t that Sir Sidney Smith should have considered you fit to
command the _Tigress_ in so difficult and dangerous a work as cruising
among those islands is in itself a better guarantee of your fitness for
promotion than the most rigid examination could be."

A few further questions were asked, and then Wilkinson was congratulated
upon having passed successfully. He then went to the prize court, saw
the President, and presented Sir Sidney Smith's note to him. He read it
through, and then glanced at a copy of the bill of lading which had been
taken when the cargo was transferred.

"You do not know the contents of all those bales and casks, Mr.
Wilkinson?"

"No, sir. The greater portion of them have never been opened. Some, of
course, one could recognize from the nature of the packing, and I put
them down as nearly as I could guess--Manchester goods, woollen,
hardware, and so on; but, as we wanted to be off, and it was better that
the things should remain in their original packing, we did not trouble
to open them, and they were received as cargo consigned to you."

"The Eastern goods you know nothing about, I suppose?"

"Nothing whatever."

"Well, when the brig arrives in the river the captain will, of course,
call here, and I will give him instructions where to land them."

"I understand," he went on, looking again at the letter, "that Mr.
Blagrove, to whom Sir Sidney asks me to intrust the sale of these goods,
is an expert in this special line?"

"Yes, sir; he has been for many years established as a merchant in
Alexandria, and Sir Sidney thought that he would not only be able to
estimate accurately the value of the goods, but would know exactly where
to place them, and would, by bringing them gradually forward, get far
larger sums for them than if they were thrown all at once upon the
market."

"I see the vessel is his property, Mr. Wilkinson?"

"It is so, sir, his son purchased it in his name. He is a
fellow-midshipman of mine in the _Tigre_, and was with me in the craft
with which we captured all these goods and the vessels that have been
sold for twelve thousand five hundred. This I have brought up with me in
gold, and will pay into the hands of anybody you may appoint, to be
added to the proceeds of the sales, for division by the court."

"Have you any idea of the value of these Eastern goods?"

"Not in the slightest, sir; only a few of the bales were opened in the
presence of Sir Sidney Smith. He himself