eck of the Spanish frigate, suddenly
altered all my plans.

The way that it came about was this. I reached the schooner about ten
o'clock in the morning, and at once gave my orders to Mr Saunders, who
forthwith set all hands to work. I then went below to my cabin to write
some letters home, to be forwarded by the frigate that was to take the
Spanish despatches; and whilst I was thus engaged a timid, hesitating
knock came to the door.

"Come in!" shouted I; and forthwith entered the man Hoard, carefully
closing the door behind him.

"Beg pardon, Cap'n Bowen, for interrupting you," he began; "but there's
a matter that I should like to speak to you about, if I ain't making too
bold."

"Not at all, Hoard," I answered. "But is the matter important? Won't
it wait? You see I am very busy just now, but I can give you as long as
you like this afternoon."

"Well, sir," answered the man, fidgeting uneasily with his cap, "it's
for you to say whether it's important or not. It's about a galleon
that's loading at Cartagena for Spain; and, understandin' that this
schooner is a privateer, I thought that maybe you'd like to have a try
for her, and if so, sir, I'd advise you--beggin' pardon for bein' so
bold--not to start so much as a rope-yarn of this vessel's rigging, or
mayhap you'll be too late for the galleon."

"By George, man," exclaimed I, "this is important news indeed! Why in
the world did you not speak to me about it before?"

"Well, sir," he answered, "you see, the way of it is this. Five years
ago I belonged to the brig, _Mary Rose_, of Plymouth. She was a slaver;
and in one of our runs across to the Coast she caught fire, and burnt us
out of her. We took to the boats, and two days afterwards the boat that
I was in, bein' separated from the others in a strong breeze, was picked
up by a Spanish ship called the _San Sebastian_, and we were taken on to
Cartagena. We were a wild set, I can tell you, and perhaps I was the
wildest and wickedest of the lot; and we offended the Spaniards because
we scoffed and laughed at 'em for plumpin' down on their marrow-bones
and prayin', in a stiffish gale that we fell in with, instead of goin'
to work to shorten sail, and take care of the ship. Me and my mates did
that for 'em while they prayed; but we'd offended 'em mortally, and they
never forgave us. So the first thing that they does, when we arrived at
Cartagena, was to denounce us as heretics, and we was all clapped i