e then ordered the main hatch opened as he escorted the officer down
to the cabin in order to inspect the ship's papers.

Rucker followed. Duff, impelled by curiosity, watched the opening of
the hatch, which had remained closely sealed ever since he had been
aboard.

An apparently empty hold was all that rewarded his eye, except for the
usual stores and provisions necessary for a long voyage.

"If Bermuda is really our port, we've got grub enough, and to spare,"
thought he as he returned to the quarter-deck.

Meanwhile the lieutenant, after a thorough inspection of the hold,
returned to the open air. He still seemed unsatisfied, and cast
curious glances here and there over the vessel's trim proportions.
Finally he gave it up.

"Your papers seem to be all right," he said, "and you certainly have no
cargo, though you are provisioned for a voyage round the world, I
should say."

"Barrels of meal," said the captain. "My owner had a lot on hand, and
thought it might fetch a better price in the Bermudas than at home. We
can trade it for potatoes."

"Well, I wish you success," added the officer, pausing at the ladder,
and touching his cap to Gary and the mates. "Pardon whatever
inconvenience we may have occasioned."

He went down the side, the boat pulled back to the cruiser, and the
latter steamed away westward.

The Curlew, holding east, soon helped to place her dangerous neighbor
hull down, when Captain Gary gave the order for all hands to be
summoned aft. The crew came tumbling back into the waist, a swarthy,
brawny, reckless looking set of men. Two of them brought Ralph up and
set him down on a coil of rope.

The warm meal, the sight of human faces, the sounds of life and light,
had already renewed his strength and spirits. He was no longer so ill,
and the bright sunlight and the heaving waves sent a sort of thrill
through him. The sea was not all terrible after all.

"Now, men," began the captain, when all had assumed a decorous silence,
"what do you think that war ship supposed we were?"

There was no reply to this, though the men looked at each other, then
turned to their commander, as if expecting an answer. The captain
broke into a harsh laugh.

"Why," he continued, "they thought this ship was the famous slaver, the
Wanderer. I guess you've all heard of the Wanderer."

Yes, they had. Duff noticed that Rucker and Long Tom were the only two
who seemed to be indifferent to this announcement