ngland and make your report to the Company in person.
Meanwhile you will make no effort to leave this country until I find
means to secure your passage for you."

"I am to consider myself under arrest?" said I.

"No, sir," said the Governor, kindly, "not under arrest; but you must
hold yourself prepared to stand your examination before the proper
agents of the Company at London, and at such time as they may decide
upon."

XIV.

So soon as I had left the Residency I went straight aboard my craft. I
entered my cabin, locked the door, and began pacing up and down,
striving to collect my thoughts and to shape them into some sort of
order. At first I was possessed with a most ungovernable fury--that I,
who had suffered so much, who had fought till I could fight no more, and
who had freely risked my life in the Company's cause, should now be
accused of stealing that very thing that had cost me such suffering and
so great a weight of trouble. But by-and-by the ferment of my spirits
began somewhat to subside, and I could look matters more coolly in the
face. Then, instead of anger, I became consumed with anxiety, for I
began, little by little, to perceive what a dreadful cloud of suspicion
overshadowed me. I had acted to the best of my light in not accusing
Captain Leach of what I feared might be unfounded suspicions bred of my
dislike of his person. Now all men would think that I was leagued with
him in robbing the Company of the great ruby. In return for my
forbearance in not making a public accusation against him, he had
betrayed me and all that were aboard the _Cassandra_, and now every one
would believe that I had aided him in that as in the rest. He had
remained behind in the hopes of joining the pirates, and so securing
himself in the possession of his booty. Instead of accomplishing this,
he had perished miserably on board of that craft, wet with the blood of
those whom he had betrayed; but as for me, how could I ever disprove the
horrid charge that I had deserted my confederate in guilt, leaving him
to his death, so that I might gain all for myself. The very fact of my
taking my life into my hands, and going so freely among those wicked
and bloody wretches, instead of weighing in my favor, would seem to
point to some sort of bargain with them whereby I was the gainer; for
who would believe that they would voluntarily have resigned so great a
part of those things which they had a short time before torn away