Come, you move off about your business; would you stand against any one of us three, let you won't gammon me, so you needn't try it. alone all? Therefore, be advised by me; I adJust put in the whole of them ingots again," | vise you like a father. Now don't be a cantansaid the Bostonian, pointing with his finger to kerous, contumacious, old hound to the last, but the gold, while Ebenezer, who, for the sake of stand aside and let my men fetch up your goldhis own money, seemed afraid of making an en-box, or if you don't-" emy of the brute who thus commanded him, at - once complied. This done, the lid was once more refixed, in a rude manner. Boston Bill, who appeared prepared for all despatch of busi-a ness, took a piece of chalk out of his pocket, and scoring number one on the box, put it on one side, where it could be under his own especial surveillance. This done, he turned round to his assistants, saying, "Now, then, up with the other boxes as fast as you can; there is no time to be lost, you know." And in compliance with this order, they at once dived below, and chest after chest rapidly made its appearance CHAPTER LX. "Who steals my purse steals trash," was once the word, FROM time to time the interesting operations we have described would be stopped for a few minutes, while Boston Bill selected at random a box to open, and counted over its contents. Fortunately, whenever this was done, the examination proved satisfactory, and at last nine of them stood ranged before him. 66 Now, then, there only remains one more," said the man of Boston, snapping his fingers aloft, as though he should say, "I've pretty near got rid of a dirty business, and done a good day's work." 66 'Well, then, you, sir-what then?" "Receive the contents of this through your head;" and the Bostonian, drawing from his belt pistol that was still cocked, presented it full at the other. "Don't! Take it down, it makes me kinder nastier! I don't like them things, they riles me quite, that's a fact!" and Ebenezer tried to move his head out of the line of fire; but the Bostonian, following the motions of his victim, still kept the muzzle fully pointed at the other's eye. "Move out of the way, Ebenezer, or I'll pull the trigger." "Hold!" shouted Mr. St. John, advancing with his rifle, and forsaking the attitude of indifference he had hitherto maintained; "the first drop of passenger's blood that you spill upon the deck during the truce, to which we have all agreed, is a signal for the death of all three of you, though these hands undertake the task." "That is, if you can do it, old gentleman. Two can play at that fun, and that's a fact, as our friend Ebenezer would say." "It is, ruffian," rejoined St. John, with a stern and haughty dignity of eye that made the larger man quail beneath it; "and now I'll tell you another fact to add to it, which is, this: you and I have played at that game before, and the end of it is, that you carry, if I mistake not, one of my bullets in your ankle and another of Major Symonds's in your jaw, at this moment. Bethink you, then-the hand that could lodge those there with so unsteady a mark, may, with a better opportunity, throw the next into your thick_scull. And as for you, sir," turning to Ebenezer Wire, "since you seem so reluctant to part with your gold to save the life of a fellow-creature-" "Fellow critter!" interposed Ebenezer. "And who, I should like to know, would interpose to save my life from starving, if I'm so soft and so little a go-ahead kind of chap as to let go my gold, that's what I wan't to know? That 'ere thousand pounds below is all my arnings, I tell you; it's all I have got in the creation, that's a fact." proposal called forth. Ebenezer alone appeared untouched by it. What!" said he, "do you think it's likely that I, an enlightened American, one of the regular go-aheads, will give up my thousand pounds in hard gold for your trumpery, half-penny, precious, superfine brown paper check Who are "It's a lie, Ebenezer, and that you know," in-you-that's what I want to know-that I should terrupted Boston Bill. “I—I—I," repeated Ebenezer, evidently much confused, "I know nothing of the sort. How should you know what I am worth; a robber, a plunderer, a superfine mutineer like you? Besides, who'll believe a single word that a doublemilled rascal like you can utter, that's what I want to know?" "You'd better mend your manners, Mr. Ebenezer, if you want your days to be long in the land," muttered the mutineer between his clinched teeth, making, at the same time, a significant motion with his pistol. Peace, peace," interposed Mr. St. John, lifting his hand. "If you will both of you listen to me for a few minutes, I think I can make an arrangement that will suit all parties." CHAPTER LXI. "Ten thousand ducats, and Antonio bound!" Merchant