mate; it then
happened I was unable to quickly obtain command, and accepted the offer
of mate of the _Jessamy Bride_, whose captain, I was surprised to hear,
proved the shipmate who had been under me, but who, some money having
been left to him, had purchased an interest in the firm to which the
ship belonged. We were on excellent terms; almost as brothers indeed. He
never asserted his authority, and left it to my own judgment to
recognise his claims. I am happy to know he had never occasion to regret
his friendly treatment of me.

He came on board in the afternoon of that day on which Major Hood had
visited the ship, and was full of that gentleman and his resolution to
carry a costly diamond round the Cape under sail, instead of making his
obligation as brief as steam and the old desert route would allow.

"I've had a long talk with him up at the agents," said Captain North.
"He don't seem well."

"Suffering from his nerves, perhaps," said I.

"He's a fine, gentlemanly person. He told Mr. Nicholson he was twice
wounded, naming towns which no Christian man could twist his tongue into
the sound of."

"Will he be allowed to make a hole in the ship to hide his diamond in?"

"He has agreed to make good any damage done, and to pay at the rate of a
fare and a half for the privilege of hiding the stone."

"Why doesn't he give the thing into your keeping, sir? This jackdaw-like
hiding is a sort of reflection on our honesty, isn't it, captain?"

He laughed and answered, "No; I like such reflections for my part. Who
wants to be burdened with the custody of precious things belonging to
other people? Since he's to have the honour of presenting the diamond,
let the worry of taking care of it be his; this ship's enough for me."

"He'll be knighted, I suppose, for delivering this stone," said I. "Did
he show it to you, sir?"

"No."

"He has it in his pocket."

"He produced the case," said Captain North. "A thing about the size of a
muffin. Where'll he hide it? But we're not to be curious in _that_
direction," he added, smiling.

Next morning, somewhere about ten o'clock, Major Hood came on board with
two natives; one a carpenter, the other his assistant. They brought a
basket of tools, descended into the cabin, and were lost sight of till
after two. No; I'm wrong. I was writing at the cabin table at half-past
twelve when the Major opened his door, peered out, shut the door swiftly
behind him with an extraordinary air a