d upon my making my
appearance in the entrance-hall, the fellow--a full-blooded African,
dressed very neatly in a white shirt and white duck trousers, both
scrupulously clean, for a wonder--approached me, and, ducking his head
respectfully, inquired--

"You Massa Courtenay, sar, cap'n ob de man-o'-war schoonah _Tern_?"

"Well, yes," I replied, "my name is Courtenay, and I commanded the
_Tern_ up to the time of her being paid off; so I suppose I may fairly
assume that I am the individual you have been inquiring for. What is it
you want with me?"

"You know a genterman, nam'd Lindsay, sar?" asked the negro, instead of
replying to my question.

"Certainly I do," answered I; "what of him?"

"Why, sar, he hab got into a lilly scrape down on de wharf, and de
perlice hab put him into de lock-up. Dey don' beliebe dat he am man-o'-
war bucra, and he say, `Will you be so good as to step down dere an'
identerfy him an' bail him out?'"

"Lindsay got into a scrape?" repeated I incredulously. "I cannot
believe it! What has he been doing?"

"Dat I cannot say, sar," answered the black; "I only know dat a
perliceman come out ob de door ob de lock-up as I was passin' by, and
asked me if I wanted to earn fibe shillin'; and when I say `yes,' he
take me into de lock-up and interdooce me to young bucra, who say him
name am Lindsay, and dat if I will take a message to you he will gib me
fibe shillin' when I come back wid you."

"It is very extraordinary," I muttered; "I cannot understand it! But I
will go with you, of course. Wait a moment until I fetch my cap."

So saying, I left the fellow and hastened to my room, where, closing the
door, I opened my chest and furnished myself with a supply of money, and
then, closing and locking the chest, I hastened away to where the negro
was waiting for me. As I passed through the hall several men of my
acquaintance were lounging there, smoking, and one of them hailed me
with--

"Hillo, Courtenay! whither away so fast, my lad?"

It was on the tip of my tongue to explain to them my errand, but I
bethought me just in time that if Lindsay had been doing anything
foolish he might not care to have the fact blazoned abroad; so I kept my
own counsel, merely replying that I was called out upon a small matter
of business, and so effected my escape from them into the dark street.

"Oh, here you are!" exclaimed I, as the negro emerged, at my appearance,
from the deep shadow of the hotel porti