-beaten face, he was still proud of his schooner that lay at
Stone Dock, at the launching of which, in the early part of the century,
the Jersey Blues had turned out, and Major Stevens had christened it the
"Northern Liberties." It had been all built of Essex County lumber, and
constructed on the Passaic. But the river had been quite a famous stream
in those days. There were no factories using up its volume of water.

They sat on the stone coping and listened to the Captain's stories,
indeed, could have spent all the afternoon, so entertaining did he
prove. Then he took them through the old house with its ample hall and
spacious rooms on one side. They concluded it must have been able to
stand quite a siege, judging from its present solidity. And Mrs. Alden
treated them to a pitcher of freshly churned buttermilk, and a slice of
excellent rye bread, which they found delightful.

"I shall have to come over again, and get some material for a story,"
declared Delia, when they were fairly started, tearing themselves away
with quite a struggle. "That experience on the 'Slaver' was very
graphic."

"If you want to hear something that will make your hair stand on end,"
said Doctor Joe, "come up and talk to father. When I was a little lad,
we had a farm-hand working for us who had gone through with it all, been
to Africa for a cargo, and come to the States with what was left of it.
He never spoke of it when sober; and though he was in the main steady,
once in a while he drank enough to start him going, and he always
rehearsed this horrible experience. I remember father used to lock him
in the barn to sober up; because he did not want us children to hear the
terrible story."

"Were the slaves brought that way?" asked Hanny, with a shudder.

"Most every civilised country condemns that part of the awful practice,"
answered Ben. "But it is a fact that the native tribes in Africa sell
prisoners to one another, or whoever will buy them. Do you suppose
Africa will ever be explored?" and Ben looked up at Mr. Whitney.

We did not know much about Africa even then. But Ben was afterward to
see the great explorer Stanley, whose journey across that country was a
wonderful romance. And although the question of slavery was seething
even then, he could not have dreamed, this lovely afternoon when all was
at peace, that one day he should be in the thick of the battle himself,
with many another brave soul, when his country was nearly rent in