ough, you won't take my word,
and you've got to report to your skipper when you go back aboard."

"If I do go back to report, sir," said the lieutenant.

"If you do go back, sir? Oh, that's it, is it? You mean if you take my
schooner for a prize."

"Perhaps so, sir. Now then, if you please, your papers."

The skipper nodded and smiled.

"All right," he said; "I won't turn rusty. I s'pose it's your duty."

The papers were examined, and, to the officer's disappointment, proved
the truth of the skipper's story.

"Now, if you please, we'll have a look below, sir," said the lieutenant.

"Very good," said the skipper; and he hailed his men to open the
hatches. "You won't find any rum puncheons, captain," he said.

"I do not expect to, sir; but I must be sure about your fittings below.
This schooner has not been heavily rigged like this for nothing."

"Course she arn't, sir. I take it that she was rigged under my eyes on
purpose to be a smart sailer worked by a smart crew. But my fittings?
Here, I've got it at last: you're one of the Navy ships on the station
to put down the slave-trade."

"Yes," said the lieutenant shortly.

"Then good luck to you, sir! Hoist off those hatches my lad; the
officer thinks we're fitted up below for the blackbird trade. No, no,
no, sir. There, send your men below, or go yourself, and I'll come with
you. You've got the wrong pig by the ear this time, and you ought to be
off the coast river yonder where they pick up their cargoes. No, sir, I
don't do that trade."

The lieutenant was soon thoroughly satisfied that a mistake had been
made, and directly after, to his satisfaction, the skipper asked whether
the captain would favour him with a small supply of medicine for his
crew.

"I'm about run out of quinine stuff," he said. "Some of my chaps had a
touch or two of fever, and we're going amongst it again. It would be an
act of kindness, sir, and make up for what has been rather rough
treatment."

"You'd better come on board with me, and I've no doubt that the captain
will see that you have what is necessary; and he will be as apologetic
as I am now for what has been an unpleasant duty."

"Oh, come, if you put it like that, squire, there's no need to say any
more. To be sure, yes, I'll come aboard with you. I say; took many
slavers?"

"No; not one."

"That's a pity. Always search well along the river mouths?"

"Yes."

"Hah! They're about too much for you. N