touched at Lerwick on their outward and homeward voyages. At
length, however, having fallen into ill-health, he was advised to try
the effects of a southern clime; and having in his youth made two or
three voyages to the South Seas, he was induced to take the command of a
South-Sea whaler, which would keep him out three years, or probably
more: having no family to bind his affections to England, this was of
little consequence.

On his outward voyage, when nearly half way across the Atlantic, he fell
in with a raft, on which were three men and a young boy. The men stated
that the ship to which they belonged had foundered, and that the boy,
whose name they stated was Rolf Morton, belonged to a lady and gentleman
among the passengers on board. The rest of the people had perished, and
they, with no little exertion, had contrived to save the child.

Captain Scarsdale had, from the first, rather doubted the correctness of
their statement, and on his cross-questioning the men separately, his
suspicions that there was some mystery in the matter were further
confirmed. However, they suspected his object, and he was unable to
elicit what he could suppose to be the truth from them. He would have
remained altogether in ignorance had not one of them been seized with an
illness, and believing himself to be dying, sent for the captain, and
made what he asserted to be a full confession of all he knew about the
boy.

Captain Scarsdale, who was a cautious man, wrote down all that was told
him, and induced the man to sign it. He then instantly sent for the
other two men, and telling them what he knew, induced them to confess
the truth, and, partly by threats, and partly by persuasions, made them
sign the same document. He then carefully locked it up in his chest,
and being an upright and kind-hearted man, it was with great
satisfaction that he believed he had it in his power to right the
wronged.

"Man proposes, God disposes," is a proverb, day after day proved to be
true in the lives of every man. The sick seaman recovered, and he and
his comrades, after serving some months on board deserted the ship; and
although Captain Scarsdale hunted everywhere, he could gain no further
tidings of them.

The child thus strangely found became a fine intelligent boy, and
attached himself warmly to him. His recollections, faint though they
were, all tended to corroborate the account the seamen had given.
Captain Scarsdale would have sent