on rises at ten to-night, Dick," said Jackson, as they went
together to the stables to see that the horses were all right.

"That's so," said the sailor, who noticed something peculiar in the
man's tone; "what may be the reason o' your reference to that bit of
astronomy?"

"Why, you see," returned the other, "post-boys in these diggin's are
used to travellin' night an' day. An' the troopers' report o' the
weather might be worse. You was sayin' somethin' about duty, wasn't
you?"

"Right, Jackson," returned Dick, "but Black Polly is not used to
travellin' night an' day. If she was, I'd take her back to-night, for
moonlight is good enough for a man that has twice taken soundin's along
the road, an' who's well up in all the buoys, beacons, an' landmarks,
but it would be cruelty to the good mare."

"Duty first, Dick, the mare second. You don't need to trouble about
her. I'll lend ye one o' my best horses an' take good care o' Black
Polly till Hunky Ben claims her."

"Thank 'ee, Jackson, but I'll not part wi' Black Polly till I've
delivered her to her owner. I won't accept your invite to stop here
three or four days, but neither will I start off to-night. I've too
much regard for the good mare to do that."

"Ho! ho!" thought his host, with an inward chuckle, "it's not so much
the mare as Mary that you've a regard for, my young sailor!"

But in spite of his name the man was much too polite to express this
opinion aloud. He merely said, "Well, Dick, you know that you're
welcome to squat here as long or as short a time as you like, an' use
the best o' my horses, if so disposed, or do the postboy business on
Black Polly. Do as ye like wi' me an' mine, boy, for it's only fair to
say that but for your help this day my Mary an' me would have bin done
for."

They reached the stable as he was speaking, and Jackson at once turned
the conversation on the horses, thus preventing a reply from Dick--in
regard to which the latter was not sorry.

In the stall the form of Black Polly looked grander than ever, for her
head nearly touched the roof as she raised it and turned a gleaming eye
on the visitors, at the same time uttering a slight whinny of
expectation.

"Why, I do believe she has transferred her affections to you, Dick,"
said Jackson. "I never heard her do that before except to Hunky Ben,
and she's bin many a time in that stall."

"More likely that she expected Ben had come to bid her good-night,"
returned th