he West Indies
that I had lost the distinguishing marks of a Yankee. And my broad
accent, my swarthy complexion, my unseamanlike costume, adapted to the
climate, all seemed to contradict my statement that I was an American
sailor.

At Martinico I fell in with an Englishman, Captain William Parker, who
had resided in the islands for many years, and was thoroughly
acquainted with the trade in that part of the globe. He was then making
preparations to engage in a sort of wholesale smuggling business,
and had obtained possession, by hook or by crook, of two registers of
American vessels. One was a BONA FIDE register of a privateer which had
been captured during the war, and the other a forgery neatly executed
by an artist in Martinico, having the signatures and seals duly arranged
and perfected, but leaving blank the description of the vessel.

With these registers, valuable documents, in his estimation, having cost
him no trifling sum, it was his wish to proceed to New York, and with
the aid of some unscrupulous capitalist, purchase an English schooner,
answering nearly to the description in the register of the privateer;
or, failing in that, procure an English vessel of any kind suitable, and
fill up the blanks with a description of the same in the other American
register. Then with two captains, one English and one American, each
acting as mate alternately, and with a crew who could be confided in, HE
PROPOSED TO CARRY ON A DIRECT TRADE WITH THE ENGLISH ISLANDS, securing
all the advantages, in the way of port charges and duties, of an
American vessel in an American port and an English vessel in an English
port! A few voyages successfully performed on this plan, he plausibly
urged, would be productive of immense profit to all concerned.

Parker was desirous that I would embark with him in this enterprise,
and act as the nominal American commander. But I had an instinctive
repugnance to proceedings of such an underhand, unlawful character. This
of itself would have been enough to lead me to reject his proposition;
and furthermore I had no confidence in the man, or his ability to carry
his project into operation. I thanked Parker for his friendly offer, and
the COMPLIMENT it conveyed, but declined to enter into any engagement
of the kind. Whether he succeeded in carrying his project into effect I
never learned; but the same plan was successfully put into execution by
an enterprising rogue about the same time, who undertoo