urbance,
but would in all respects conduct themselves with as much propriety as
though they had been regularly shipped as members of her crew.

"As long as you stand to that agreement I will allow you the liberty of
the deck, beginning to-morrow morning," said the captain. "But I tell
you plainly that if you go back from your word, I will have you in irons
before you know what is the matter with you. Smith, stand at the foot of
the ladder until you are relieved. On deck the rest of us!"

Never had the _Sabine's_ crew worked harder than they did on this
particular night to bring their vessel about and get her on her course
again; but this time the skipper did not intend to make for the port to
which his cargo was consigned. He told his mates that as soon as the
brig rounded the western end of the island of Cuba, he would fill away
for Key West, which was the nearest Federal naval station.

"I won't trust myself and my ship in these waters an hour longer than I
am obliged to," he declared. "How do I know but that there may be a
dozen or more vessels like the _Sumter_ cruising about here, watching
their chance to make bonfires of the defenseless merchant vessels? Now
let this be a standing order: While we are under way we'll not speak a
single ship, no matter what flag she floats. If you see a sail, run away
from it."

"And strict obedience to that order saved our bacon," said Jack, in
conclusion. "We got up to Key West without any mishap, turned our
prisoners over to the commandant of the station, and then filled away
for Boston, taking with us a cargo that ought to have gone another way.
We were warned to look out for little privateers--sailing vessels with
one or two guns aboard--and the navy fellows told us that the coasts of
North and South Carolina were particularly dangerous; but our brig was a
grayhound, the captain had the fullest confidence in her, and so he held
his course. But we kept a bright lookout night and day, and were almost
worn out with watching by the time we reached our home port."

"You didn't see anything of those privateers, did you?" said Mrs. Gray.

"Yes; we sighted one somewhere in the latitude of Sandy Point," answered
Jack. "She fired a couple of shells at us, and tried to lay herself
across our course; but she couldn't make it. We ran away from her as if
she had been anchored."

"What sort of a looking craft was she?" exclaimed Marcy, starting up in
his chair.

"Well, she was a fore