t for
me to feel that I am looked upon as even a possible impostor?"

"I shall not regard you as an impostor, Mr. Passford, for I mean to be
entirely impartial, and I shall not brand you even in thought until the
evidence warrants me in doing so," replied the commander, as he called
the surgeon who was just coming on deck. "How do you find your patient,
Dr. Connelly?"

"I find him--I thought I found him; but he appears to be on deck,"
replied the surgeon, as he fixed his gaze upon Christy, preluded by
a start, dramatic enough to prove that he was astonished to find his
patient was not in his room below. "I left him not five minutes ago, for
I have not yet been able to discover what ails him. He complained of a
severe headache and pains in his bones; but he has not a particle of
fever, or any symptom of anything that I can discover. I am glad to see
you on deck, Mr. Passford. How is your headache?"

"If I have had any headache, I have entirely recovered from it," replied
Christy, laughing heartily. "I came on board only an hour ago, doctor,
and I have had no headache, thank you."

"Looking at you more closely, I see that you are not my patient, and you
will excuse me for giving you a headache. But you resemble my patient
very closely," added the doctor.

"I did not answer your question, Mr. Passford," interposed Captain
Battleton. "In an hour we will settle the question."

Christy seated himself and began to consider the strange situation.

CHAPTER V

LIEUTENANT PASSFORD AND HIS APPARENT DOUBLE

The Vernon continued on her course, and in another hour the pilot
had been discharged. Christy had puzzled his brains over the events of
the day and the night before without being able to arrive at any
satisfactory conclusion. He was extremely anxious to see the officer
who had taken his name and assumed his character, as he was to obtain
all the information within his reach. His reflections assured him
that some one had chosen the _role_ of an impostor for the purpose of
accomplishing some treasonable object, and he was anxious to fathom the
mystery for his country's sake rather than his own.

Captain Battleton would soon begin his investigation, and Christy was
confident that the sick officer would be proved to be the impostor. He
was not at all worried or even disturbed in regard to the result, for he
felt that "truth is mighty and must prevail." His only solicitude was to
unravel the plot. Bands of Confede