ugh to take a ship across the Atlantic, for instance, without
assistance?" asked the old gentleman.

"Yes, sir," said I. "I would not hesitate to take a ship anywhere, if
required."

"Good!" exclaimed the commodore; "I like your confident way of speaking.
I like to see a young fellow who believes in himself. Well, well, we
shall see, we shall see."

Then he asked me to relate to him the whole story of the loss of the
_Dolores_ and of the _Indian Queen_ incident, "from clew to earing", as
he put it; and I told him the complete yarn, as he sat cross-legged in
his low lounging chair, with a cheroot stuck in the corner of his mouth,
listening, nodding his head from time to time, and frequently breaking
in with a question upon some point which he wished to have more fully
explained. He also put Master Jack pretty completely through his
facings, so that, when at length we rose to go, he had acquired a very
fair amount of information relating to us both.

The Mixed Commission sat a few days later to adjudicate upon our prizes,
with the result that all three were duly condemned; and we thus became
entitled to a very nice little sum of prize money, for there was not
only the value of the three craft, but also the head money upon the
brigantine's cargo of slaves. Upon the declaration of judgment by the
court the three vessels were promptly advertised for sale by auction,
and brought to the hammer some three weeks later. As it was well known
that all three were exceptionally fast craft the competition for their
possession was expected to be particularly brisk, and the event
justified the expectation, for upon the day appointed for the sale the
attendance was a record one and the bidding remarkably spirited. To
such an extent, indeed, was this the case that many of the knowing ones
present hazarded the confident conviction that some of the bidders
present would probably be found--if the truth about them could but be
ascertained--to be secret agents of slavers, and that the vessels would,
at no very distant date, be found to be employed again in their former
trade. The brig was the first craft offered for sale, and after a very
spirited competition she was ultimately knocked down to a Jew marine-
store dealer at a very handsome figure. Then followed the brigantine,
which also realised an exceedingly satisfactory price. With the
disposal of this craft the competition slackened very considerably,
which was not to be wonde