"Sartinly,--by all manner of means," replied Jo, not a little surprised
at the turn affairs were taking.

Dan opened and perused the epistle for a few minutes, during which
intense silence was maintained in the crowd, as if they expected to
_hear_ the thoughts of the young man as they passed through his brain.

"Ha! I thought so," exclaimed Dan, looking up and again addressing the
crowd. "At the trial yesterday you heard this man say that he was
engaged at San Francisco by Gascoyne on the 12th of April last, and
that he believed the schooner to be a sandal-wood trader when he
shipped."

"Yes, yes,--ho!" from the crowd.

"If this statement of his be true, then he was not a pirate when he
shipped, and he has not had much time to become one between that time
and this. The letter which I hold in my hand proves the truth of this
statement. It is dated San Francisco, 11th April, and is written in a
female hand. Listen,--I will read it; and you shall judge for
yourselves."

The young man then read the following letter, which, being a peculiar as
well as an interesting specimen of a love-letter, we give _verbatim et
literatim:_

"Peelers farm near
Sanfransko Aprile 11

"For
John bumpuss,
aboord the Schooner fome

"my darlin Jo,

"ever sins you towld me yisterday that youd bin an gaged yerself
into the fome, my mind has been Onaisy. Ye no, darlint, from the
our ye cald me yer own Susan, in clare county, More betoken, iv bin
onaisy about ye yer so bowld an Rekles. but this is wurst ov all.
iv no noshun o them sandle-wood skooners. the Haf ov thems pirits
and The other hafs no better, whats wus is that my owld master was
drownded in wan, or out o wan, but shure its All the Saim. down he
wint and that wos the Endd.

"now Deer jo dont go to say in that skooner i beseech ye, jo. Ye
towld me that ye liked the looks o the cappen and haited the looks
o the Krew. Now deer, take warnin think ov me. think ov the words
in the coppie book weev writ so often together at owld makmahons
skool, eevil cmunishakens Krupt yer maners, i misrember it, but ye
no wot id be sayin' to ye.

"o jo Dont go, but cum an see me as soon as iver ye can

"yours til deth.