ppose you design to
pick up your cargo among the islands where you cruise, and at a less
cost, perchance, than it could be procured here?"

"Yes, yes," he said; "you have hit it fairly, my little girl, you have
hit it fairly."

New annoyances now began to beset Major Bonnet. What his daughter had
remarked in pleasantry, the people of the town began to talk about
unpleasantly. Here was a good-sized craft about to set sail, with little
or no cargo, but with a crew apparently much larger than her
requirements, but not yet large enough for the desires of her owner. To
be sure, as Major Bonnet did not know anything about ships, he was bound
to do something odd when he bought one and set forth to sail upon her,
but there were some odd things which ought to be looked into; and there
were people who advised that the attention of the colonial authorities
should be drawn to this ship of their farmer townsman. Major Bonnet had
such a high reputation as a good citizen, that there were few people who
thought it worth while to trouble themselves about his new business
venture, but a good many disagreeable things came to the ears of Sam
Loftus, who reported them to his employer, and it was agreed between
them that it would be wise for them to sail as soon as they could, even
if they did not wait for the few men they had considered to be needed.

Early upon a cloudy afternoon, Major Bonnet and his daughter went out in
a small boat to look at his vessel, the Sarah Williams, which was then
lying a short distance below the town.

"Now, Kate," said the good Major Bonnet, when they were on board, "I
have fitted up a little room for you below, which I think you will find
comfortable enough during the voyage to Jamaica. I will take you with
me when I return to the house, and then you can make up a little package
of clothes which it will be easy to convey to the river bank when the
time shall come for you to depart. I cannot now say just when that time
will arrive; it may be in the daytime or it may be at night, but it will
be soon, and I will give you good notice, and I will come up the river
for you in a boat. But now I am very busy, and I will leave you to
become acquainted with the Sarah Williams, which, for a few days, will
be your home. I shall be obliged to row over to the town for, perhaps,
half an hour, but Ben Greenway will be here to attend to anything you
need until I return."

Ben Greenway was a Scotchman, who had for a long