re have you been all the time?" asked Tom. "Have you been in the rebel
army long?"

"About four months; but I may as well begin at the beginning, and tell you
the whole story," added the captain. "I got to Norfolk all right, and was
there when the news came up that the rebels had taken Sumter. Every body
was mad, and I was as mad as the rest of them, though not exactly in the
same way. I let on a little with my tongue, and came pretty near being
tarred and feathered, and I think I should have been, if your uncle Wyman
hadn't interfered."

"Did he settle with you, father?"

"After a while he did. He had some fifteen thousand dollars in New York,
which had just been sent over from England, and as he was secesh, he was
terribly afeard the Lincoln government would confiscate it; so he settled
with me, and gave me a power of attorney to draw his money, pay myself,
and take care of what was over. I've got the papers safe in my waistbands
now."

"Good! Glory, hallelujah!" shouted Tom. "We can pay off old Pemberton now,
for it goes against my grain to owe a dollar to a traitor. But if uncle
Wyman is a rebel, and I suppose he is, I hope the government will
confiscate what's over after you have paid yourself."

"Well, I don't know. We will see about that bimeby. He used me fair, and I
don't wish him any harm; but I hate his principles. Well, just then, Tom,
when I had got my accounts squared, the rascals took my vessel, and sunk
it in the channel to keep the Union fleet out. My pipe was out then, and I
couldn't do any thing more. I hung round the city of Norfolk till I saw
there was no chance to get out in that direction; and then I left. I was
up near Bull Run--the rebels call it Manassas--when the battle was fought;
but our folks got licked so badly, that it was no use to try to get
through there.

"I tried half a dozen times to crawl through, and had nearly starved to
death in the woods; but some rebel cavalry pickets spied me out, called me
a traitor, and sent me back. My money was all gone by this time, and I
went over to Norfolk again. Your uncle Wyman told me I had better keep
quiet where I was, for just as sure as his name was Somers, the North
would all fall to pieces in less than six months. He expected the rebel
army would be in New York afore long, and I should be a great deal better
off where I was. He tried to get a pass to send me through the rebel
lines, but he couldn't do it.

"Things went on in this way