st
go myself. Any personal danger was of course not to be taken into
consideration, and I reflected that the cause I served could, not be
injured by any information I could give her. Besides this, in a public
point of view, I and those under my command, in our late expedition up
the Nansimond, owed her a debt of gratitude for the warning she had
given us, which we, to the best of our power, were bound to repay.
Sometimes I thought that I would go openly to the commodore and ask his
leave to go up the river to Mr Elbank's, and then again I was afraid
that by some means or other Miss Carlyon's name might become known, and
that her party might hear that she had given the information by which my
companions and I had been preserved from the ambush laid for us. That
would expose her to an annoyance to which I would on no account subject
her. I easily persuaded myself that I alone could properly go. Perhaps
the prospect of seeing her biassed me. I knew that I could depend on
assistance. Although O'Driscoll had been less cordial with me since the
night of our expedition, in consequence of the way I had spoken to him,
I knew that he would be delighted to accompany me if I asked him; so of
course would Tom Rockets. We had picked up, some time before, a light,
fast-pulling canoe, which a couple of hands could send along at a great
rate. The use of this I could command. How to get leave to quit the
ship for a night was the difficulty. Without leave I could not go.
Neither would I tell a falsehood to obtain leave. I resolved,
therefore, to go frankly to Captain Symonds, to plead my constant good
conduct, and to beg that he would trust me and O'Driscoll and one man
away from the ship to carry out a matter of importance. I went to him
accordingly. He hesitated a good deal, as I knew he would. He asked to
have the matter more fully explained to him. I told him that I would
rather not explain it--that should it fail, no blame might be attached
to him.

"There must be blame if I allow you to leave the ship ignorant of where
you are going, and any ill results from your expedition," he answered.

I saw that he was right.

"Well, sir, then, as you desire it, I will tell you my object, and leave
it to your generosity to allow me to accomplish it," I answered, lifting
up my head and looking boldly at him, for I felt relieved of a
difficulty. I told him briefly the state of the case.

"I do not hesitate a moment in giving