for our purpose. Unfortunately, gold is not
the only thing that is requisite."

"What, then?"

"In the first place, a disinterested love of humanity is needful;
there are few men of science and skill who would not risk more than
they would gain by accepting any offer we can make. It is not easy to
find the heart of a son in the body of a physician."

"What, then, will you do, my poor friend?"

"That is my secret, captain."

During this conversation, the missionary had put a thousand questions
to Willis and Fritz relative to his father, mother, and sisters, and a
smile now and then lit up his features as Fritz related some of the
family mishaps.

"You must have undergone some hardships in your voyage from the
antipodes to Havre de Grace," said Littlestone to Jack,
"notwithstanding the skill of my friend the Pilot."

"Yes, captain, a few," replied Jack. "I myself made a narrow escape
from being killed and eaten by a couple of savages."

"And how did you escape?"

"Providence interfered at the critical moment."

"Well, so I should imagine."

"Our friend the Pilot was more fortunate; he was abducted by the
natives of Hawaii; but, instead of converting him into mincemeat, they
transformed him into a divinity, bore him along in triumph to a
temple, where he was perfumed with incense, and had sacrifices offered
up to him."

"Willis must have felt himself highly honored," said the captain,
smiling.

"These fine things did not, however, last long, for next day they were
wound up with a cloud of arrows."

"And another interposition of Providence?"

"Yes, none of the arrows were winged with death."

"After that," remarked Willis, "we fell in with a Yankee cruiser, were
taken on board, and carried into the latitude of the Bahamas, where we
fell in with Old Flyblow, who, after a tough set-to, sent the Yankee a
prize to Bermuda, and took us on board as passengers."

"And," added Jack, "whilst we were under protection of the American
flag, Willis fell in with a certain Bill Stubbs, who was shot in the
fight and died of his wounds. This trifling accident did not, however,
prevent Willis falling in with him alive in Havre."

"You still seem to delight in paradoxes, Master Jack," said the
captain.

"The English cruiser," continued Jack, "was afterwards captured by a
French corvette, on which it appears you were on board _incognito_."

"What! I on board?"

"Yes; ask Willis."

"If you were not, captain, how c