thing better than a basket, the water washing in and
out of her as she lay. We removed from the wreck the dollars, the
casket of gems, and the few other matters that seemed to be worth
taking, and still had daylight enough left to find our way out through
the northern channel. Sunset, that night, therefore, found us once more
at sea, and heading for Jamaica, I having determined to place the
despatches and other documents, found on board the wreck, in the
Admiral's hands without loss of time. The trade-wind was again blowing,
and blowing strong, too, so that, by carrying on, night and day, we made
the passage in exactly three days, almost to a minute, from the Roccas;
and I had the satisfaction of handing the despatches to the Admiral that
same night. The jolly old fellow was at dinner when I presented myself,
and was entertaining a number of officers, naval and military; but upon
my name being announced he at once ordered me to be admitted and
directed a knife and fork to be placed on the table for me. He received
me with much cordiality, and also introduced me to his guests; but I
could see that my presence was deemed an intrusion by most of them, the
naval men especially, who were not only jealous of privateersmen, but
were also very much inclined to look down upon us as inferior beings to
themselves. There were one or two exceptions, however, notably the
Honourable Augustus Montague and his first lieutenant, both of the
frigate _Calypso_, then in port; the former a most amiable and genial
young officer, with no nonsense at all about him, while his lieutenant,
Mr Birdwood, was as fine a fellow in every way as I had ever met. The
Admiral thanked me most warmly for the despatches, which he handed over
at once to his secretary for translation; and I had the intense
satisfaction of learning, before I left the Pen that night, that the
documents were deemed of sufficient importance to justify their
immediate despatch to England by a frigate. The Admiral was kind enough
to invite me to sleep at the Pen; but I excused myself, the fact being
that the schooner's rigging needed overhauling, and her supply of stores
and water required replenishing. I therefore slept in Kingston that
night; and having arranged, the first thing next morning, for the supply
of the stores and water, I went aboard to give orders to send down
topmasts and have the rigging lifted. But an interview with Hoard, the
man that we had taken off the wr