mething in a whisper to his companion they both hurried
off, and for the rest of the day, in spite of the aspect I carried
before those in the house, I was in no little trepidation.

Late in the afternoon, when we had been expecting a call every moment
from some one in authority, and Tom had been waiting ready to run off at
the first attack to the British vice-consul, a quiet, firm-looking,
sailor-like man came up to where I was standing.

"Are you the Englishman who wants to go with his family to Kingston?"

"Yes," I said, looking at him earnestly, for I was wondering whether it
was a trap laid by the Yankee skipper.

"I just heard of it down at the wharf," he said. "I'll take you, only I
sail to-night."

I was going to exclaim, "That's just what I want!" but restrained
myself, and said quietly, "That's a very short notice."

"Well, 'tis, sir; but I'm all laden, and time's money. If you can be
ready I'll take you, and be glad to earn the passage money, and do the
best I can to make you and the ladies comfortable, but if you can't I
must lose the job."

"We will be ready, then," I said; "only I have these heavy chests to
go."

"Oh, they're nothing," said the skipper good-humouredly. "I'll bring
the boat up abreast here, and four o' my lads. We'll soon have them
in."

We soon settled about terms, which were reasonable enough, and promising
to be there with the boat in an hour, the man left.

"Well, Tom, what is it?" I said excitedly. "A trap or honesty?"

"Honesty, Mas'r Harry," he cried sharply. "That chap's straight-forrard
enough."

"So I think," I cried, "and we'll risk it. To-morrow we may be
stopped."

My aunt and Lilla were almost startled at the suddenness of the proposed
departure, and my uncle looked anxious; but they said nothing, only made
their final preparations, and soon after dark the fresh skipper came up
with half a dozen men.

"I thought I'd bring enough," he said. "Now, my lads, be smart. Chest
apiece, they ain't big."

It was all so sudden that my breath was almost taken away; but I had
said that I would risk it, and there was nothing else to do but go on.
In the darkness, too, it was hard to tell whether our property was all
being fairly dealt with, but I watched as keenly as I could, and Tom
went down to the boat with the first men, my uncle taking charge of
Lilla and my aunt, while I stopped back at the house and sent all the
luggage off.

It was pitchy dark now, an