at
a house near the river, he crossed the James in a boat to City Point.
There were several vessels lying here, and for some hours he hung about
the wharf watching the process of discharging. By the end of that time
he had obtained a view of all the captains, and had watched them as they
gave their orders, and had at last come to the conclusion as to which
would be the most likely to suit his purpose. Having made up his mind,
he waited until the one he had fixed upon came ashore. He was a man of
some five and thirty years old, with a pleasant face and good-natured
smile. He first went into some offices on the wharf, and half an hour
later came out and walked toward the railway station. Vincent at once
followed him, and as he overtook him said:

"I want very much to speak to you, sir, if you could spare me a minute
or two."

"Certainly," the sailor said, with some surprise. "The train for
Petersburg does not go for another half hour. What can I do for you?"

"My name is Vincent Wingfield. My father was an English officer, and my
mother is the owner of some large estates near Richmond. I am most
anxious to get a person in whom I am interested on board ship, and I do
not know how to set about it."

"There's no difficulty about that," the captain said, smiling; "you have
only to go to an office and pay for his passage to where he wants to
go."

"I can't do that," Vincent replied; "for unfortunately it is against the
law for any captain to take him."

"You mean he is a negro?" the captain asked, stopping short in his walk
and looking sharply at Vincent.

"Yes, that is what I mean," Vincent said. "He is a negro who has been
brutally ill-treated and has run away from his master, and I would
willingly give a hundred pounds to get him safely away."

"This is a very serious business in which you are meddling, young sir,"
the sailor said. "Putting aside the consequences to yourself, you are
asking me to break the law and to run the risk of the confiscation of my
ship. Even if I were willing to do what you propose, it would be
impossible, for the ship will be searched from end to end before the
hatches are closed, and an official will be on board until we discharge
the pilot after getting well beyond the mouth of the river."

"Yes, I know that," Vincent replied; "but my plan was to take a boat
and go out beyond the sight of land, and then to put him on board after
you have got well away."

"That might be managed, certa