of Venice. HAD the steamer been suddenly anchored in the Downs close under the broadside of an English frigate, it could scarcely have produced, in the minds of the contending arguers, more surprise than did the words last uttered by Mr. St. John-something that should suit the views of both parties. What magical panacea could this be? Already, from all that had passed, they conceived him to be rather a wonderful superfine sort of chap, decidedly quite insane, but yet vastly clever; but what could even he do to reconcile the views of both parties? With open mouths and expectant eyes, the angry and inflamed countenances of both the Bostonian and Ebenezer were now turned full upon him. "Do you," said he, addressing the latter, "object to giving up the thousand pounds of yours, even to save the life of the gallant officer who has been taken prisoner by the mutineers ?" "Do I object?" roared Wire, all his fury appearing to return. "Do I stand in my skin? Of course I object. What's his life to me? I care no more for it than I do for the rind of a rusty side of bacon, that's a fact; that is, compared with my thousand pounds. Why should I? that's what I want to know." take your flimsy bit of paper for my hard gold? No, never-never-that's what I won't. A pretty proposition to make!" "You need say no more, sir," said Mr. St. John. "I asked you a question on a matter calculated rather more to your advantage than to mine, as I thought. You have answered it. I made you an offer, and you have declined it. Nothing more need be said between us. I am quite sure that there can be no feeling in common between us, and therefore there is the less necessity for anything like a discussion. There's only one thing I will add, which is this-there is now on board, as I am informed, a gentleman who is an American lawyer. If you prefer it, as a species of security, notwithstanding the elegance of the assertions to which you have given utterance, I shall still be happy either to give you a bond for the capital of your thousand pounds; or, if you please, a large annuity for it; or an annuity on landed estates for the joint lives of myself and daughter; would that satisfy your doubts, and reconcile you to part with your gold ??? "No," roared Ebenezer, "it won't; nothing shall reconcile me to parting with my gold. Not all that you could offer shall induce me; and, once more, I'm sure you've lost quite enough to beggar you already, without saying anything about any more-that's what you have. Look at that," pointing to the heap of chests, "look at that, Britisher, and gnash your teeth; there lies seventy-five thousand pounds worth of as good gold as ever was made into guineas at the Mint; and all that you've not only lost by your folly, but have led on these thieves, these plunderers, to ask me for mine." And here Ebenezer seemed to get into a perfect state of phrensy at the thought of parting with his money, and growing, above all things, suddenly religious, in his wrath he added, by way of a finisher, "But the Lord, he will requite you for this deed some day see if he don't; that's what he will, I guess." As Wire, with outstretched hand, came to this peroration, Mr. St. John, with a look of despair and disgust, fell back to the original position in which he had been standing, when a desire to save the miser's life induced him to step forward, with what result we have already seen. Boston Bill, who was by no means slow in marking that which was for his own interest, seemed at once to gather from this movement of the old gentleman that Ebenezer was now delivered back into his tender care: with a significant motion of his pistol-butt, he now addressed the unhappy man in a half-jocular manner, saying, "I don't attempt to reason with persons of your principle, sir," said the other, with marked displeasure; "the answer you have given me is enough. Now hear the proposal I have to make. If you will give up your thousand pounds of gold in the peaceable way in which I have resigned mine, I'll give you my check for "Stand back, you murdering, thieving villain the whole amount, payable by the Bank of Eng--stand back!" retorted Ebenezer, fully blocking land, the moment you reach the British shores." An involuntary exclamation of admiration was heard on all sides at this fresh proof of Mr. St. John's generosity. Even the rude mutineer stared at him with a degree of wonderment that denoted the intenseness of the feeling that such a Come, Ebenezer, since you've now fully had your say, it's time for us to have your gold; sostand aside and let us fetch it, that's a man." up the hatchway-ladder, and flourishing his steel anew, and then turning to the other passengers around, "Is there no gentleman here that will assist a freeborn citizen to defend his rights-to defend his property, I may say, and his life?