r so later a
splendid breeze just then springing up from the westwards and flecking
the still blue water with buoyant life, the two ships parted company
amid a round of enthusiastic cheers that only grew faint as the distance
widened them apart, the _Saint Pierre_ sailing off right before the
wind, with everything set below, and aloft, across the ocean on her
course for Saint George's Channel, while we braced our yards sharp up
and bore away full speed ahead in the opposite direction, bound for New
York, which port we safely reached without further mishap four days
later.

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN.

I GO TO VENEZUELA.

"You'd better stick to us," said the skipper to Colonel Vereker, who
talked of taking the next Cunard steamer, which was advertised to leave
on the morrow, as the _Star of the North_ was being berthed in our
company's dock on the East River. "I'm only going to stop here long
enough to discharge our cargo and ship a fresh one; which is all ready
and waiting for us; and then, sir, we'll `make tracks,' as our friends
the Yankees say, right away over the `herring-pond' to Liverpool as fast
as steam and sail can carry the old barquey. Better stick to us,
colonel, and see the voyage out."

"All right, Senor Applegarth," replied the colonel, who could not drop
his Spanish phraseology all at once, though otherwise gradually
returning to his and our own native tongue and becoming less of a
foreigner in every way, "I will return with you."

Both were as good as their word, he and little Elsie coming home with
us, and the skipper making the passage from Sandy Hook to the Mersey in
eight days from land to land, the fastest run we had ever yet achieved
across the Atlantic, whether outward or homeward-bound.

But, quick as we were, the _Saint Pierre_ managed to reach Liverpool
before we did, the pilot who boarded us off the Skerries bringing the
news that she had gone up the river a tide ahead of us.

This piece of intelligence was confirmed beyond question by Garry O'Neil
coming off in the company's tug that sheered alongside as we dropped
anchor in the stream later on, midway between the Prince's landing-stage
and the Birkenhead shore, the manager of our line being anxious to
compliment the skipper on his successful rescue of the French ship, the
percentage on whose valuable cargo for bringing her safely to port, and
thus saving all loss to the underwriters, would more than repay any
damage done for the de