exclaimed the American. "I've got a dozen cases ashore here
where I'm staying, full of guns, ammunition, tackle, and all sorts. My
servant's got 'em in charge. There's not too much of anything, and
nothing but what's likely to be useful to a man going to where he's
surrounded by savages and wild beasts."

"Then you take a great interest in exploration?" said Brace.

"Interest? I should think I do, sir. I'm a regular Columbus, Marco
Polo, and Captain Cook rolled up into one. Only just wish I'd a dozen
smart chaps instead of only one. I'd go off in a boat, capture that
brig, and sail right away."

"To be followed, caught, and put in prison for piracy," said Brace,
smiling contemptuously.

"Eh?" said the American. "Yes, I suppose that's about the size of it."

"Ship ahoy, there! What cheer, oh? Morning, sir," came from the brig,
and Captain Banes, who had just come on deck, took off his hat and waved
it, but stopped suddenly as he made out who was Brace Leigh's companion.

"Morning, skipper!" cried the latter.

"Morning, sir, morning," shouted the captain gruffly, and then, turning
sharply round, he began to give orders to the crew, which were
immediately followed by sounds of holystone upon the already white
boards, and splashing of water as buckets came over the side and were
hauled up again.

"Don't seem as if he's going to ask us aboard," said the American.

"No," replied Brace, smiling. "Which way are you going, sir, because I
am going to stroll along by those sugar-warehouses and back to the hotel
on the other side."

"That's just my way; so I'll walk with you. Ah, here's the sun. Going
to be another stinging hot day."

"It's hot already," said Brace, whose cheeks were beginning to tingle at
the man's persistency.

"Yes, it is hot, and--I say, ain't that your brother coming this way?"

"Yes," said Brace eagerly, and he uttered a sigh of relief as he felt
that an unpleasant business would be brought to an end at once.

He soon saw that there was a frown on his brother's brow, and Sir
Humphrey's voice told plainly what he felt upon the stranger attacking
him at once about the business he had in hand.

He heard him courteously to the end, and then, with a few words of
sympathy for the disappointment he was causing, plainly told the
applicant that his proposal was quite out of the question.

"Humph!" said the American. "Well, I don't like it, mister. I've come
all this way to go up one o