— that's a fact. You, captain, come now, captain, you're a rael brave dare-devil, go-ahead, Amer ican-I call upon you, as the captain acting in command of this ere steamer, to protect my property against this murdering, thieving, plundering villain of a mutineer-that's what I do." "And I answer you, Mr. Wire," said Herbert, with infinite contempt in his manner," with this reply: I have heard a most kind and liberal offer made to you by Mr. St. John, which would have secured to you every farthing of the money you are so fond of, and more too, without the slightest risk. But when told that the temporary parting with your property, under such circumstances, would tend to preserve the life of a gallant officer, esteemed by all of us, your reply was, 'that you cared no more for his life than you did for a rine of rusty bacon.' Now, that's just the amount I care for your money, and no more;" and Herbert turned his back on him. for thee. Of a verity thou didst not. Thou You "There, Ebenezer, what do you think of that? you see you've got no friends, and you can't make a fight alone. Why don't you let us go down peaceably and get your chest? You know very well you've some ten or twelve at home, yonder, to replace the loss of it." Then, suddenly altering his manner, he clasped his hands, and lifting them towards heaven, exclaimed, in the most whining, canting tone of voice, Very well-very well, Mr. Lieutenant," replied Wire, abandoning his former tone of flattery for one of menace, "I know who you are, I do, I tell you. You're a lieutenant in our navy, that's what you are-that's a fact. I'll report you to Congress-that's what I will. Clay is a particular friend of mine, and so is Danel Web- "It's a lie! I haven't," fiercely replied Ebenester-that's a fact. You're a reg'lar acting cap-zer; "I haven't another farthing in the world, tain of this ship, and have thought fit to take you know I haven't." upon you to act as sich. So now mind me, mister, if I lose my money, I'll go at you with a right reg'lar up-and-down, straight-an-end suit for the whole of it; and Danel himself shall plead for me that's what he shall. You'll be pretty tarnation catawompously chawed up when you get Danel about you, you will; he'll hug you as å bear does a plumcake, he will. But I won't waste my time on such as you. Now, Mr. Quaker," turning to Broadbrim, "you're a rael gentleman; you have some conscience, and a pretty tarnation considerable broad pair of shoulders to back it, and as brave a heart as ever warmed a Christian, I reckon. I ask you, then, will you stand by and see a poor man like me robbed by such a pretty considerable superfine villain as this?" pointing to Boston Bill. "No, that you won't, I guess, will you? You'll stand up for my defence, won't you?" "Why, friend, is it not our duty to do unto our neighbours as we would they should do unto us?" "Ay!" exclaimed Ebenezer, in a voice of joy, "there's where you've just hit it; that's just the rael argument that I've been trying for the last ten minutes to chance on, that's a fact; only I've been so riled by the way, I've been circumnavigated. To be sure, sir, just teach these gentlemen that that's what their duty is, and not to see a poor man like me robbed in this way, but to stand by me, out and out, and no mistake. You've got hold of the right end of the stick, you have. It is our duty to do to our neighbours as we would our neighbours should do to us, and no mistake; just teach it to these misters here." "Nay, nay, friend, the lesson is good, I grant, but it must be taught, not to them, but to thee. When neighbour St. John's seventy-five thousand pounds were in jeopardy, didst thou come and fight for his little peculiar, as thou now wantest him and us to fight for thine?" "Oh! the stony-hearted butchers! Oh! the Horeb-without-water-flinty-hearted murderers ! What shall I do? what shall I do ?" Then suddenly throwing himself upon his knee, and clasping the unwounded leg of the leader, "Oh, Mr. Boston! dear Mr. Boston! You wouldn't take it from me, would you, now? What is one thousand pounds among you all, when you have already such a princely fortune, such a king's ransom, I may say. But for me; think what a heart-breaking loss it would be; it is my all; indeed, indeed, it is. It is not only my property, but wife and children too, and more than both. These hands," stretching them out and shaking them in the phrensy of his appeal, "these hands worked day and night, night and day, to earn it. All my life through I have struggled sore with hard misfortune to get a little money together, and now I have just managed, with great effort, to sweep this little sum up, bit by bit, for a particular venture in the old country, among the Britishers; you wouldn't, you couldn't have the cruelty