n. He would be
able to take the _Duncan_ into Twofold Bay, where it would be easy for
the convicts to seize her, and her crew massacred, Ben Joyce would
become master of the seas.... But it pleased God to prevent the
accomplishment of these terrible projects.

"Ayrton, arrived at Melbourne, delivered the letter to the mate, Tom
Austin, who read it and immediately set sail; but judge of Ayrton's
rage and disappointment, when the next day he found that the mate was
taking the vessel, not to the east coast of Australia, to Twofold Bay,
but to the east coast of New Zealand. He wished to stop him, but
Austin showed him the letter!... And indeed, by a providential error
of the French geographer, who had written the letter, the east coast
of New Zealand was mentioned as the place of destination.

"All Ayrton's plans were frustrated! He became outrageous. They put
him in irons. He was then taken to the coast of New Zealand, not
knowing what would become of his accomplices, or what would become of
Lord Glenarvan.

"The _Duncan_ cruised about on this coast until the 3rd of March. On
that day Ayrton heard the report of guns. The guns of the _Duncan_
were being fired, and soon Lord Glenarvan and his companions came on
board.

"This is what had happened.

"After a thousand hardships, a thousand dangers, Lord Glenarvan had
accomplished his journey, and arrived on the east coast of Australia,
at Twofold Bay. 'No _Duncan_!' he telegraphed to Melbourne. They
answered, '_Duncan_ sailed on the 18th instant. Destination unknown.'

"Lord Glenarvan could only arrive at one conclusion: that his honest
yacht had fallen into the hands of Ben Joyce, and had become a pirate
vessel!

"However, Lord Glenarvan would not give up. He was a bold and generous
man. He embarked in a merchant vessel, sailed to the west coast of New
Zealand, traversed it along the thirty-seventh parallel, without
finding any trace of Captain Grant; but on the other side, to his
great surprise, and by the will of Heaven, he found the _Duncan,_
under command of the mate, who had been waiting for him for five
weeks!

"This was on the 3rd of March 1855. Lord Glenarvan was now on board
the _Duncan_, but Ayrton was there also. He appeared before the
nobleman, who wished to extract from him all that the villain knew
about Captain Grant. Ayrton refused to speak. Lord Glenarvan then told
him, that at the first port they put into, he would be delivered up to
the English a