e
might take.

"The old lady pressed us to stop and have some supper, but Mr Desmond
was in a hurry to get off, and the vice-consul, I have a notion, wanted
to be rid of us.

"`Why, my dears,' he exclaimed, `I wonder you like to be seen by the
young officer and the sailor, such figures as you are.'

"In truth, both the old lady and the young ones, as well as two or three
black girls, were dressed, I must say, in a funny fashion, with such
things as they had clapped on when Mr Desmond roused them up. The old
gentleman had put on his breeches hind part before, while she had got
into his dress-coat with the tails in front, and little else on beside
her night-gown, and a big shawl over her shoulders. I won't say how the
young ladies looked, only I couldn't help remarking that they were not
over-dressed, so that when their father made this remark, away they all
scuttled in a desperate hurry, each trying not to be last, and I've a
notion that they had forgotten what might be thought of them. We could
hear them giggling and laughing at each other as they reached their
rooms. We were, you may suppose, not much in a mood to laugh just then,
and, as soon as the old black was ready we started off. He seemed in a
desperate fright, expecting every moment that he should be seen, and
carried off to prison. We met no one, however, and soon reached the
water's edge. The black who was sent with us, I forgot to say because
he could speak English, showed us a boat hauled up on a slip, and, going
to a shed near, brought out a pair of oars, a mast and sail.

"`Dare; you steer for de point up dare,' he said. `When you round it,
pull on for about three miles, when you come to anoder harbour, then you
pull up it, and in de biggest house in de place you find de consul.'

"`Why,' says Mr Desmond, `the vice-consul told us it was not more than
a mile or so away.'

"`Massa not know, den,' answered the old black, as soon as he had helped
us to launch the boat; and without stopping a moment to watch us while
we shoved off, he ran away as fast as his old legs could carry him. We
had to pull along-shore some distance to keep clear of the corvette,
then the night-breeze freshening we stepped our mast and made sail,
steering as the black had told us to do.

"The boat was somewhat crank, and I had to keep my weather-eye open, and
to hold the sheet in my hand to escape being capsized. However, the
boat sailed fast, and soon weathering the