said, "it's a satisfaction to know that it will take us
a long time to turn into niggers, or to forget old Ireland."

As no one was near, I asked him how Dan Hoolan and the other pressed men
were behaving.

"That's just what I wanted to be speaking to you about, Misther
Terence," he answered. "I'm after thinking that they'll not be on board
many days if they get a chance of slipping on shore. I heard them one
day talking about it in Irish, forgetting that I understood what they
were saying; and as we had a hand in the taking of them, says I to
myself, we'll not let you go so aisy, my boys, and I'll be after telling
Misther Terence about it."

"You have acted rightly, Larry," I answered. "It's the duty of every
seaman to prevent mutiny or desertion, and if you hadn't told me the
fellows might have got off, though, to be sure, the best of them are
king's hard bargains."

I took an early opportunity of telling Mr Saunders.

"Thank you, my lad," he answered; "I'll take care that an eye is kept
upon them."

Soon afterwards, while looking over the side, I saw a dark, triangular
object gliding by at no great distance from the ship. It went about
when it got under the stern, and appeared again on the other side. Mr
Saunders saw it also.

"Lads," he said, "do you know what that is? You may have heard of Port
Royal Jack. That's him. He's especially fond of seamen's legs, and if
any of you were to go overboard, he'd snap you up in a minute."

The word was passed along the deck. Half the crew were now in the
rigging, taking a look at their enemy, and among them were Dan Hoolan
and his companions. I observed a flesh-coloured mass floating a short
distance off. Presently the black fin sank; a white object appeared for
a moment close to the surface, and a huge mouth gulped down the mass,
and disappeared with it beneath the water. It was a lesson to any one
who might have attempted taking a swim to the shore.

CHAPTER TEN.

A FIGHT ASHORE.

I have not attempted to describe Port Royal Harbour. It is large enough
to hold 1000 sail. The entrance is on the left side. A strip of sand,
known as the Palisades, runs east and west with the town of Port Royal,
surrounded with heavy batteries at the further end. Here are the
dockyard and naval arsenal, and forts with heavy guns completely
commanding the entrance.

At the eastern end stands Kingston, the commercial town, before which
the merchantmen bring up, w