on his Majesty's forces, and then presume to come aboard my ship
having the insolence to suppose that all you have to do is to offer an
apology."

"No, sir," said the visitor sadly. "This has all been none of my doing.
I think your officers will bear me out when I tell you that it was far
from my wish that any resistance should be made to one of the King of
England's ships."

"Indeed! To one of your king's ships?"

"Yes; I own myself to be one of his Majesty's most unworthy subjects."

"Indeed!" said the captain sharply. "Why, Mr Anderson, I understood
you to say that this man claimed to be a subject of the United States
Government."

"No--no!" interrupted the planter. "I can bear this no longer; the end
has come. All this trouble, sir, has arisen from my weakness in
allowing myself to be subjected to the oppression and led away by the
villainy of the man whom I at first engaged to manage my plantation."

"Look here, my good fellow," cried the captain sternly, "I do not want
to know anything about your overseer, but I take it that you are a
slaver. Answer me that--yes or no."

"Unwillingly, sir, yes."

"And you confess to having fired upon his Majesty's forces?"

"No, sir; no."

"What, sir!" cried the captain. "Do you deny that your servants--your
slaves--have done this thing?"

"Sir," cried the planter bitterly, "for long enough my chief servant has
made himself my master. I, the slave, have fought hard against what has
been carried out in my name."

"Indeed?" said the captain sharply. "But _qui facit per alium jacit per
se_. Eh, Mr Murray? You can render that for this gentleman if he
requires an interpreter."

"I need no rendering of the old Latin proverb, sir," said the planter
sadly, "and I know that I am answerable. I am a sick man, sick to
death, sir, of the horrible life I have been forced to lead for the past
two years, and I come to you ready to render you every assistance I can
give in clearing away this plague spot."

"Indeed," said the captain, after exchanging looks with Mr Anderson,
"but this plague spot is, I understand, a very prosperous one, and you
seem to lead rather a lordly life with your state barge and retinue of
slaves."

"I beg that you will not mock me, sir," said the planter. "I am indeed
sincere in what I say, and I offer to do everything possible to enable
you and your men to root out this nest of slavery."

"Exactly," said the captain; "now that I have foun