hoped no citizen of a free
State would use language like that."

"Sorry to shock your sincere convictions," replied Kit; "but when it
comes to making slaves of others, or being a slave myself, I should
choose the former alternative always."

"But there's no such alternative in this case," Raed argued.

"Not exactly. Still I shall hold to my first opinion. If we are going
to take supplies from them,--as it seems necessary that we should,--I
think it will be better to have them under our control as long as we
are here. You mistake me: I don't justify it from principle; but, as a
temporary measure, I think it expedient."

"So was it expedient for the old Romans to attack and capture Corinth
and Carthage, and just as fair and right."

"That merely shows how history repeats itself," laughed Kit.

"Don't laugh, sir!" cried Raed. "The principle is the same, as if,
with a hundred thousand men at your back, you should land in England,
and undertake to subdue that island instead of this."

"You have a very forcible way of putting things, I'll allow; but
there's danger, Raed, of carrying general principles too far."

"For example," interrupted Wade. "Raed, with a number of other
abolitionists, believed that all men ought to be free: so they kept to
work stirring up bad feeling between the North and South till the war
broke out, when they fell upon us with their armies and fleets, and
committed the most wholesale piece of robbery that ever disgraced
history,--robbed us of several billion dollars' worth of property, all
at one swoop."

"To what sort of property do you refer?" Raed asked.

"Slaves."

"I thought so!"

"Then you are not disappointed in my 'principles,' as you choose to
term them?"

"Not in the least!"

"I, at least, have never tried to conceal them."

"I should expect you to favor Kit's proposition; but I'm sadly
surprised to hear Kit make it."

"Understand me!" exclaimed Kit. "I advocate it merely as a temporary
measure, only justified by our necessity. I mean to pay them for all
we have. But we haven't the pay here. They wouldn't trust us for what
we want. Under these circumstances, I mean to assume the control of
their affairs for a few days or weeks, as the case may be, and get
what we must have by force of authority--till we can pay."

"It's nothing more nor less than robbery, Kit!" cried Raed; "a mere
subterfuge, in open violation of the free principles of the noble land
we hail from!"