e
day. Adventure fast succeeding on adventure, escape upon escape, had
given my life a character of wild excitement, which made me feel a
single day's repose, a period of _ennui_ and monotony.

"Smuggling, too, became only a part of my occupation. My knowledge of
French, and my power of disguising my appearance, enabled me to mix in
Parisian society, of a certain class, without any fear of detection.
In this way I obtained, from time to time, information of the greatest
consequence to our government; and once brought some documents from
the war department of Napoleon, which obtained for me the honour of an
interview with Mr. Pitt himself. This part of my career, however, would
take me too far away from my story, were I to detail any of the many
striking adventures which marked it; so I'll pass on, at once, to one
of those eventful epochs of my life, two or three of which have changed,
for the time, the current of my destiny.

"I was about eighteen: the war had just broke out with France, and
the assembled camp at Boulogne threatened the invasion of England. The
morning we left the French coast, the preparations for the embarkation
of the troops, were in great forwardness, and certain particulars had
reached us, which convinced me that Napoleon really intended an attempt,
which many were disposed to believe, was a mere menace. In fact, an
officer of the staff had given me such information as explained the mode
of the descent, and the entire plan of the expedition. Before I could
avail myself of this, however, we should land our cargo, an unusually
rich one, on the west coast of Ireland, for my companions knew nothing
all this time of the system of 'spionage' I had established, and little
suspected that one of their crew was in relation with the Prime Minister
of England.

"I have said I was about eighteen. My wild life, if it had made me
feel older than my years, had given a hardihood and enterprise to
my character, which heightened for me the enjoyment of every bold
adventure, and made me feel a kind of ecstasy in every emergency, where
danger and difficulty were present. I longed to be the skipper of my own
craft, sweeping the seas at my own will; a bold buccaneer, caring less
for gain than glory, until my name should win for itself its own meed of
fame, and my feats be spoken of in awe and astonishment.

"Van Brock, our captain, was a hardy Fleming, but all his energy of
character, all his daring, were directed to