y force in
1839. This is said to be the first territory acquired during the reign
of Queen Victoria; and the nation's record is not so bad as sometimes
stated.

"Aden was made a free port in 1850; and it has since had a large trade,
increasing it from half a million dollars to sixteen millions. It is
governed by English civil officers, and the military is in command of a
brigadier-general. The troops are British and East Indian, and are of
all arms of the service, including a troop of native cavalry, to which
Arabs mounted on camels are attached. Now we are ready to go on shore,"
the commander concluded.

"How are we to go on shore, sir?" asked Scott.

"We have plenty of boats,--the barge, the first and second cutters, and
the dingy," replied Captain Ringgold with a pleasant smile; for he
understood what the captain of the Maud was driving at.

"Are you not going to put the little steamer into the water again, sir?"
inquired the young captain. "She would be very convenient in going about
this place, which is nearly surrounded by water."

"She would be indeed; but we shall probably leave Aden by to-morrow
afternoon, and it would hardly pay to lower her into the water, for you
know that it requires a great deal of hard work to do so," said the
commander, who was really very sorry to disoblige the young man, and he
kept more than his usual smile on his face all the time.

"I think we could make the voyage very comfortably in her from here to
Bombay, or wherever you are going," suggested Captain Scott.

"I do not consider a voyage of that length in such a small craft quite
prudent, even if there were no other question to be considered. But it
would take us at least half a day to put the Maud into the water, and
as long to coal and water her, and otherwise fit her out. Then it is
ordinarily a seven days' voyage from Aden to Bombay, and the Maud would
get out of coal in half that time."

"But for the next five hundred miles the voyage is along the coast of
Arabia."

"There are no coal stations except at Aden and Perim, so far as I know,
unless you run up to Muscat, and I am not sure that there is any there,"
answered the captain of the ship. "I learned from Mr. Gaskill, the
Parsee agent here, after I told him who and what we were, that he had
heard of us before. Stories exaggerated beyond all decent limits have
been told about us. Louis's million and a half have been stretched to
hundreds of millions, and the Guard