“Well, then I have orders for you.”
“Somers, my dear fellow, you touch my heart-strings!” cried the captain, jumping up, and throwing his arms around Somers in the most extravagant manner.
“On one condition,” added Captain Somers.
“Any condition you please.”
“You are my superior; but——”
“I know all about it. I will go as a volunteer, and you shall command the expedition.”
“We will work together.”
“With all my heart.”
Somers then selected six men for the service, with special reference to their skill as boatmen, and ordered them to make the necessary preparations for duty. As there were still several hours to spare before dark, he used a portion of this time in writing a letter to his mother, informing her of the remarkable fortune that had attended him; and another to Senator Guilford, thanking him for the kind interest he had manifested in his welfare, in the postscript of which he wrote the history of Captain de Banyan’s valuable services, and modestly added that any favor conferred on his friend would ever be gratefully remembered by the writer.