in the light of a fast-reddening
October sunset. Against such a sunset, if the air be very clear, you
may see them from the cliffs of the mainland--a low, dark cloud out in
the Atlantic; and in old days the Commandant had repined often enough
at the few leagues which then had cut him off from the world, from
active service, from promotion.

Gradually, as time went on, he had grown resigned, and with resignation
he had learnt to be proud of his kingdom--for his kingdom _de facto_
it was. The Islanders had used to speak of him sometimes as The
Commandant, but oftener as The Governor. (They never called him The
Governor nowadays.) His military establishment, to be sure--consisting
of a master-gunner, four other gunners, and two or three aged
sergeants--scarcely accorded with his rank of major; but by way of
compensation he was, as President of the Council of Twelve, the chief
civil magistrate of the Islands.

This requires a word or two of explanation. The Reigning Sovereign of
England retained, as he yet retains, military authority over the
Islands, and from him, through the Commander-in-chief, our friend held
his appointment as military governor. But His Majesty King William III
and his successors, by a lease two or three times renewed, had granted
"all those His Majesty's territories and rocks"--so the wording ran--to
a great and unknown person of whom the Islanders spoke reverentially as
The Duke, "together with all sounds, harbours, and sands within the
circuit of the said Isles; and all lands, tenements, meadows, pastures,
grounds, feedings, fishing places, mines of tin, lead, and coals, and
all profits of the same, and full power to dig, work, and mine in the
premises; and also all the marshes, void grounds, woods, under-woods,
rents, reservoirs, services, and all other profits, rights,
commodities, advantages, and emoluments within the said Isles; and a
moiety of all shipwreck, the other moiety to be received by the Lord
High Admiral; as also all His Majesty's Liberties, Franchises,
Authorities, and Jurisdictions, as had before been used in the said
Islands; with full power to hear, examine, and finally determine all
plaints, suits, matters, actions, controversies, contentions, and
demands whatever, moved and depending between party and party
inhabiting the said Isle (all business, treason, matters touching life
or member of man, or title of land; and also all controversies and
causes touching ships, and other th