ords more or less, to Shirley. He might
have telegraphed to me, perhaps, but he didn't know my address, as I was
wandering around. But Shirley, you know, is a fixture in his
shipyard;--and so he sent it to him!"

"I haven't a doubt," said Mrs. Cliff, "that he would have telegraphed to
you if he had known where you were!"

"I hope so," said Burke. "And when he had told Shirley all that had
happened, he asked him to pull up stakes, and sail by the first steamer
he could catch for Jamaica. There was a chance that he might get there
before the _Dunkery Beacon_ arrived, or while she was in port, and then
he could tell everything to make her captain understand that he needn't
be afraid to lose anything on account of his ship stopping in Kingston
harbor until arrangements could be made for his carrying his gold in
safety to Lima. Captain Horn didn't think that the pirates would try to
do anything before the _Dunkery Beacon_ left Kingston. They would just
follow her until she got into the South Atlantic, and then board her,
most likely!

"Captain Horn said that he was going to Jamaica too, but as he didn't
know how soon he would be able to sail from Vera Cruz, he wanted Shirley
to go ahead without losing a minute. And then Shirley he telegraphed to
me up at Plainton,--thinking I was there and that I ought to know all
about it, and the women at my house took so long forwarding it that I
did not get it until yesterday evening, and then I rushed around to
where Shirley was staying, and got there just in time to catch him, for
the next steamer to Jamaica sailed early this morning. But he had plenty
of time to tell me everything.

"The minute he got the Captain's telegram, he just dropped everything
and started for New York. And I can tell you, Mrs. Cliff, I'd have done
the same, for I don't know what I wouldn't do to get the chance to see
Captain Horn again!"

"And you wanted to go with Mr. Shirley?" said Mrs. Cliff, with an eager
light in her eyes.

"Indeed I did!" said Burke. "But, of course, I wouldn't think of such a
thing as going off and leaving you here with that yacht on your hands,
and no knowing what you would do with the people on board, and
everything else! So I saw Shirley off about seven o'clock this morning,
and then I came to report to you."

"That was too much to expect, Mr. Burke," said Mrs. Cliff, "but it was
just like you, and I shall never forget it! But, now tell me one
thing,--is Mrs. Horn going to J