a visit to your grandfather, Mr Coventry, you say?"
answered the captain; "certainly, Mr Marsden--certainly. Give my
compliments to him. I have the pleasure of his acquaintance, and I
conclude that he has not forgotten me. And hark you, Mr Marsden, you
will not allow anything which has occurred on board here to transpire:
we shall be very good friends if we keep council, but if not, the
consequences will be disagreeable."

I scarcely knew what answer to make to this observation. I felt how low
a man must have fallen to find it necessary to speak thus. I considered
a moment, and then answered boldly--

"Unless I am specially questioned, I will say nothing about the matter.
If, however, I am asked the particulars of what has occurred, I will not
refuse to reply; for, should I do so, I should probably myself be looked
on as having taken part in the mutiny."

"No fear of that. I must trust to you," he answered. "But mark me, Mr
Marsden; you will find that I am a firm friend, but I can be a bitter
enemy."

"I hope I shall not lose your friendship, sir," I answered, hurrying
away, and shocked that a man who professed to be a Christian could give
expression to so dreadful a sentiment.

I was glad to find that Dr Cuff was going on shore; so he and I and
Solon set off together. We landed on the beach in front of the town,
amid swarms of black men entirely naked, with the exception of a blue
cotton handkerchief tightly fastened round their thighs. However, their
colour in a degree answers the purpose of dress. As we walked through
the town we thought it a very pretty place. None of the houses are
crowded together, while most of them stand in a small garden, amid a
profusion of trees and flowers; and even in the streets we observed
growing luxuriantly the banana, the bread fruit, the palm, and other
tropical trees and shrubs. The most conspicuous building is Government
House, with a broad verandah running round it; but it has no pretensions
to architectural beauty. Behind the city is the Champ de Mars, a small
level space, above which, on three sides, rise the rugged, curious
shaped hills we had seen from the harbour. The Champ de Mars is the
race-course and the general resort of the inhabitants, and was, we were
told, in days of yore the usual duelling place. From all I saw and
heard of the Mauritius, I believe it is one of the richest and most
fertile of the British insular possessions. Yet, to garrison it a