ill do so, sir. What is the despatch bag you speak of?" I
asked.

"The despatches are put into a barrel and thrown overboard off
Crookhaven, where a steamer picks them up. They are taken ashore and
telegraphed to London. The despatches are simply the newspapers, from
which the news agent transmits the important items."

After dinner, when I went on deck, I found the carpenter preparing a
flour barrel for the despatches. A quantity of sand was put in the
bottom to make it stand up straight in the water. A pole was set up in
the barrel, like the mast of a vessel, to the top of which a blue-light
was attached, to be ignited when it was thrown overboard, in order to
enable the despatch steamer to find it readily. In the daytime a red rag
is sometimes attached to it, I was told by the carpenter. The papers
were placed in a water-tight can, and imbedded in the sand in the
barrel.

At sea almost anything creates an excitement, and the preparing the
despatch barrel was witnessed by many persons, among whom I noticed
Dunkswell. I had observed that he listened very attentively to all that
passed between Mr. Solomons and myself at the dinner table. I did not
regard this as very strange, for all on board were deeply interested in
everything which related to the progress of the steamer.

At eight o'clock I turned in, and went to sleep very soon. I had before
made a trade with one of the stewards to call me at two o'clock, and at
this hour he waked me. The night was beautiful; the moon shone brightly
on the silver waters, and the sea was quite smooth. I did not see a
single passenger on the hurricane deck. I made out the outline of some
high hills on the shore, and the glimmer of a couple of distant lights.
Three men were standing ready to throw over the despatch barrel as soon
as the small steamer should appear.

I was a boy then, and had a boy's curiosity to see how everything was
done. The hurricane deck was surrounded by an open railing, on the top
of which I placed myself, where I could see over the stern of the ship.
I was so accustomed to the water, and to high places, that I had no fear
of anything. I put my legs over, and sat facing astern.

"Don't sit there, young man; you'll certainly fall overboard," said the
officer of the deck, who had come aft to see that the barrel was ready
to go over.

"No danger of that," I replied, easily.

"Better get down, and come on board," added a quarter-master.

"I'm an old sailo