ng the voyage. Two
days at Rio to discharge cargo and take in coal, then off again to
Montevideo, discharge cargo, and coal again, then away round the Horn,
and thousands of miles up the west coast, touching everywhere to land
mails and passengers; finally after 14,000 miles of sea travel they
reach Callao, then take the home track for Liverpool.

Modern buccaneers, indeed, were we, engaged in a nineteenth century
piratical descent upon the shores of South America. Instead of the
burly, much-beweaponed pirate of other years, we were mild-mannered,
soft-spoken, courteous youngsters, yet our steel pen and bottle of ink
were more deadly instruments or at least of surer fire and of better
aim, than the long toms and horse pistols of the piratical braves of the
seventeenth century. Our hopes of gain were high, and we counted on an
ample return for the trouble of our adventure. I say trouble, for danger
we feared none, so confident were we of our ability to carry off
everything with a high hand, and so complete was our faith in each
other that we had no anxiety as to the result, but simply regarded our
trip as a pleasant voyage into tropic seas--a happy change from the
March wind and sombre skies of England to the bright skies and balmy air
of the tropical world in the Winter months.

I had a balance in the bank of L2,335, and we, as a matter of policy,
wanted to have our capital ready at hand. The bank has a rule that a
depositor must never have less than L300 to his credit. My friends were
somewhat skeptical as to whether the bank did not regard their new
customer, F. A. Warren, with some suspicion and as a depositor to be
watched. My personal relations with the bank people convinced me
everything was all right, but to convince my friends I determined to
give them a proof that the bank would break their rule on my account.

The Monday before we sailed for Brazil I called at the bank and told the
sub-manager that I was going to St. Petersburg and on to Southern Russia
for a time to inspect some work I was doing there, and I purposed to
withdraw my account. He begged me not to do so, said many flattering
things to me, and urged that it would be convenient to have an open
account in London.

"Well," I said, looking at my passbook, "I see I have L2,335 to my
credit. I will leave the odd L35 with you." He instantly acquiesced. Had
he said: "No, you must leave at least L300, as our rules require," I
should have said "All righ