as
rapidly as the nature of the ground would permit, and in about ten
minutes more found ourselves in an excellent road about sixty feet wide,
which Rawlings informed me led direct to Ajaccio, distant about seven
miles.

"Now, Mr Chester," said he, "my duty is ended as far as you are
concerned, and all I have to do is to slip back to the beach and get off
to the ship as soon as possible, and we shall not be long running out to
her with this pretty little breeze. I only wish your task was as easy
as the remainder of mine--but there, if it was, there'd be no honour nor
credit in the doing of it, whereas I make no manner of doubt that if you
succeed in this business your promotion will be certain the moment
you've sarved long enough, and anyway it'll be a fine feather in your
cap. I got an inkling of what it is, while talking to the skipper just
now, but didn't get quite the rights of it; is it a secret?"

"Certainly not from _you_" I replied; "at least I have not been given to
understand so. My errand is merely to deliver certain papers into the
hands of a certain individual ashore here, and then rejoin the ship as
early as possible. The task would be absurdly easy, were it not for the
unsettled state of the country, which seems to be all up in arms, what
with the French, the insurgent Corsicans, and the banditti, the latter
being, I am told, especially dangerous."

"No doubt--no doubt!" remarked Rawlings in an absent sort of way.
"Well, I wish you well over your cruise, my lad; keep a cool head, for
it seems to me that you've white water all round you, whichever way you
shape a course. Concerning the rejoining business, how are you going to
set about that?"

"Captain Hood advised me to make the best of my way to the northern end
of the island, as soon as I have delivered my despatches; he thinks it
most likely I shall find the `Juno' there."

"Ay, ay? So that's it, eh?" ejaculated Rawlings. "Well, I s'pose
you'll haul your land-tacks aboard for that trip; it'll be a change from
knocking about at sea. But if you find you can't work that traverse,
just you slip down to Ajaccio some quiet night; there's a whole fleet of
pleasure-boats of all sorts and sizes there; just jump aboard one of
'em, slip your moorings, and make a coasting v'yage of it. They're most
of 'em capital sea-boats, and you know a good model when you see one by
this time, I s'pose. Don't take a larger craft than you can handle,
and, above a