you
never can tell, lad, when you may want it; and if you intend--as I
suppose you do--to follow the sea as a business you will not be able to
do anything without it.

"I will tell you all that you want to know about it if you will come to
me from time to time when I am not busy; and I have here a book which
you may study at your leisure. You will find it very interesting."

Roger thanked the commander both for himself and on Harry's account, and
promised to take up the study as soon as they were again at sea, as he
and his friend would be much too busy for anything of that kind while
the vessels were in harbour undergoing repairs and overhaul. He was
then on the point of informing the captain of what Martin and he had
seen, when Cavendish interrupted him.

"Roger," said he, "I have been much exercised in my mind lately as to
what shall be done with these Spanish prisoners we have on board. There
are nearly three hundred of them, and although many of them are in
irons, and all are imprisoned below, I do not altogether like the idea
of carrying them about with me too long, for they are a dangerous cargo;
and not only that, they are also a great drain upon our stock of
provisions. When we leave this island we shall probably be at sea for a
very long time, as I intend to cruise in the Caribbean Sea, out of sight
of land for the most part, on the lookout for the plate and bullion
galleons from Mexico; and when we finally sail from here I wish to take
on board as much fresh meat, fruit, and vegetables as I can, to help eke
out the ships' stores. Now I do not want to carry about with me nearly
three hundred men who will be of no use to me, and who will only help us
to eat up our provisions faster than I wish. Moreover, these men are a
constant menace to us while they are on board.

"Now I have been working out our position with a view to seeing exactly
where we are, and discovering how far we are at present from the nearest
Spanish settlement on the island. For it has been in my mind for some
days past that we could not do better than land those fellows here, when
we are ready to sail, giving them a few of their own weapons wherewith
to procure food by the way, and defend themselves against any savages
they may meet, and tell them where their nearest settlement lies,
directing them to make their way to it. It is true that I do not much
like the idea of letting loose nearly three hundred Spaniards who are
the enem