"I have no wish to punish you. For all the injury you have done me, and have tried to do me, I forgive you."
"Will you let me escape?"
"No; I have a duty to the community which will not permit me to do that."
"I don't understand your kind of forgiveness—that which would send a man to prison for ten or twenty years."
"I can forgive the personal wrong you have done me, but I have no right to throw a pirate upon the community—one who is willing to steal the child from his father, the wife from her husband."
"There's no use in talking," he added, hopelessly.
"Certainly not, if you expect to escape through my agency."
I left him; and I felt that crime was pretty sure of its punishment, even in this world.
But my story is really told. The rest of our passage was comfortable and pleasant, and at daylight one morning in May, we came in sight of Sandy Hook. We had all our prisoners safe, and our voyage was ended. We took a pilot, and, as we were going through the Narrows, we overhauled a handsome clipper ship, which had been in sight since daybreak. The Michigan outsailed her; and, as we came up, I was surprised and delighted to see upon her stern the word "Bayard," for this was the ship in which the Gracewoods were to come home. I saw upon her quarter-deck a gentleman and two ladies. One of them must be Ella, and my heart was thrilled at the discovery. But how tall she had grown! We took the ship's wind, and went by her. I hailed the party by name, and shouted my own. Though they responded to my signals, I concluded that they did not recognize me.
We ran up the bay, and anchored off the Battery, near where the revenue cutter lay. Captain York, at my request, sent me on shore to give information of the state of affairs on board to the proper authorities. I found the United States marshal, and told my story in detail. He sent a force to take possession of the vessel, and secure the prisoners. Captain Farraday, Waterford, and the two Spanish passengers were taken to the Tombs. Martino and his fellow-pirates were not arrested; they were too small game. In the cabin nearly fifty thousand dollars in gold was found; but I put in a claim for that in Waterford's trunk on behalf of the banks of St. Louis which had paid the forged checks. The present officers and crew were directed to hold themselves in readiness to attend the examination of the slave traders.