trip,
you can not be held responsible for the crime committed by her captain
and owner in violating the law against slave trading. The negroes of
course will be set free."

The door here opened and Duff entered on crutches, followed by a tall,
sandy whiskered officer, who went up to Ralph at once.

"Well, nephew," said he in a cordial, hearty tone, "how are you? Well
enough to stand a stiff surprise?"

Ralph wondered weakly, but his perplexity ended in a smile. It seemed
as if every one was very cordial and that his lines were falling in
pleasant places at last.

He greeted Duff eagerly and looked at the two naval men inquiringly,
remembering the surgeon's warning as to talking.

"This is Chief Quartermaster Gideon Granger, Ralph," said Duff. "Now
do you know who he is?"

"Gideon Granger was my father's half brother," replied the lad at once.
"He left home before I was born. Grandfather thought he went to Texas,
but as he never heard from him, we all supposed he was dead. So--you
are--Uncle Gid."

"Yes, my lad," said Granger. "You see your grandfather and I didn't
get on together somehow, so one day I tripped anchor and made sail, as
I thought, for the West; but the sight of salt water was too much for
me. I drifted into a sailor's life, got into the navy, was promoted
during the war, and--here I am.

"Meeting up with you, however, is about the strangest streak of luck I
have happened with yet. But I am none the less glad to fall in with
one of my own kin. You're as welcome to me, lad, as I reckon we were
to you and Duff, the morning we sighted you off the Cape Verdes. When
he told me who you were I was all broke up. You were pretty well done
for."

"I guess I must have given you some trouble since then," returned
Ralph, reaching for his uncle's hand. "We did have rather a tough time
in that old boat."

"You did that. As soon as you were hoisted aboard, Dr. Barker
pronounced you down with coast fever. That trip up the river Duff
tells me about, probably planted the seeds, and exposure did the
rest--eh, Doc."

The surgeon nodded, then the chief quartermaster added: "But we will be
at Norfolk in a week, then I'll apply for shore leave and you and I
will go down and see the old man."

"He won't want to see me," remarked Ralph, who then briefly related the
circumstances under which he had been driven from home, his encounter
with Shard, and the latter's mode of placing him at Gary's mercy.