himself before his owners, and the wit to persuade
them that he was a much-injured individual, and innocent as the new-born
babe of all the charges brought against him. They gave him in
consequence, as I said, the command of the _William_, a new brig just
off the stocks. On some pretext or other, he was constantly aboard us
as we were taking in our cargo; and, with the thoughts I had of him, I
cannot say that I quite liked it. I understood also, from my people,
that four of the _Brunswick's_ crew had found him out, and shipped with
him; and the night before he sailed another very suspicious-looking
character shipped aboard, and, as the vessel went out of harbour, was
seen doing duty as mate. I mention these things, sir, that you may
judge whether I am likely to be right in my conjectures as to what
afterwards occurred. I will not now keep you longer than I can help.
We had a fine passage to the Gut, though with three or four days of
light and baffling winds. We had got through the Straits; and about a
couple of days after we had passed them, we made out on our weather-bow,
a brig, under easy canvas, standing across our course.

"`Where can she be bound to?' says I to my mate, here.

"`Only to the coast of Africa,' says he; `for you see, sir, she had a
fair wind up or down the Mediterranean.'

"`She is in no hurry, at all events,' says I, `with that sail she has
set.'

"`I can't make it out,' says he. `See, sir, she looks as if she
intended to speak us. She has altered her course a couple of points.
Ay, I see how it is--she is short-handed, by the way those sails are
set, and the ropes, too, are all hanging slack about her. Perhaps she
has lost some of her people by fever, or maybe they have been washed
overboard in a squall.'

"As I looked at the brig more attentively, there was a strange foreign
look about the paint on her sides and figure-head which puzzled me, and
still the cut of her sails and the rake of her masts was English.
Presently, however, an ensign, with the stars and stripes of the United
States, flew out at her peak. That seemed to set the matter at rest.
The stranger soon bore down on us, and I hailed her to know who she was,
and what she wanted.

"`The _Crescent_, from New York, bound for the Levant,' was the answer.
`We've lost more than half our ship's company in trying to save some
people off a wreck, and have ourselves sprung a leak. Can you send any
of your people aboard to help