te the less speed, you know."

"True; but might not these bars have been sawn through before? If this
had been done, our flight would have been, at least, less
precipitate."

"You forget, Mr. Wolston," said the captain, "that we did not know
till nine o'clock the affair was to come off to-night."

"And I could not come any sooner to tell you," remarked the Pilot; "I
had the greatest difficulty in the world to get in here; the maritime
commissary would not take me into custody."

"I forgot to ask you how you contrived to get incarcerated," observed
the captain; "you were not a prisoner, and could not plead your
parole."

"No; and consequently I had to plead something else."

"Willis," said the missionary, "the work you are engaged in must be
very fatiguing, let me exercise my strength upon the bars for a short
time."

"If you like, minister, but keep the file well oiled."

"What, motive, then, did you urge, Willis?" inquired Captain
Littlestone.

"'Mr. Commissary,' said I, 'one of your frigates captured the English
cutter _Nelson_ some time ago, but the capture was not complete.'

"'How so?' inquired the commissary.

"'Because, Mr. Commissary,' said I, 'you did not capture the
boatswain, and a British ship without a boatswain is no good; it is
like a body without a soul.'

"'Is that all you have to tell me?' said the commissary, looking glum.

"'No,' said I, 'to make the capture complete, you have still to arrest
the boatswain, and here he is standing before you--I am the man; but
having been detained by family affairs in the Pacific Ocean, I could
not surrender myself any sooner.'

"'And what do you want me to do with you?' said he.

"'Why, what you would have done with me had I been on board the
_Nelson_, to be sure.'

"'What! take you prisoner?'

"'Yes, commissary.'

"'You wish me to do so?'

"'Yes, certainly,'

"'Is it possible?'

"'Then you refuse to take me into custody, Mr. Commissary?' said I.

"'Yes, positively,' said he; 'we take prisoners, but we do not accept
them when offered.'

"'Then you will not allow me to join my captain in his adversity?'

"'Your captain is as great a fool as yourself,' said he; 'he need not
have gone to prison unless he liked.'

"'That was a matter of taste on his part, Mr. Commissary, but is a
matter of duty on mine,'"

"This bar is nearly through," whispered the missionary.

"There is no time to be lost," said the captain; "the warder will be
ro