own country again. That's the
life of a Transport, my hearty. Why, it's worse cheer than one of my own
hands gets here on shipboard!"

"I think I'd rather be hanged," I said, with something like a Trembling
come over me at the Picture the Skipper had drawn.

"I should rather think you would; but such isn't your luck, little Jack
Dangerous. What would you say if I was to tell you that you ain't a
Transport at all?"

I stammered out something, I know not what, but could make no
substantial reply.

"Not a bit of it," continued Captain Handsell, who by this time was
getting somewhat Brisk with his afternoon's Punch. "Hang it, who's
afraid? I like thee, lad. I'm off my bargain, and don't care a salt
herring if I'm a loser by a few broad pieces in not sticking to it. I
tell thee, Jack, thou'rt Free, as Free as I am; leastways if we get to
Jamaica without going to Davy Jones's Locker; for on blue water no man
can say he's Free. No; not the Skipper even."

And then he told me, to my exceeding Amazement and Delight, of what an
Iniquitous Transaction I had very nearly been made the victim. It seems
that although the Pardon granted me after the Petition I had sent to his
Majesty was conditional on my transporting myself to the Plantations,
further influence had been made for me in London,--by whom I knew not
then, but I have since discovered,--and on the very Day of the arrival
of our condemned crew in London, an Entire and Free Pardon had been
issued for John Dangerous and lodged in the hands of Sir Basil Hopwood
at his House in Bishopsgate Street. Along with this merciful Document
there came a letter from one of his Majesty's principal Secretaries of
State, in which directions were given that I was to be delivered over to
a person who was my Guardian. And that I was in no danger of being again
given up to the villains Cadwallader and Talmash, or their Instrument
Gnawbit, was clear, I think, from what Captain Handsell told me:--That
the Person bringing the letter--the Pardon itself being in the hands of
a King's Messenger--had the appearance, although dressed in a lay habit,
of being a Foreign Ecclesiastic. The crafty Extortioner of a Knight and
Alderman makes answer that I had not come with the other Transports to
London, but had been left sick at Brentford, in the care of an agent of
his there; but he entreats the Foreign Person to go visit Newgate, where
he had another gang of unhappy persons for Transportation, and see i