ht at the
moment you spoke on that hogshead over there. How many emigrants, did
you say?"

"No fewer than 26,000," repeated the missionary good-naturedly, and went
on to relate some interesting incidents, but the captain was soon again
lost in the contemplation of a poor young girl who had wept to such an
extent at parting from a female friend, then in the tug, that her
attempts to smile through the weeping had descended from the sublime to
the ridiculous. She and her friend continued to wave their kerchiefs
and smile and cry at each other notwithstanding, quite regardless of
public opinion, until the tug left. Then the poor young thing hid her
sodden face in her moist handkerchief and descended with a moan of woe
to her berth. Despite the comical element in this incident, a tear was
forced out of Captain Bream's eye, and we rather think that the
missionary was similarly affected. But, to say truth, the public at
large cared little for such matters. Each was too much taken up with
the pressing urgency of his or her own sorrows to give much heed to the
woes of strangers.

"People in such frames of mind are easily touched by kind words and
influences," said the missionary in a low voice.

"True, the ground is well prepared for you," returned the captain
softly, for another group had absorbed his attention.

"And I distribute among them Testaments, gospels, and tracts, besides
bags filled with books and magazines."

"Was there much powder in 'em?" asked the captain, struggling to the
surface at the last word.

"I don't know about that," replied his friend with a laugh, "but I may
venture to say that there was a good deal of fire in some of them."

"Fire!" exclaimed the captain in surprise. Explanation was prevented by
the commander of the vessel issuing at that moment from the cabin with
the owners. Hearty shakings of hands and wishes for a good voyage
followed. The officers stood at the gangway; the last of the weeping
laggards was kindly but firmly led away; the tug steamed off, and the
emigrant vessel was left to make her final preparations for an immediate
start on her long voyage to the antipodes, with none but her own
inhabitants on board, save a few who had private means of quitting.

"Now is our time," said the missionary, hastening towards the captain of
the vessel.

For one moment the latter gave him a stern look, as if he suspected him
of being a man forgotten by the tug, but a bland smile of