consulted the quartermaster, whose opinion, as his superior, he felt bound to respect, though, at the moment, independent of his control. It is an unfortunate occurrence, for one who is in a dilemma, to ask advice of another who is desirous of standing well in his favor, the party consulted being almost certain to try to think in the manner which will be the most agreeable to the party consulting. In the present instance it was equally unfortunate, as respects a candid consideration of the subject, that Cap, instead of the sergeant himself, made the statement of the case; for the earnest old sailor was not backward in letting his listener perceive to which side he was desirous that the quartermaster should lean. Lieutenant Muir was much too polite to offend the uncle and father of the woman he hoped and expected to win, had he really thought the case admitted of doubt; but, in the manner in which the facts were submitted to him, he was seriously inclined to think that it would be well to put the control of the Scud, temporarily, into the management of Cap, as a precaution against treachery. This opinion then decided the sergeant, who forthwith set about the execution of the necessary meas

ures.

the sentinel at the hatch received private orders to pay particular attention to both; to allow neither to come on deck again without giving instant notice to the person who might then be in charge of the cutter, and to insist on his return below as soon as possible. This precaution, however, was uncalled for, Jasper and his assistant both throwing themselves silently on their pallets, which neither quitted again that night.

"And now, sergeant," said Cap, as soon as he found himself master of the deck, "you will just have the goodness to give me the courses and distances, that I may see the boat keeps her head the right way."

"I know nothing of either, brother Cap," returned Dunham, not a little embarrassed at the question. "We must make the best of our way to the station among the Thousand Islands, where we shall land, relieve the party that is already out, and get information for our future government.' That's it, nearly word for word, as it stands in the written orders."

"But you can muster a chart-something in the way of bearings and distances, that I may see the road?"

"I do not think Jasper ever had any thing of the sort to go by."

"No chart, Sergeant Dunham!"

"Not a scrap of a pen, even. Our sailors navigate this lake without any aid from maps."

"The devil they do!-They must be regular Yahoos. And do you suppose, Sergeant Dunham, that I can find one island out of a thousand without knowing its name or its position-without even a course or a distance?"

"As for the name, brother Cap, you need not be particular, for not one of the whole thousand has a name, and so a mistake can never be made on that score. As for the position, never having been there myself, I can tell you nothing about it, nor do I think its position of any particular consequence, provided we find the spot. Perhaps one of the hands on deck can tell us the way."

Without entering into any explanations, Sergeant Dunham simply informed Jasper that he felt it to be his duty to deprive him, temporarily, of the command of the cutter, and to confer it on his own brother-in-law. A natural and involuntary burst of surprise which escaped the young man, was met by a quiet remark reminding him that military service was often of a nature that required concealment, and a declaration that the present duty was of such a character that this particular arrangement had become indispensable. Although Jasper's astonishment remained undiminished-the sergeant cautiously abstaining from making any allusion to his suspicions-the young man was accustomed to obey with military submission; and he quietly acquiesced with his own mouth directing the little crew to receive their further orders from Cap until another change should be effected. When, however, he was told the case required that not only he himself, but his principal assistant, who, on account of his long acquaintance with the lake, was usually termed the pilot, were to remain below, there was an alteration in his countenance and manner that denoted deep mortification, though it was so well mastered as to leave even the distrustful Cap in doubt as to its meaning. As a matter of course, however, when distrust exists, it was not long be-where. fore the worst construction was put upon it.

As soon as Jasper and the pilot were below,

"Hold on, sergeant-hold on a moment, if you please, Sergeant Dunham. If I am to command this craft, it must be done, if you please, without holding any councils of war with the cook and cabin-boy. A ship-master is a shipmaster, and he must have an opinion of his own, even if it be a wrong one. I suppose you know service well enough to understand that it is better in a commander to go wrong, than to go no

At all events, the lord high admiral couldn't command a yawl with dignity, if he consulted the coxswain every time he wished to go

-e, Now, down among the West-India Islands, one is just as certain of having a land-breeze as he is of having a sea-breeze. In that respect there is no difference, though it's quite in rule it should be different up here, on this bit of fresh water. Of course, my lad, you know all about these said Thousand Islands

"The what, sir?"

