ave up hopes of gaining the
information they wished for.

Harry had, as he promised, kept his eye on Jacob, who, greatly to his
satisfaction, had been made a petty officer. As he was becoming a
thorough seaman, and read and wrote better than most of the men in the
ship, the captain promised, should a vacancy occur, to give him an
acting warrant as boatswain or gunner.

The _Thisbe_ had been more than a year on the station. Harry had
received no letters from home. How he longed to hear from May and
Julia. He thought that both would certainly have written. His mother,
too, ought not to have forgotten him; but in those days, when no regular
post was established, letters were frequently a long time on their way.
He had written several times to Julia, and not less often, as may be
supposed, to May. He had enclosed his letters to her to the Miss
Pembertons. He suspected she would wish him to do so, and also that
they would have a better prospect of reaching her. He told her the
satisfaction he felt at discovering that she was not, as he had
supposed, Adam Halliburt's daughter, but in all probability his equal in
birth, and that thus the great obstacle in obtaining his father's
sanction to his marriage no longer existed.

He sent messages to Adam and the dame, assuring them that he would look
after Jacob's interests, and he enclosed at different times letters from
Jacob himself to his father and mother. Jacob's letters chiefly
contained praises of Lieutenant Castleton and his captain. Though for
his father's sake he regretted having been forced from his home, he was
well content with his life, and spoke with enthusiasm of the strange
countries and people he had visited, and of his prospects of advancement
in the service.

The _Thisbe_ had once more got free of the Straits of Malacca.

Having run down the coast of Sumatra, and touched at Bencoolen, was
standing across the Indian Ocean, when towards sunset a large ship was
descried from the mast-head, to the south-west. At the distance she was
away it was impossible to say whether she was an enemy or friend,
whether ship-of-war or merchantman. At all events the captain
determined to overhaul her, and made all sail in chase. The great point
was to get near enough to keep her in sight during the night, so as to
follow her should she alter her course. When the sun went down she was
still standing as at first seen, and had not apparently discovered that
she was c