fellow passengers.

These were some twenty in number, and for the most part men. Almost
all were, in some capacity or other, civil or military, in the service
of the Company; for at that time their monopoly was a rigid one, and
none outside its boundary were allowed to trade in India. The Company
was, indeed, solely a great mercantile house of business. They had
their own ships, their own establishments, and bought and sold goods
like other traders. They owned a small extent of country, round their
three great trading towns; and kept up a little army, composed of two
or three white regiments; and as many composed of natives, trained and
disciplined like Europeans, and known as Sepoys. Hence the clergyman,
the doctor, a member of the council of Madras, four or five military
officers, twice as many civilians, and three young writers, besides
Charlie, were all in the employment of the Company.

"Well, youngster," a cheery voice said beside him, "take your last
look at the smoke of London, for it will be a good many years before
you see it again, my lad. You've blue skies and clear ones where
you're going, except when it rains, and when it does there is no
mistake about it."

The speaker was the captain of the Lizzie Anderson, a fine sailor-like
man of some fifty years, of which near forty had been spent in the
service of the Company.

"I'm not a Londoner," Charlie said, smiling, "and have no regret for
leaving its smoke. Do you think we shall make a quick voyage?"

"I hope so," the captain said, "but it all depends upon the wind. A
finer ship never floated than the Lizzie Anderson; but the Company
don't build their vessels for speed, and it's no use trying to run,
when you meet a Frenchman. Those fellows understand how to build
ships, and if they could fight them as well as they build them, we
should not long be mistress of the sea."

Most of the people on board appeared to know each other, and Charlie
felt rather lonely, till the doctor came up and began to chat with
him. He told him who most of his fellow passengers were:

"That gentleman there, walking on the other side of the deck, as if
not only the ship but the river and banks on both sides belonged to
him, is one of the council. That is his wife over there, with a
companion holding her shawl for her. That pretty little woman, next to
her, is the wife of Captain Tibbets, the tall man leaning against the
bulwarks. Those two sisters are going out to keep house