three times when I stepped on deck, and, raising his
hat, inquired what I wanted. Suddenly he stopped when he got close up
to me, exclaiming, "What! James Braithwaite, my dear boy, is it really
you? I am delighted to see you, for to say the truth, I had given you
up as lost. I never supposed that cockleshell of a boat in which you
left the ship would have survived the hurricane which came on directly
afterwards."

There was one question above all others I wished to ask him, "Have you
written home to tell my friends of my loss?"

"No," he answered; "I have so often found people turn up whom I thought
had been lost, that I am very unwilling to send home bad news till it is
absolutely necessary, and as I did not require your signature, I was
able to avoid mentioning that you were not on board."

This answer greatly relieved my mind, and I was in a short time able to
talk over our arrangements for the future. The capture of the _Barbara_
would, of course, be a heavy expense to the owners; but if the voyage
should prove as successful as we still hoped it would, a handsome profit
might yet be realised. To that object we had now to bend all our
energies. We were therefore anxious as soon as we could to proceed on
our voyage. I had heard from the captain of the _Phoebe_ that an
expedition was fitting out in India for the capture of Batavia, the
chief town in Java, of which the French now held possession; and we had
great hopes, if we could reach it soon after the English had gained the
place, which of course we expected they would do, that we should sell a
large portion of our cargo to great advantage. Before sailing, however,
we determined to see what trade could be carried on with the natives.
Fortunately, the French had not touched our cargo for that purpose.
Though they had made frequent attempts to form settlements in
Madagascar, they had never succeeded in gaining the confidence and
goodwill of the natives. Had the plans of the Count Benyowsky been
carried out when he offered his services to France, they might possibly
have obtained a powerful influence in the affairs of the country, if not
entire possession of it. His plans were, however, completely defeated
by the governor of the Mauritius, who, looking on Madagascar as a
dependency of that island, was jealous of his--the Count's--proceedings,
and finally drove him to make common cause with the natives against the
French Government. I heard some details o