ing in from the
state room on the starboard side of the saloon, whither he had gone to
hunt up some special cigars while Garry O'Neil was accomplishing his
surgical operation. "We're going ahead as fast as steam and a good ship
can carry us, and we'll rescue your child, I'll wager, before nightfall.
Have a smoke now, my friend; and while you're trying one of the
Havanah's, which never paid duty and are none the worse for that, you
can tell us how it all happened from the beginning to the end. I should
like to hear the account of your voyage right through, colonel, and how
those blacks came to board you."

"Certainly!" said Colonel Vereker, leaning back in his easy chair when
Garry O'Neil had made an end of bandaging his leg, and accepting one of
the choice cigars the skipper offered him. "I will tell you willingly,
captain, and you, gentlemen, turning round and bowing to us, the sad
story of our thrice ill-fated voyage."

"Thrice ill-fated?" repeated Mr Stokes inquiringly, the chief being
rather argumentative by nature and possessing what he called a strictly
logical turn of mind. "But how's that, sir?"

The colonel had his answer quite ready.

"I said `thrice ill-fated' advisedly, sir," he replied, removing his
cigar from his lips to emit a cloud of perfumed smoke, and then
restoring the fragrant roll of tobacco to the mouth again. "In the
first place, sir, from my having been unlucky enough ever to start upon
the voyage at all. Secondly, from the fact of a calm delaying us when
passing between Puerto Rico and San Domingo, thereby enabling those
treacherous negro scoundrels to see our ship in time to put out for us
from the shore; and thirdly, because Captain Alphonse would not take my
advice and use strong measures when the mutiny originally broke out,
which might have prevented the terrible events that afterwards occurred!
But, sir, if you will allow me, I shall get along better by telling you
what happened, just in my own way!"

"Certainly, sir," immediately replied Mr Stokes, profuse in his
apologies. "Pray pardon my interruption!"

The colonel bowed in token of his forgiveness and then resumed his yarn.

"Our ship, the _Saint Pierre_, of Marseilles, Jacques Alphonse master
and part owner, sailed from La Guayra on October 25, barely a fortnight
ago!" said he. "In addition to her captain, of course, she carried two
mates and a crew of twenty-five hands all told, and she was bound for
Liverpool, with