utes
more there had been a tender farewell at the gate, a single kiss of
parting, and the pilot of the privateer was well on his way toward
Captain Beardsley's house. That gentleman saw him coming and waited for
him. Perhaps he had hoped that the boy would show the white feather at
the last moment. If so, he did not know Marcy Gray.

"We'll be short-handed going down," said he, as he led the way across
the road and into the bushes; "but we shall be all right the minute we
strike Newbern. When I got my commission out of the office this
afternoon I telegraphed to my agent telling him we would start to-night,
and for him to be sure and have a crew ready for us."

"Why, I thought your crew was already shipped," said Marcy. "You
certainly gave me to understand as much."

"So they were, but I don't much expect to find 'em when I get there.
They'll get tired of waiting and go out on the first ship that sails.
But we'll have a crew. Don't worry about that."

"Worse and worse," thought Marcy. "We'll get a crew undoubtedly; but
what sort of men will they be? Dock-rats and 'longshoremen, most likely,
such as a decent captain wouldn't have on board his vessel. If we get
into trouble and I run the schooner aground while trying to bring her
out, they will be just the sort to pitch me overboard."

As this thought passed through Marcy's mind he slipped his hand into his
pocket. Captain Beardsley saw the motion and inquired:

"Got a pop with you?"

"You wouldn't go on an expedition like this without one, would you?"
asked Marcy, in reply. "Have you bargained for any small arms for the
schooner?"

"I have, and know right where to get 'em. But I shall keep them locked
up in the cabin and give 'em out to the crew only when I think it
necessary."

"That's a good plan," observed Marcy. "Do you know anything about
gunnery?"

"No, but one of the men I expect to get does. He has served his time on
board an English man-of-war and knows all about howitzers, and such
things. We couldn't get along without a gunner, you know. If we didn't
have one, how would we bring the prizes to?"

Marcy wondered why the captain had so much to say on this point. He
asked the question merely out of curiosity, and the man answered it as
though Marcy had objected to having a gunner aboard. He learned more
about it after a while.

When they reached the bank of the bayou in which the schooner was
moored, Marcy found that Beardsley had acted promptly, an