l find him
on the forward deck. Small and large jobs will be attended to while
you wait."

2

Often in calm weather Jack and Solomon amused themselves and the other
passengers with pistol practise by tossing small objects into the air
and shooting at them over the ship's side. They rarely missed even the
smallest object thrown. Jack was voted the best marksman of the two
when he crushed with his bullet four black walnuts out of five thrown
by Mr. Girard.

In the course of the voyage they overhauled _The Star_, a four-masted
ship bound from New York to Dover. For hours the two vessels were so
close that the passengers engaged in a kind of battle. Those on _The
Star_ began it by hurling turnips at the men on the other ship who
responded with a volley of apples. Solomon discerned on the deck of
the stranger Captain Preston and an English officer of the name of Hawk
whom he had known at Oswego and hailed them. Then said Solomon:

"It's a ship load o' Tories who've had enough of Ameriky. They's a
cuss on that tub that I helped put a coat o' tar an' feathers on in the
Ohio kentry. He's the one with the black pipe in his mouth. I don't
know his name but they use to call him Slops--the dirtiest,
low-downdest, damn Tory traitor that ever lived. Helped the Injuns out
thar in the West. See that 'ere black pipe? Allus carries it in his
mouth 'cept when he's eatin'. I guess he goes to sleep with it. It's
one o' the features o' his face. We tarred him plenty now you hear to
me."

That evening a boat was lowered and the Captain of _The Snow_ crossed a
hundred yards of quiet sea to dine with the Captain of _The Star_ in
the cabin of the latter. Next day a stiff wind came out of the west.
All sail was spread, the ships began to jump and gore the waves and
_The Star_ ran away from the smaller ship and was soon out of sight.
Weeks of rough going followed. Meanwhile Solomon stuck to his task.
Every one was sick but Jack and the officers, and there was not much
cooking to be done.

Because he had to take off his coat while he was working in the galley,
Solomon gave the precious letter into Jack's keeping.

Near the end of the sixth week at sea they spied land.

"We cheered, for the ocean had shown us a tiger's heart," the young man
wrote. "For weeks it had leaped and struck at us and tumbled us about.
The crossing is more like hardship than anything that has happened to
me. One woman died and was buried at