“Why, where do you come from, youngster?” he asked, as, throwing his night-cap on the pillow, he rapidly slipped into his clothes.
I very briefly told him while he finished dressing, which took him scarcely a minute, and he then hastened to the captain’s cabin, while I gladly went below and had my marine roused up to get me out some dry clothes from my chest and to sling my hammock. I inquired for Larry, who I found had gone forward. In a short time he came aft, having also got into dry clothes.
“Mighty glad we’ve got away from the brig, Mr Terence,” he said; “but still I’m as sorrowful as a pig in a gale of wind. The first thing the men axed me for was my fiddle, and bedad I left it aboard the brig; so if she gets away I’ll never be after seeing it again.”
“We must hope to take her,” I said. “Depend on it the captain will keep a look-out on her movements, and we shall then recover your fiddle, though I’m afraid we shall not get hold of the despatches.”
“Is it them bundle of papers in the drawer you’re speaking of?” asked Larry. “I was after thinking it would be as well to bring them away, in case the captain should like to have a look at them, so I just put them in my shirt before I slipped out of the cabin window. I hope I won’t be called a thief for taking them. Here they are, Mr Terence;” and he handed me the packet which I had seen in the drawer.
I hurried aft with it to the captain. I found him and the first lieutenant in the cabin.
“Why, what’s this?” exclaimed the captain, as I gave him the packet.
I told him that I believed it contained the despatches sent from Port-au-Prince; and that my companion, Larry Harrigan, unknown to me, had brought them away.
“What! and you gave him a hint to do so?” said the captain.
“No, indeed I didn’t, sir,” I answered firmly, though I blushed as I then explained, that although I had spoken to Larry about them, it was with no intention of inducing him to do what I was unwilling to do myself. “I had told him of them, sir,” I said; “but I give you my word of honour that I had no thought at the time of his getting hold of them. I did meditate, I confess, throwing them overboard; but under the circumstances I came to the conclusion that I had no right to do that, independent of the risk of being severely dealt with by the Frenchmen, should my act be discovered.”