tter than you knew; but if you had not escaped
from the Vernon, and managed the whole affair, it would have been a
success," added Mr. Flint.

"Then the scheme cannot be considered so stupid as you represent it."

"But it had not one chance in ten of success. Your cousin looks more
like you than he did the last time I saw him."

"He fixed himself up to pass for me, and that helped his case very
greatly. He put on a uniform like mine, such a one as you have never
seen him wear."

"He did not look quite natural to me; but I could not make out what
made the change in his looks," continued Mr. Flint. "You can see for
yourself, that the plot would have been a success if you had not been on
board of the Bronx to tell me what had happened. Whatever passed between
the flag-officer and Captain Battleton, nothing at all was said among
the officers about the decision the commander of the Vernon had been
obliged to make when he accepted your cousin as the genuine Christopher
Passford, ordered to the command of the Bronx. While I thought you were
somewhat altered in appearance, and that your greeting to me was rather
cold and formal when you came on board, I did not suspect that the
officer who represented you was an impostor."

"Do you think you should have let these conspirators run into Pensacola
Bay without meddling with the matter?" asked Christy.

"I am sure I should, for I could not have helped myself. The captain had
his orders, to be opened about this time; and I should have supposed you
were going into the bay to shell out Fort Barrancas."

"You could hardly have supposed that a little gunboat like the Bronx was
sent all alone on such a mission."

"I obey my orders without question, and I should not have suspected
anything was out of the way. I was rather cut up when I found that
Galvinne had been appointed executive officer; and that, with the cold
greeting you gave me, led me to ask in what manner I had lost your good
opinion."

"Of course Corny asked for his appointment, for Mr. Galvinne was the
real leader of the enterprise. I think you and some of the rest of us
have narrowly escaped a Confederate prison."

"That is plain enough; and we only escaped it because you took it into
your head to leave the Vernon at the time you left her. I think the
Bronx would have gone into Pensacola Bay without the least trouble, for
I have no doubt Galvinne knew just what signals to make to Fort McRae,
and just as well what