ted the consistency of the shore with an oar.

"But there is hard ground within four feet of the water. I have a board
in the bottom of the boat with which we can bridge the mud," replied the
skipper. "But I think we had better have our lunch before we walk five
miles."

"I am in condition to lunch," added Christy.

The sails had been furled, and everything put in order on board of the
boat. The basket containing the provisions was brought out of the cuddy,
and seated in the stern sheets they did ample justice to the meal. The
detective had put on his suit of blue, and his companion dressed himself
as he had done in Bermuda, though he was not to act the part of a
servant on this occasion.

"It will not do to acknowledge that we are Americans, and it would not
be prudent to claim that we are Englishmen," said Mr. Gilfleur.

"Why not? We speak English; and you can pronounce it as well as I can,"
argued Christy.

"Because we may be catechised; though I know London almost as well as I
do Paris, I am afraid you might be caught."

"I have been in London twice, though I don't know enough about it to
answer all the questions that may be put to me," added Christy.

"In that case we had better be Frenchmen, as we were before. We are not
likely to find many people here who speak French, for the visiting
portion of the population must be people who are engaged in
blockade-running. Probably there are some Southern magnates here,
attending to the business of the Confederacy."

"They were here two years ago, when I was in Nassau for a few hours,
on the lookout for steamers for their navy. I remember Colonel Richard
Pierson, who was extremely anxious to purchase the Bellevite, which
anchored outside the light, for there was not water enough to allow her
to cross the bar," said Christy, recalling some of the events of his
first voyage in the steamer his father had presented to the government.

"Perhaps he is still in Nassau," suggested Mr. Gilfleur, with a shade of
anxiety on his face.

"He would not recognize me now, for I have grown a good deal, and I
hardly saw him. He employed his son, a young fellow of eighteen, to act
for him in obtaining information in regard to the Bellevite. The son's
name was Percy Pierson, and when he tried to pump me in regard to the
Bellevite, I chaffed him till he lost all patience. Then he proposed to
put the owner of our steamer, for she had not then been transferred to
the government, in th