to take it from me." "Oh, no, not at all; certainly not, I guess,' replied Boston Bill, with a grin of derision, and seeming to enjoy the sport of being thus worshipped for his power, while the other remained wholly ignorant of the spirit of the words, and continued blindly imploring for that which the other was determined not to grant. "Oh! no, you couldn't, I'm sure, take it from me, if you had seen the agony, the misery, the suffering that has been endured to amass that. little sum; my wife died toiling to add to it; my children-my children-ay, even my very children were famished-ay, starved by the stinting necessary to swell the store from our small earnings. And now my wife is gone, my children are lost to me, and nothing but my gold remains. "Yes, friend, thee. Didst thou come up and It was purchased by their blood-it was augdo battle for thy neighbour's goods, as thou want-mented by their lives-it is all that I have left to est thy neighbour to do for thine? I see thou me of them in the universal world. I love it-I canst not answer the question, therefore I will worship it. You do not know the cruelty you "I" gasped Ebenezer, direfully taken aback, when he found that the moral of the sermon pointed against himself. "I! Mr. Quaker." contemplate. No! I would die ten thousand deaths before you should rob me of my gold." And, worked to a pitch of madness, Ebenezer made a spring with his knife at the throat of Boston Bill, just as a cat or tiger would leap up to assault its prey. But the mutineer, who had seen the madness momentarily growing in the other's eye, just lifted his sound foot, and, kicking it against Ebenezer's breast, the latter was thrown sprawling some feet from him, on the quarter-deck, his heavy and glittering knife detached from his grasp, and himself lying unarmed, at the power of his merciless enemy. "Seize that sticker," said Boston Bill, pointing to the weapon for one of his men to pick up, and taking two strides towards the prostrate Ebenezer, he once more pulled out his pistol, and presented it at his head as a constable would shoot a mad dog. In another instant Ebenezer would have ceased to struggle in the world of realities; while, however, Boston Bill was in the very act of committing this unneeded murder, he was arrested by a voice so quiet, so calm in its tone, yet withall so stern, no wonder he held his hand. "Remember, sir!" cried St. John, cocking his rifle. Boston Bill turned at the sound, and beheld the unerring barrel of the rifle pointed at his head. to accommodate you that lies in our power; and so I will. I've no objection to take your friend out of that beautiful pillory forward, and send him down below, where he will be well taken care of. But, as a matter of precaution for my friends, I left orders to that man you see standing by the rope, that if we were attacked here aft, the first thing that he should do should be to blow your friend's brains out with the pistol he holds in his hand. Now, therefore, you understand as your friend's a kind of hostage, that we shan't be molested till we've got his ransom quite safe, why, I'm afraid I must just keep possession of your friend's person until our gentlemen are ready to leave the ship, and then, of course, we'll set him loose, but in the mean time, sir, you may rest assured he shall be made quite comfortable. Holloa! forward there, cast that gentleman's neck out of the noose, and take him down below, and make him comfortable; but you needn't let go his hands until farther orders; and if, in the mean while, you should chance to hear us set upon aft here, you can blow his brains out, as before." Then turning to old St. John. There, sir, I suppose that's all you desire?" "Perhaps it's all I could expect," returned the old gentleman, drawing a marvellous distinction. "Well, I'm sure, sir, you're not the gentleman to ask us to do what you can't expect," returned the unabashed Bostonian; "would you, now?" "No, sir." "Well, I don't want to hurt the vermin, if he won't stand in our way," said the Bostonian, "Now, my boys," turning to his men, "bear a once more returning the weapon to his belt, as hand here, and convey this money down into the he read in the eyes of the old man that immo-waist, while I stand aft here on the quarter-deck vable determination that plainly indicated the and keep a watch after things in general." danger of trifling with such a customer. Here, Bill, seize this fool, and clap a fathom of inchand-a-half round his wrists," he continued, turning to one of his satellites, who sprang upon Ebenezer with a rope's end, before he had quite recovered from the stunning effects of his fall, and in less than a minute he was fast bound a pris oner. CHAPTER LXII. "But where, oh where the devil are the rents ?" BYRON. FROM the sketches, faint as