he
exercise of all the will power he was master of to keep him from showing
how very gloomy he felt over the coming separation. He was glad when the
ordeal was over, when the last kiss and the last encouraging words had
been given, and he and Marcy, with the two rival flags stowed away in a
valise, were on their way to the creek. Greatly to Marcy's surprise,
though not much to Jack's, they found the little skiff which did duty as
the _Fairy Belle's_ tender drawn out upon the bank, and Marcy was almost
certain that he saw the woolly head of the boy Julius drawn out of sight
behind the schooner's rail.

"What's the meaning of this?" he demanded. "Where are the
ship-keepers?"

"Let's go aboard and find out," replied Jack, with a twinkle in his eye
which said that he could tell all about it if he were so inclined. "I
was afraid we would have to tow out to the river; but this is a topsail
breeze that will take us down there without any trouble at all. Take the
valise and get in and I will shove off."

Marcy had plenty of questions to ask, but knowing that his brother would
not take the least notice of them unless he felt like it, he stepped
into the tender and picked up one of the oars. A few sturdy strokes
sufficed to lay the skiff alongside the schooner, and the first thing
Marcy did when he jumped aboard, leaving Jack to drop the small boat
astern, was to look down the hatchway that led into the forecastle.
There stood Julius, as big as life, with his feet spread out, his hands
resting on his hips, and a broad grin on his face.

"What are you doing there, you imp of darkness?" exclaimed Marcy.
"Didn't you understand that we don't want any Abolitionists aboard of us
this trip?"

"G'long now, honey," replied the boy, turning his head on one side and
waving Marcy away with his hand. "Ise heah 'cording to Marse Jack's
orders."

"That's all right," said Jack, who had come aboard by this time and was
making the skiff fast to the stern. "You see," he added, coming forward,
"I wanted to make all the darkeys on the place think that I am going
down to Newbern to join the rebel gunboat that so many people seem to
think is being built there."

"Aw, g'long now, Marse Jack," said Julius. "Mebbe de niggahs all fools,
but dey ain't none of dem b'lieves dat."

"You hold your tongue," said Jack good-naturedly. "Perhaps our darkeys
are all right, and perhaps they are not. It won't do in times like these
to trust too many with thi