yours shall go up to our masthead. You think we are going to beat
them, do you?"

"I know it, sir," replied Marcy, so earnestly that the captain smiled
again. "If they beat you to-day, you will beat them to-morrow, or next
week. You are bound to win in the long run, and in their heart of hearts
the rebels know it."

"It does me good to hear you talk," said the captain, getting upon his
feet and pacing his cabin with his hands in his pockets. "I have been
pretty well discouraged since the fleet arrived off this coast, but you
put new life into me. Is that my money?" he added, as Marcy placed a
good-sized box upon his table. "Am I as rich as that? You handle it as
though it was heavy."

"If I haven't forgotten all my schooling, it ought to weigh close on to
ten pounds, troy," answered Marcy, throwing back the cover, so that the
captain could see the glittering contents. "If you will run it over,
sir, I think you will find it all there."

"Good gracious, my lad! Do you take me for a bank cashier? I could not
count a pile of money like that in an hour, and I have scarcely two
minutes' time at my disposal now. Steward, give us a cup of coffee, and
tell the officer of the deck to call away the gig. I shall want you to
go to the flag-ship with me. How much did that pirate get for the
_Hollins_ and her cargo, any way?"

"Fifty-six thousand dollars," answered Marcy.

"That is rather more than they would have brought in Boston," said the
captain reflectively. "And the Confederate government got half, I
suppose?"

"Yes, sir; and half the remainder was divided between Captain Beardsley
and his two mates. The other fourteen thousand were equally divided
among the sixteen members of the crew, petty officers and foremast hands
sharing alike, each one receiving eight hundred and seventy-five
dollars."

"Then how does it come that there are seventeen hundred dollars here?"
said the captain, jerking his head toward the box on the table.

"There are seventeen hundred and fifty dollars in this box to be
exact--two shares," replied Marcy. "Captain Beardsley promised to do
what he called 'the fair thing' by me if I would ship as pilot on his
schooner, and he did it by giving me eight hundred and seventy-five
dollars of your money."

"That was pretty cool, I must say. But how do you know that he did not
reward your fidelity by giving you some of his own money?"

"No, he didn't, sir!" exclaimed Marcy. "Captain Beardsley doesn't