ur part."

"I repeat that I have thought over it, and I add that the _Halbrane_
shall proceed direct to Tristan d'Acunha. That will suit you, I
suppose?"

"To perfection, captain. To-morrow morning, at seven o'clock, I
shall be on board."

"Your cabin is prepared."

"The cost of the voyage--"

"We can settle that another time," answered the captain, "and
to your satisfaction. Until to-morrow, then--"

"Until to-morrow."

I stretched out my arm, to shake hands with him upon our bargain.
Perhaps he did not perceive my movement in the darkness, at all
events he made no response to it, but walked rapidly away and got
into his boat.

I was greatly surprised, and so was Arkins, when I found him in the
eating-room of the Green Cormorant and told him what had occurred.
His comment upon it was characteristic.

"This queer captain," he said, "is as full of whims as a
spoilt child! It is to be hoped he will not change his mind again at
the last moment."

The next morning at daybreak I bade adieu to the Green Cormorant,
and went down to the port, with my kind-hearted host, who insisted
on accompanying me to the ship, partly in order to make his mind
easy respecting the sincerity of the captain's repentance, and
partly that he might take leave of him, and also of Hurliguerly. A
boat was waiting at the quay, and we reached the ship in a few
minutes.

The first person whom I met on the deck was Hurliguerly; he gave me
a look of triumph, which said as plainly as speech: "Ha! you see
now. Our hard-to-manage captain has given in at last. And to whom do
you owe this, but to the good boatswain who did his best for you,
and did not boast overmuch of his influence?"

Was this the truth? I had strong reasons for doubting it. After all,
what did it matter?

Captain Len Guy came on deck immediately after my arrival; this was
not surprising, except for the fact that he did not appear to remark
my presence.

Atkins then approached the captain and said in a pleasant tone,--

"We shall meet next year!"

"If it please God, Atkins."

They shook hands. Then the boatswain took a hearty leave of the
innkeeper, and was rowed back to the quay.

Before dark the white summits of Table Mount and Havergal, which
rise, the former to two, the other to three thousand feet above the
level of the sea, had disappeared from our view.

(1) Thomas D'Arcy McGee. (J.V.)

CHAPTER IV.
FROM THE KERGUELEN ISLES TO PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND