oded shores. Here Gualtier stepped out, paid them, and
ordered them to go to Leghorn. As for himself, he swore they should
never see him again. They took the money, and rowed off for a little
distance along the shore, when Black Bill made them put him ashore.
They did so, and rowed on. He plunged into the woods, and walked back
till he got on Gualtier's trail, which he followed up. Black Bill
here remarked, with a mixture of triumph and mock contrition, that an
accident in his early life had sent him to Australia, in which
country he had learned how to notice the track of animals or of man
in any place, however wild. Here Gualtier had been careless, and his
track was plain. Black Bill thus followed him from place to place,
and after Gualtier reached the nearest railway station was easily
able to keep him in sight.

In this way he had kept him in sight through North Italy, over the
Alps, through Germany, and, finally, to London, where he followed him
to the door of his lodgings. Here he had made inquiries, and had
learned that Gualtier was living there under the name of Mr. Brown;
that he had only been there a few weeks, but seemed inclined to stay
permanently, as he had brought there his clothes, some furniture, and
all his papers, together with pictures and other valuables. Black
Bill then devoted himself to the task of watching him, which he kept
up for some time, till one day Gualtier left by rail for the west,
and never returned. Black Bill had watched ever since, but had seen
nothing of him. He thought he must have gone to America.

Here Black Bill paused for a while, and Obed asked him one or two
questions.

"What is the reason," he asked, "that you did not give information to
the police at first, instead of waiting till now?"

"A question like that there," said Black Bill, "is easy enough to
answer. You see I wanted for to play my hown little game. I wanted
fur to find out who the gal was. If so be as I'd found out that, I'd
have had somethin' to work on. That's fust an' foremost. An' next,
you understand, I was anxious to git a hold of him, so as to be able
to pay off that oncommon black score as I had agin him. Arter
humbuggin' me, hocusin' my pistol, an' threat'nin' murder to me, an'
makin' me work wuss than a galley-slave in that thar boat, I felt
petiklar anxious to pay him off in the same coin. That's the reason
why I sot up a watch on him on my own account, instead of telling the
beaks."

"Do you kn