they are, which we have already been enabled to give of Ebenezer Wire, and the vigour with which he strove to save his treasure, it may, perhaps, be better imagined than told with what repeated, but vain imprecations he bewailed his fate, and doomed that of all other people. When he returned to his senses, and, though perfectly impotent himself, beheld his darling treasure brought up from below, and rudely disclosed to the eyes of those who had taken forcible possession of it, loud as his cries certainly were, the only consolation that awaited him was the most perfect permission to indulge in them to the utmost, and this he certainly had leave to enjoy. Having, unfortunately, sunk to that point of public estimation in which people are allowed, in the perfect freedom of contempt, to say just what they please. "Now, sir, that you have possession of every particle of specie that I promised you," said St. John, addressing the chief mutineer, "I trust that the moment has at length arrived for instantly liberating your prisoner." "Why," replied Boston Bill, "I must say, sir, the straightforward manner in which you have behaved deserves that we should do everything "Well, Master Boston Bill," said Herbert, going up to him, "now that the fray seems pretty nearly over, just allow me to thank you for all your kind intentions on my behalf.” "You," said the other, looking round at Herbert, with a grim smile. "It was never no use having kind intentions towards such a chap as you, you don't meet them half way; but it's the old story; them as is born to be hanged will never have their throats cut." "Oh, as to having my throat cut, by Jove, you didn't intend anything half so good for me; if you'll only overhaul your memory a bit, I think you must remember, you and your precious friend, Yankee Doodle, arranging to pop me down the engine-room; he proposed the engineroom, I think, and you to drown me alongside." "Did we, sir? well, it seems, if we did, you've been one too many for us; you're a rather goahead sort of chap, you are.' "Yes, things have turned out a little different from what you intended. Shall I tell you what will be the end of it? Master Yankee Doodle went down into the engine room, and you'll be drowned." Ah, that salt water as is to drown me isn't brewed yet, sir, take my word for it," replied the Bostonian, looking, nevertheless, exceedingly uncomfortable at having his fate thus predicted. "Well! well! we shall see," replied Herbert, "who's right and who's wrong in the long run. And now you've got this money, Master Bill, may I ask how you intend to carry it?" "Why, I have no objection to tell you, sir; you're a sharp fellow, you are, and up to a dodge or two you be. I'll tell you what we'll do with it: we'll pack it all in the launch, cram her pretty tight with provisions, and then make sail straight ahead for a snug coast that I know of; but that's no matter to you." "Oh, no," said Herbert, "that's the last thing I thought of finding out, where you were going; I don't trouble my head about such matters as thuse; it's enough for me to know that, soon or late, you'll all find your way to the devil; that's all need care about you. I only wanted to know how you thought of starting, as a matter of curiosity in a seaman's eye, seeing that there's such a sea running. The chances are, that your boats won't live ten minutes." "Well, I guess that's a regular gooa notion, and what's more, I guess I'll profit by it; as Í said afore, you are a regular go-ahead sort of chap, captin, and I likes your seamanship a precious sight better than your preaching, and no mistake. And now, since you are such an out and out sort of fellow as not to scorn giving advice to an enemy, if I may make so bold, whereabout are we, captin, by your calculation, as to longitude and latitude now?" "Won't they? Let me alone for that. I've "Don't you wish you may get it, my boy ?" said steered a boat before now, over a sea to which Herbert, laughing at this question: "to put you this is a mere mill pool, and thought nothing of up to a wrinkle to save your lives is one thing, it. I'll tell you what we shall do: we shall take but to tell you anything that shall help you to both the cutters, put half the gold in one and half make clear off with your plunder and avoid the in the other, set sail pretty tight, and cut away; I possibility of being captured is another. You should'nt care a fig for it, if it was'nt for the gold won't catch me up to any of that fun, so don't being so heavy; but we'll manage it some how think it." or other. Faint heart never won a fair lady." "I tell you what," said Herbert, "in the way you are talking, with all your boasted knowledge of ships, you and your gold will be in Davy Jones's locker in less than ten minutes after you leave the steamer. Your