misfortunes were everything that
could be wished for; but, somehow, they did not ring true. Thus, when
in the course of the conversation--which, as was very natural under the
circumstances, rather persistently dwelt upon my little party and our
adventures--Captain Williams chose to express his gratification at
having fallen in with us and rescued us from a distinctly perilous
situation, while his words were as kind and sympathetic as could have
been desired, the expression of his countenance seemed to say, almost as
plainly as words could speak: "I devoutly wish that you had all gone to
the bottom, rather than come aboard my ship!" And I continually found
myself mentally asking the question: "Which am I to believe--this man's
words, or the expression of his eyes? Is he sincere in what he says,
and is he the unfortunate possessor of an expression that habitually
gives the lie to his words; or is he, for some sinister purpose of his
own, endeavouring to produce a false impression upon us all?" It was
quite impossible to find a satisfactory reply to these questions, yet I
found a certain amount of guidance in the manner of the passengers
toward him; I noticed that every one of them, with the exception of the
general, seemed to quail beneath his gaze, and shrink from him. As for
the general, despite his somewhat boisterous manner, he was a gentleman,
a soldier, and evidently a man who knew not what fear was, and it
appeared to me that he was distinctly distrustful of Captain Williams.

At length, by patiently watching, I succeeded in finding an opportunity
to divert the conversation from myself and my party; I saw the skipper
glance upward toward the tell-tale compass that hung in the skylight,
and as his gaze fell again it encountered my own. Instantly a most
malignant and ferocious expression swept into his eyes. Undeterred by
that, however, I composedly remarked:

"I see, Captain, you are heading in toward the coast; and Mr Carter
informs me that you propose to test practically a rather interesting
theory that you have formed as to the advantages of the alternate land
and sea breezes over those of the regular trades."

"Yes," he growled, "I do. But Mr Carter has no business to discuss my
plans or intentions with anybody. I have warned him more than once to
keep a silent tongue in his head; but the man is a fool, and will get
himself into very serious trouble some day if he doesn't keep his
weather eye lifting