used another emphatic word
of course, in the place of the word _condemned_; but that doubtless was
because at that time they had not our "revised version" of the New
Testament.

The sea-captain who expressed himself in this emphatic way to Master
Raymond, was the captain in whose vessel he had come over from England,
and who had made another voyage back and forth since that time. The
young man was strolling around the wharves, gazing at the vessels when
he had been accosted by the aforesaid captain. At that particular moment
however, he had come to a stand, earnestly regarding, as he had several
times before, a vessel that was lying anchored out in the stream.

After passing some additional words with the captain upon various
matters, and especially upon the witches, a subject that every
conversation at that time was apt to be very full of, he turned towards
the water and said:--

"That seems to be a good craft out there."

It was a vessel of two masts, slender and raking, and with a long, low
hull--something of the model which a good many years later, went by the
name of the Baltimore clipper.

"Yes, she is a beauty!" replied the captain.

"She looks as if she might be a good sailer."

"Good! I reckon she is. The Storm King can show her heels to any vessel
that goes out of this port--or out of London either, for that matter."

"What is she engaged in?"

Here the captain gave a low whistle, and followed it up with a wink.

"Buccaneers occasionally, I suppose?"

"Oh, Captain Tolley is not so very _condemned_ particular what he
does--so that of course it is entirely lawful," and the captain winked
again. "He owns his vessel, you see--carries her in his pocket--and has
no _condemned_ lot of land-lubber owners on shore who cannot get away if
there is any trouble, from the _condemned_ magistrates and constables."

"That is an advantage sometimes," said the young man. He was thinking of
his own case probably.

"Of course it is. Law is a very good thing--in its place. But if I buy a
bag of coffee in the East Indies or in South America, why should I have
to pay a lot of money on it, before I am allowed to sell it to the
people that like coffee in some other country? _Condemn_ it! There's no
justice in it."

Master Raymond was in no mood just then to argue great moral questions.
So he answered by asking:--

"Captain Tolley does not make too many inquiries then when a good offer
is made him?"

"Do not misund