ourse of the discussions on this interesting occasion, Bob, who had
picked up something of the language of her group, explained to her, as
well as he could. After a time, the girl ran down to the battery and
brought up her husband, through whom the proposal was made that, at
first, excited so much wonder. Peggy had told Unus what was going on,
and had pointed out to him the boat of Juno, now sensibly drawing nearer
to the island, and Unus volunteered to _swim_ out and meet the girl, so
as to give her timely warning, as well as instructions how to proceed!

Although Mark, and Heaton, and Bridget, and all present indeed, were
fully aware that the natives of the South Seas could, and often did pass
hours in the water, this proposal struck them all, at first, as so wild,
that no one believed it could be accepted. Reflection, however did its
usual office, and wrought a change in these opinions. Peters assured the
governor that he had often known Unus to swim from island to island in
the group, and that on the score of danger to him, there was not the
least necessity of feeling any uneasiness. He did not question the
Indian's power to swim the entire distance to the Reef, should it be
necessary.

Another difficulty arose, however, when the first was overcome. Unus
could speak no English, and how was he to communicate with Juno, even
after he had entered her boat? The girl, moreover, was both resolute and
strong, as her present expedition sufficiently proved, and would be very
apt to knock a nearly naked savage on the head, when she saw him
attempting to enter her boat. From this last opinion, however, Bridget
dissented. Juno was kind-hearted, and would be more disposed, she
thought, to pick up a man found in the water at sea, than to injure him.
But Juno could read writing. Bridget herself had taught her slaves to
read and write, and Juno in particular was a sort of 'expert,' in her
way. She wrote and read half the nigger-letters of Bristol, previously
to quitting America. She would now write a short note, which would put
the girl on her guard, and give her confidence in Unus. Juno knew the
whole history of Peters and Peggy, having taken great interest in the
fate of the latter. To own the truth, the girl had manifested a very
creditable degree of principle on the subject, for Jones had tried to
persuade his friend to take Juno, a nice, tidy, light-coloured black, to
wife, and to forget Peggy, when Juno repelled the attempt w