oss the face and cutting his
cheek open. He reeled backwards in his saddle, and I, first letting out
right and left at the two overseers, who stood one on each side of me,
and bowling them over like a couple of ninepins, sprang upon him, seized
him by the collar, and dragged him out of his saddle, and, leaping upon
the frightened horse's back, gave the poor brute a lash across the
flank, which sent him flying down the road, through the 'baccy plants,
and out upon the open country like a shot out of a shovel.

"Well, I don't know that I'd ever been on horseback in my life before,
but somehow I managed to stick to the saddle, it didn't seem at all
difficult, and on I went, straight ahead, as fast as the horse could
gallop, for an hour or more, and then we fetched up somewhere on the
shore. There was a schooner in the offing with the British flag flying
at her gaff-end, and, as luck would have it, I'd just managed to hit the
spot where a boat's crew belonging to her were ashore, filling up their
fresh water. I told the middy in charge who and what I was, and he
shoved off at once with me, took me aboard, and told the lieutenant in
command all about me; and, after knocking about with 'em for a
fortnight, I landed here, just six months ago. And that ends my yarn."

"And what have you been doing since then?" asked George, after
congratulating Bowen on his escape.

"Well, cap'n," was the reply, "I never once forgot the promise I made to
you the day we were separated in Havana. I felt certain that you'd
manage to get away somehow some day; and I felt just as certain that,
sooner or later, you'd turn up here in Kingston. So, as soon as I was
landed here, I made inquiries, and, not being able to learn that
anything had been heard of you, I just looked about me a bit, and got a
berth on board a little coaster, so's to be on the spot whenever you
might happen to turn up. I'd told our story pretty freely here in
Kingston, so that, even if I'd happened to have been at sea at the time,
there's plenty of people that would have taken you in tow, and provided
you with the needful until I came in again. Now that you've put in an
appearance, of course I shall throw up my berth, and we'll all sink or
swim together."

"Thanks, Bowen, thanks; that's just like your disinterestedness,"
answered George; "but what are we to do? The only thing I can see for
it is to get berths, if possible, on board some homeward-bounder."

"Homeward