ortunate ones to be promoted over my head. His reply was
characteristic.

"Influence! patronage!" he exploded. "Ay, sir, you speak truly; there
is too much of it altogether. It amounts to a very serious drawback and
injury to the service in many ways. But, as for you, and men like you,
you do not require either influence or patronage. You possess the best
of all influence in this," lightly touching the hilt of my sword, "and
it is a thousand pities that greater facilities are not afforded to men
of your kidney for entrance into the service. But perhaps the profits
derivable from successful privateering outweigh your patriotism, and you
would rather be as you are than become the wearer of His Majesty's
livery?"

"You are mistaken, sir," answered I hotly. "To serve on His Majesty's
quarter-deck would be the height of my ambition, but I confess I prefer
my present position, as commander of a privateer to that of a warrant-
officer aboard a man-o'-war."

He answered me with a "Umph!" which afforded me no clue whatever to his
opinion of my outspoken reply; and, my business with him being at an
end, I took my leave.

"Have you any engagement for to-night?" he asked, extending his hand
very cordially. And upon my answering that I had not, he said: "Then
come and dine with me; seven sharp. I want to see a little more of
you."

Of course I gladly accepted so flattering an invitation, and then
hurried away to appoint an agent and return to the schooner.

I was anxious to get to sea again as quickly as possible, for I looked
upon the loss of the _Manilla_ as so much leeway, and a very serious
amount too, that could not be too speedily made up. But I foresaw that
my chief difficulty in so doing would arise from my lack of a crew, and
how to scrape together a decent complement in a small town like Kingston
I knew not, for I was fully aware that our men-o'-war kept the place
pretty well swept of men. I was therefore greatly pleased when, having
called upon the individual who had been recommended to me by the Admiral
as an agent, he informed me, upon the conclusion of my business proper
with him, that he knew a man who he believed would be willing, for a
consideration, to find me as many good men as I might require. I at
once asked for the address of this person, but was informed that it
would be utterly useless for me, a total stranger, to call upon him, as
he would most certainly decline to treat with me; but that