m; the progeny of the rest of the
family are scattered about, and he himself knows nothing about them; to
collect them would be impossible, and if collected, equally impossible
to remove them, for they would not leave. My old relative fancies, in
his mind's eye, his daughter weeping over her captivity, and longing to
be restored to her country and her relations; still retaining European
feelings and sympathies, and miserable in her position; her children
brought up by her with the same ideas, and some day looking forward to
their emancipation from this savage state of existence: I think if he
were here, and saw old Daaka, he would soon divest himself of all these
romantic ideas."

"I think so too; but there is one thing which has struck me very
forcibly, Alexander, which is, if this Daaka is the son of your aunt how
comes it that he is so old? When was the _Grosvenor_ lost?"

"In the year 1752."

"And we are now in 1829. Your aunt you stated to have been ten or
twelve years old at the time of the wreck. Allowing her to marry at the
earliest age, Daaka could not well be more than forty-eight years old;
and surely he is more than that."

"He looks much older, certainly; but who can tell the age of a savage,
who has been living a life of constant privation, and who has been so
often wounded as his scars show that he has been? Wounds and hardship
will soon make a man look old."

"That is very true, but still he appears to be to be older than the
dates warrant."

"I think his stating that his sister was named Bess is full
corroboration."

"It is rather circumstantial evidence, Wilmot: now what do you propose
to do?"

"I hardly know; but I wish to be in Daaka's company some time longer,
that I may gain more intelligence; and I think of proposing to him that
we should go down to visit the remains of the wreck of his mother, as he
terms it. I should like to see a spot so celebrated for misfortune, and
behold the remains of the ill-fated vessel; I should like to have to
tell my good old uncle all I can, and he will wish that I should be able
to give him every information."

"Well, I think it is a good plan of yours, and we will propose it to him
to-morrow morning."

"And I should like to visit his sister Bess--indeed, I must do so. He
says she is much younger than he is."

"He did, and therefore I think his age does not correspond with our
dates, as I observed before," replied Swinton; "but, as you say, you