s the Continent, much cast down at the
strange peace which prevailed in every quarter. At last, however, on
reaching the Lowlands, I chanced to hear that the _Providence_, owned
and commanded by my two brothers, Nonus and Quartus, was about to start
from Amsterdam for an adventure to the Guinea coast. I proposed to them
that I should join them, and was accordingly taken into partnership on
condition that I paid one-third of the cost of the cargo. While waiting
at the port I chanced to come across some of the exiles, who, having
heard of my devotion to the Protestant cause, brought me to the Duke and
to Master Rumbold, who committed these letters to my charge. This makes
it clear how they came into my possession.'

'But not how you and they came into the water,' my father suggested.

'Why, that was but the veriest chance,' the adventurer answered with
some little confusion of manner. 'It was the _fortuna belli_, or more
properly _pacis_. I had asked my brothers to put into Portsmouth that I
might get rid of these letters, on which they replied in a boorish and
unmannerly fashion that they were still waiting for the thousand guineas
which represented my share of the venture. To this I answered with
brotherly familiarity that it was a small thing, and should be paid
for out of the profits of our enterprise. Their reply was I that I had
promised to pay the money down, and that money down they must have. I
then proceeded to prove, both by the Aristotelian and by the Platonic
or deductive method, that having no guineas in my possession it was
impossible for me to produce a thousand of them, at the same time
pointing out that the association of an honest man in the business was
in itself an ample return for the money, since their own reputations had
been somewhat blown on. I further offered in the same frank and friendly
spirit to meet either of them with sword or with pistol, a proposal
which should have satisfied any honour-loving Cavaliero. Their base
mercantile souls prompted them, however, to catch up two muskets, one of
which Nonus discharged at me, and it is likely that Quartus would have
followed suit had I not plucked the gun from his hand and unloaded it to
prevent further mischief. In unloading it I fear that one of the slugs
blew a hole in brother Nonus. Seeing that there was a chance of further
disagreements aboard the vessel, I at once decided to leave her, in
doing which I was forced to kick off my beautiful jac