Year: 1879

energy otherwise this tale would not have
been written and after IL disturbed and
almost sleepless night. he rose with set
tied resolution in his mind. lie rose ear
ly, and after show of eating his break
fast, left for London in such good time
that he was there by < O'Clock. His first
proceeding was to obtain Il shippng-list
BY this he found the mail left for Austria
liza that evening. and that a private steam
er left the docks that very mornng-with-
in three hours-alsO for Australia. His
mind was at once made up. II is true
that the time was excessively short for
what he proposed to do /: but he was not in
Il mood to be daunted by little. A tele-
gram told his wife of his intended depart
ure-he had partly prepared her for this
before leaving. He then hurried to his
London Bank and drew out nearly the
whole of his balance, and while doing this
he heard some muttered conversation
among the strangers waiting at the coun-
ter: which proved that others besides him
self suspected the soundness of the Gulf
Bank. In Il few minutes time he had
paid tor his passage by the Cerberus, and
was pleased to hear the clerk who took
his money say-although he knew well
enough it was a matter of course-that she
was Il remarkably fast vessel, a splendid
sea-boat. and sure to beat the mail by at
the very least--the clerk was emphatic on
this point-at the very least from a week
to ten days. To an old colonist, half an
hour in an outfitter's was quite enough to
supply him with all he required; and
when shortly before noon he stepped upon
the gangway leading to the Cerberus, no
one would have supposed that three or
4. l. l. 4 l..f
the existence Of such vessel


The Captain of the Cerberus-which
splendid sea-boat her steam up and her
decks pretty nearly cleared of idlers by the
time Mr.. Burton arrived-was rather sur
prised at this unexpected accession to his
list of passengers, which, by the way, was
but a scanty one. the immediate sailing of
the mail boat effectually checking anything
like a plethora. There was something in
the look and manner of the newcomer,
however. which impressed the skipper.
and he inwardly decided that he should
be very friendly with the latest arrival
In coming to this confusion he was truer
prophet than he at all suspected,


The mail herself could not have been
more punctlial in starting than was the
Cerberus. The MONDAY sun was shining
brilliantly on Il beautifully calm and tran
quill day in Spring when she east loose
from her moorings her great engines be-
gan to beat and throb and in five minutes
more her few passengers were gazing ov-
er her stern at the receding quay which
they had just left and the faces of those
who still stood there, waving their caps
and handkerchiets, were indistinct and
blurred. All that day and all that night
she made steady way; the next morning
dawncd brilliantly; the good ship was
well into the English Channel; and the
day following, the great Atlantic would
be fairly beneath her keel. Mr.. Burton
felt as he sat at breakfast that his voyage
had begun auspiciously; but the next in
stant came the damping thought that the
mail-boat had also started under favorable
auspices, and he remembered, too, that
let her auspices be favorable or not, she
was bound under a penalty to make the
voyage in a fixed number of davs. He
was sufficiently yersed i'm nautical matters,
to know that although they were making
very fair progress, they were by no means
doing their utmost, nor indeed was it like
ly that they would press ON with an ex-
traordinary energy, as there was no need
for the vessel to arrive by any given day
at the Gulf


Although this might have been said of
the ship and the passengers generally, it
by no means applied to Mr.. Burton, who
keeping his eye on the Captain, when for
the first time he saw the latter enter
his little sanctum on the deck, boldly fol-
lowed him. The Captain turned with u
somewhat surprised air, and said Yes,
Sir?" rs though Mr.. Burton had spoken,
and clearly intended to ask what next ?'


Burton quietly closed the door after him
and could not help smiling as he did so,
for he felt that this proceeding must strike
the skipper much as the cautious closing
of the tavern door by the other Captain
had struck him. However. he said ''Can
you spare me three minutes, Captain Bow
man ?''


Certainly, Sir am at your service"
replied the commander; but as he spoke
Il slight cloud came over his bronzed face
and altered its hearty expression, for he
thought, even when he made his civil re-
ply, "Now what's up? Are you some
precious forger or swindler who is gong
to confide in me ? Or are you a detective
who thinks there is some one on board
whom he must arrest?'


Don't think that there is any great
trouble to you in my application" said
i Burton, Smlllig again, Tor he partly ulVln-
ed the others thoughts; ''yet want You
to do me II tavor-a very great favor,
Captain


The skipper looked an Interrogation;
and went on: Can your boat doing her
best. with her half-a-day's start, beat the
mail ?''


''She could, perhaps, returned the sea-
man, with an emphasis which implied
that she was not very likely to try.


II daresay," pursued Burton, THAT to
do so will give you some trouble, more
work, and perhaps incur some extra ex-
pense for fuel and the like?"


1T would, said the Captain, briefly.


And cause more work to others also,
| suppose ?" continued Burton.


1T would, again answered the skip
per. The engineer would grumble more
than II little, for we have not enough
stokers for voyage ut full speed"


Have you sufficient coal?n asked Bur-
ton.


Why-yes. perhaps we have" was the
reply; but there was an increasing dry