led to his lying in ambuscade for the American on the
preceding day; and as his narrative embraces not only
the reasons for Captain Molineux's strange conduct, but
other hitherto unexplained facts, we cannot do better
than follow him in his detail.

"I think it must have been about half past eleven o'clock,
on the night preceding the capture," commenced Gerald,
"that, as my gun boat was at anchor close under the
American shore, at rather more than half a mile below
the farther extremity of Bois Blanc, my faithful old
Sambo silently approached me, while I lay wrapped in my
watch cloak on deck, calculating the chances of falling
in with some spirited bark of the enemy which would afford
me an opportunity of proving the mettle of my crew.

"'Massa Geral,' he said in a mysterious whisper, for old
age and long services in my family have given him privileges
which I have neither the power nor the inclination to
check--'Massa Geral,' pulling me by the collar--'I dam
ib he no go sleep when him ought to hab all him eyes
about him--him pretty fellow to keep watch when Yankee
pass him in e channel.'

"'A Yankee pass me in the channel!'" I would have exclaimed
aloud, starting to my feet with surprise, but Sambo, with
ready thought, put his hand upon my mouth, in time to
prevent more than the first word from being uttered.

"'Hush! dam him, Massa Geral, ib you make a noise you no