best plan, if you want to live an hour, much more several days, is to stow all the gold in one cutter, the smallest of the two, then lay a few planks over the top of the chests, and nail a couple of good stout tarpawlins over all." "Well, well, captin, quite as you like, you know the thing is easy found out; there is no very great difficulty about it." "Oh no, none at all," cried Herbert: "just try your hand at it." "Ay, ay, sir, I've done that before, I know what it is well enough; but what think you, sir? I fancy it would be as well to load the cutter before we lower her down." "If you don't, you never will do it afterward," said Herbert. "What, man alive! my heart and soul," said Well, I think so too, sir. Let me see, that's the worthy Welsh parson; "by my honour, I the smallest that you were making a sort of bulwould scarcely have believed this of you, Her-wark of in the night. Here, my boys, bundle all bert, instructing such a thrice-dyed villain to escape with his plunder. Surely abilities like yours are given to you for some better purpose than to protect so vile a life as this wretch's." those mattresses out on the deck one of you, run forward to the fore-cabin and bring a couple of the stoutest tarpaulins, a bag full of nails and a hammer, while the other stays behind with me and packs the gold in snug. Tell them below there forward to get ready the provisions, for we shall be off in half an hour, and have the arms and all that sort of thing well packed; and remember, I won't wait for the queen herself." Why," said Herbert, "as to the purity of his life, I don't pretend to say much, but I must confess that I like the bravery of the rascal, though I detest his villany; neither ought you to be angry with me for instructing him how to prolong his guilty existence for a few hours through the terrific sea that's running now. God knows we have all need enough of repentance, and where can this fellow stand so great an opportunity of experiencing that emotion as on the billows of "No, sir," returned the other, "I dare say not; such a raging sea as this, the very masterpiece and, to tell you the truth, I should be rather loth to of the Creator he has past his life in offending-see either her or any of her long pennants while God ?" this matter is in hand."/ "I'm afraid she's not likely to call upon you for any extra display of your gallantry, Mr. Boston Bill," said Herbert, smiling at this most American piece of independence. "Why, yes, gentle as the most gracious lady of Great Britain is, I think she would not let you off without stretching your neck for this day's business," said Herbert. "You are wrong, you are altogether wrong,' returned Wynne Powell: "how can you tell what farther villanies you are assisting him to perpetrate? Let the scoundrel perish from the face of the waters as he deserves, and the sooner the bet- "Ay, sir, you see that's the worst of what they ter, I say, and I'm sure every one will say with call the advances of civilization; in those good me," turning round and looking towards Nauti-old times what we read of, it was quite as much la, who now came up. "Why," said the beautiful and fearless girl, "I confess I am rather a convert to Mr. Herbert's view of the case: vengeance belongs to Heaven, and we ought all of us to spare life, which is its peculiar gift and prerogative; therefore, if you can instruct these poor wretches how to survive the fury of the gale, I say, for one, pray do so; it is nothing more than your duty." "I confess I take that view of the case myself," replied Herbert; "and so, Master Boston Bill, if you'll follow my notions, you see you will, in the manner I have mentioned, contrive to make a sort of tarpaulin deck to one of the cutters, so that if she ships a sea, none of it will get on board of her; else, with all that money on board, the first few bucketfuls of water she took in she would go down like a teaspoon, and not all your efforts would stop her." as a king could do to protect his own rights, without interfering with the little speculations of other people. Now those German barons, when the great lords had each of them a castle to their own private account, it was held rather an honourable thing than otherwise to go out with a few retainers and bring home enough fat oxen and wine to last the castle in victuals for a twelvemonth; but now, as you say, if her majesty had me at Portsmouth, I have no doubt she and her'n, in the shape of admirals, captains, and commissioners, and what not, would be for putting to me a number of ugly, awkward, and impertinent questions." With such gentle sort of pastime and similar discourse did the Bostonian wile away the time, ever and anon giving a few directions to his subordinates, until the latter had completed the stowing of the gold in the cutter. |