Very early in the morning Captain Burke was aroused by the entrance of
the sailing-master, Mr. Portman, into his state-room. "'Morning, sir,"
said Mr. Portman. "I want you to come out here and look at something!"

Perceiving by the manner and tones of the other that there was something
important to be looked at, Captain Burke jumped up, quickly dressed
himself, and went out on deck. There, fastened against the fore-mast,
was a large piece of paper on which were written these words:--

"We don't intend to sail on a filibustering cruise. We know what it
means when you take on arms in New York, and discharge your
respectable passengers in Nassau. We don't want nothing to do
with your next lot of passengers, and don't intend to get into no
scrapes. So good-bye!

(Signed) The Crew."

[Illustration: THERE, FASTENED AGAINST THE FOREMAST, WAS A LARGE PIECE
OF PAPER]

"You don't mean to say," cried Burke, "that the crew has deserted the
vessel?"

"That's what it is, sir," said Mr. Burdette, the first mate, who had
just joined them. "The crew has cleared out to a man! Mr. Portman and I
are left, the engineer's left and his assistant,--they belonged to the
yacht and don't have much to do with the crew,--but the rest's all gone!
Deckhands, stewards, and even the cook. The stewardess must have gone
too, for I haven't seen her."

"What's the meaning of all this," shouted Burke, his face getting very
red. "When did they go, and why did they go?"

"It's the second mate's watch, and he is off with them," said Mr.
Burdette. "I expect he's at the bottom of it. He's a mighty wary fellow.
Just as like as not he spread the report that we were going on a
filibustering expedition to Cuba, and the ground for it, in my opinion,
is those cases of arms you opened the other day!"

"I think that is it, sir," said Mr. Portman. "You know there's a rising
in Cuba, and there was lots of talk about filibustering before we left.
I expect the people thought that the ladies were going on shore the same
as the parsons."

Burke was confounded. He knew not what to say or what to think, but
seeing Mrs. Cliff appearing at the head of the companion-way, he thought
it his first duty to go and report the state of affairs to her, which
he did. That lady's astonishment and dismay were very great.

"What are we going to do?" she asked. "And what do you mean by the cases
of arms?"

"I'm afraid that was a piece of folly on