"Why the latitude or longitude; one or both; I'm not particular which, as I merely inquire in order to see how they bring up young men on this bit of fresh water."

"Not at the wheel, sir, but down in the fore- | latitude and longitude of this said island, my lad?" peak, in my berth. Eau-douce sent us below, he asked. so'gers and all, with the exception of the pilot, and we know no more of the road than if we had never been over it. This he has always done, in going in and coming out; and, for the life of me, I could tell you nothing of the channel or of the course, after we are once fairly up with the islands. No one knows any thing of either, but Jasper and the pilot."

"I'm not particular about either, myself, sir, and so I do not happen to know what you mean." "Not what I mean!-You know what latitude

is?"

"Not I, sir," returned the man, hesitating, "though I believe it is French for the upper lakes."

"Whe-e-e-w!" whistled Cap, drawing out his breath, like the broken stop of an organ; "latitude, French for upper lakes! Harkee, young man; do you know what longitude means?"

"Sure enough, brother Cap; your question is more easily put than answered. Is there no such thing as figuring it out by navigation? I thought you salt-water mariners were able to do as small a thing as that! I have often read of their dis-regulation height for soldiers in the king's sercovering islands, surely."

"I believe I do, sir-that is five feet six, the

vice."

"There's the longitude found out for you, sergeant, in the rattling of a brace-block! You have some notion about a degree, and minutes, and seconds, I hope?"

"That you have, brother-that you have; and this discovery would be the greatest of them all, for it would not only be discovering one island, but one island out of a thousand. I might make out to pick up a single needle on this deck, old as I am, but I much doubt if I could pick one out of a haystack." "Still, the sailors of the lake have a method of salt-water people." finding the places they wish to go to."

"If I have understood you, sergeant Dunham, this station, or block-house, is particularly private ?"

"It is, indeed; the utmost care having been taken to prevent a knowledge of its position from reaching the enemy."

"And you expect me, a stranger on your lake, to find this place without chart, course, distance, latitude, longitude, or soundings-ay, de, or tallow! Allow me to ask if you think a mariner runs by his nose, like one of Pathfinder's hounds?"

"Well, brother, you may yet learn something by questioning the young man at the helm; I can hardly think that he is as ignorant as he pretends to be."

"Hum-this looks like another circumstance! For that matter, the case is getting to be so full of circumstances that one hardly knows how to foot up the evidence. But we will soon see how much the lad knows."

Cap and the sergeant now returned to their station near the helm, and the former renewed his inquiries.

"Yes, sir; degree means my betters, and minutes and seconds are for the short or long loglines. We all know these things as well as the

“D————e, brother Dunham, if I think even Faith can get along on this lake, much as they say it can do with mountains. I'm sure character is in no security.-Well, my lad, you understand the azimuth, and measuring distances, and how to box the compass."

"As for the first, sir, I can't say I do. The distances we all know, as we measure them from point to point; and as for boxing the compass, I will turn my back to no admiral in his majesty's fleet. Nothe-nothe and by east, nothenothe-east, nothe-east and nothe, nothe-east ; nothe-east and by east, east-nothe-east, east-andby-nothe, east-"

"That will do-that will do. You'll bring about a shift of wind, if you go on in this manner. I see very plainly, sergeant," walking away again, and dropping his voice, "we've nothing to hope for from that chap. I'll stand on two hours longer on this tack, when we'll heave-to, and get the soundings; after which we will be governed by circumstances."

To this the sergeant, who, to coin a word, was very much of an idiosyncratist, made no objections; and, as the wind grew lighter, as usual "Do you happen to know what may be the with the advance of night, and there were no im

A CHANGE OF WEATHER.

mediate obstacles to the navigation, he made a bed of a sail, on deck, and was soon lost in the sound sleep of a soldier. Cap continued to walk the deck, for he was one whose iron frame set fatigue at defiance, and not once that night did he close his eyes.

