was only twelve years old; since when, by close application and
perseverance, he had gradually worked his way aft to the quarter-deck.
He joined my father's ship as second mate, on the same voyage as I did,
and on the following voyage took the chief-mate's berth, in place of a
man whom my father was compelled to discharge for confirmed drunkenness.

The last time that my poor father passed down Channel, outward-bound,
Bob had the misfortune (as we thought it then), to fall off the poop and
break his arm. It was what the surgeons call a compound fracture, and
certainly looked to be a very ugly one; so, as the ship happened at the
time to be off Saint Alban's Head, my father ran into Weymouth roads,
and sent Bob ashore to our house to be cured, and to bear me company;
shipping in his stead the second mate, and picking up a new second mate
somewhere about the town.

Thus it happened that Bob and I, old shipmates as we were, happened to
be both away from our ship when her mysterious fate overtook her. As
soon as we were both recovered, we sought and obtained berths, always in
the same ship, for short voyages; returning home about once in every six
weeks or two months, with the hope of hearing either that my father had
returned, or that some news had arrived of him. For the last twelve
months we had abandoned the former hope, but the latter would probably
be many years before it finally took its flight.

Ada Collingwood, my only sister, was just seventeen.

This introduction and explanation are necessary to the understanding of
what is to follow; and now, having fairly weathered them both, we may
take up the thread of the story, and follow it out to the end without
further interruption.

I have already said that I took an early opportunity to give Bob a
detailed account of the Spaniard's revelation to me. This was on the
evening of the day on which we laid the poor fellow in his grave; and I
told my story while we and my sister were seated comfortably round the
fire after tea, with the curtains drawn close, and everything made snug
for the night.

Bob listened with the utmost attention to my story (as did also my
sister), occasionally requesting me to "say that ag'in," as some point
in the narrative was reached which he wished to bear particularly in
mind; and when I had finished he sat for some time staring meditatively
between the bars of the grate.

At length, "Well, Harry, my lad, what do you intend to do?" sa