ubt, the idea appears
somewhat attractive, but in actual practice I should be inclined to say
that the uncertainty of the weather close inshore will probably be found
to tell against it. If the sea breeze could be absolutely depended upon
to blow every day and all day long, and the land breeze to blow every
night and all night long, there would undoubtedly be something in it.
But my experience is that these phenomena are not to be depended upon.
It often happens that when, according to all the rules, either the sea
or the land breeze should be piping up strongly, there is an absolute,
persistent calm. Nevertheless, from a purely personal point of view, I
am glad that the skipper intends to test his theory, because it will
afford me the opportunity to shift myself and my party into one of the
ships of the slave-squadron, some one of which we are pretty certain to
fall in with before long."

"Ah!" remarked the general, with a curious indrawing of his breath. "I
was rather afraid that such might be the case." He paused for a few
seconds, and then, taking a fresh grip of my arm, continued: "Do you
know, my young friend, I am rather hoping that we shall not fall in with
any of the ships of the slave-squadron, and that consequently you and
your men will be obliged to go on with us at least as far as Capetown.
It is, perhaps, a bit selfish of me to entertain such a wish, but I do,
nevertheless."

"Indeed!" said I. "May I ask why, general?"

"Of course you may, my dear boy," he answered. "It is a very natural
question. Well, the fact is that certain very curious happenings have
taken place on board this ship since she sailed out of the Thames." And
he proceeded to repeat to me the story that Carter had already told me
as to the disappearance of the original captain and his successor.
"Now," he continued, "Captain Matthews's death may have been a perfectly
natural one. I don't say that it was not, but up to the hour of his
death he looked strong and healthy enough to have lived out the full
term of his life. Moreover, he was a most temperate man in every
respect. I have, therefore, found it very difficult indeed to discover
a satisfactory explanation of his very sudden demise. And, between you
and me, although Burgess, the ship's surgeon, has never said as much in
words, I firmly believe that the occurrence puzzled him as much as it
did me; indeed, his very reticence over the affair only strengthens my
suspicion t