It was broad daylight when Sergeant Dunham awoke, and the exclamation of surprise that escaped him, as he rose to his feet, and began to look about him, was stronger than it was usual for one so drilled to suffer to be heard. He found the weather entirely changed; the view bounded by driving mist, that limited the visible horizon to a circle of about a mile in diameter, the lake raging and covered with foam, and the Scud lying-to. A brief conversation with his brother-inlaw let him into the secrets of all these sudden changes.

At

According to the account of Master Cap, the wind had died away to a calm about midnight, or just as he was thinking of heaving-to, to sound, for islands ahead were beginning to be seen. one A. M. it began to blow from the northeast, accompanied by a drizzle, and he stood off to the northward and westward, knowing that the coast of New York lay in the opposite direction. At half-past one, he stowed the stay-sail, reefed the mainsail, and took the bonnet off the jib. At two he was compelled to get a second reef aft; and by half-past two he had put a balance reef in the sail, and was lying-to.

105

to slide down under their lee as fast as possible No-no-there they are, up yonder in the drizzle and there they may stay, for any thing Charles Cap cares."

"As the north shore lies only some five or six leagues from us, brother, and I know there is a large bay in that quarter, might it not be well to consult some of the crew concerning our position, if indeed we do not call up Jasper Eau-douce, and tell him to carry us back to Oswego? It is quite impossible we should ever reach the station with this wind directly in our teeth."

"There are several serious professional reasons, sergeant, against all your propositions. In the first place, an admission of ignorance on the part of a commander would destroy discipline.— No matter, brother, I understand your shake of the head, but nothing capsizes discipline so much, as to confess ignorance. I once knew a master of a vessel who went a week on a wrong course, rather than allow he had made a mistake; and it was surprising how much he rose in the opinions of his people, just because they could not understand him."

"That may do on salt water, brother Cap; but it will hardly do on fresh. Rather than wreck my command on the Canada shore, I shall feel it my duty to take Jasper out of arrest."

"And make a haven in Frontenac ! No, ser geant, the Scud is in good hands, and will now learn something of seamanship. We have a fine offing, and no one but a madman would think of

ware every watch, and then we shall be safe against all dangers but those of the drift, which, in a light, low craft like this, without top-hamper, will be next to nothing. Leave it all to me, sergeant, and I pledge you the character of Charles Cap, that it will all go well."

"I can't say but the boat behaves well, sergeant," the old sailor added; "but it blows forty-going upon a coast in a gale like this. I shall two pounders! I had no idee there were any such currents of air up here on this bit of fresh water, though I care not the knotting of a yarn for it, as your lake has now somewhat of a natural look, and-" spitting from his mouth, with distaste, a dash of the spray that had just wetted his face," and if this dd water had a savor of salt about it, one might be comfortable."

"How long have you been heading in this direction, brother Cap?" inquired the prudent soldier; "and at what rate may we be going through the water?"

Sergeant Dunham was fain to yield. He had great confidence in his connection's professional skill, and hoped that he would take such care of the cutter as would amply justify his good opinion. On the other hand, as distrust, like love, grows by what it feeds on, he entertained so much "Why two or three hours, mayhap, and she apprehension of treachery, that he was quite willwent like a horse for the first pair of them. Oh! ing any one but Jasper should, just then, have we've a fine offing, now, for, to own the truth, the control of the fate of the whole party. Truth, Little relishing the neighborhood of them said moreover, compels us to admit another motive. islands, although they are to windward, I took The particular duty on which he was now sent the helm myself, and run her off free, for some should have been confided to a commissioned offileague or two. We are well to leeward of them, cer, of right; and Major Duncan had excited a I'll engage. I say to leeward, for, though one good deal of discontent among the subalterns of might wish to be well to windward of one island, the garrison, by having confided it to one of the or even half a dozen, when it comes to a thou-sergeant's humble station. To return without sand, the better way is to give it up at once, and having even reached the point of destination,

therefore, the latter felt would be a failure from | lake, the seas raging down upon her in a way which he was not likely soon to recover; and that none but a vessel of superior mould and the measure would, at once, be the means of plac-build could have long ridden and withstood. All ing a superior in his shoes.