lake, and we don't pretend to know even their names. For that matter, most of them have no more names than a child that dies before it is christened." "Are you a Roman Catholic ?"-demanded the serjeant, sharply. "No, sir, nor anything else. I'm a generalizer about religion, never troubling that which don't trouble me." "Hum! a generalizer; that is, no doubt, one of the new sects that afflict the country!" muttered Mr. Dunham, whose grandfather had been a New Jersey Quaker, his father a Presbyterian, and who had joined the church of England himself, after he entered the army. "I take it, John," resumed Cap-"your name is Jack, I believe?" No, sir; I am called Robert.' 66 66 Ay, Robert-it's very much the same thing-Jack, or Bob-we use the two indifferently. I say, Bob, it's good holding-ground, is it, down at this same station for which we are bound ?" "Bless you, sir, I know no more about it than one of the Mohawks, or a soldier of the 55th." "Did you never anchor there?" 66 'Never, sir. Master Eau-douce always makes fast to the shore." "But in running in for the town, you kept the lead going, out of question, and must have tallowed as usual?" “Tallow! and town, too! Bless your heart, Master Cap, there is ro more town than there is on your chin, and not half as much tallow." The serjeant smiled grimly, but his brother-in-law did not detect this proof of facetiousness. "No church-tower, nor light, nor fort, ha! There is a garrison, as you call it hereaway, at least." "Ask Serjeant Dunham, sir, if you wish to know that! All the garrison is on board the Scud." “But, in running in, Bob, which of the channels do you think the best, the one you went last, or-or-or-ay, or the other?" “I can't say, sir. I know nothing of either." "You didn't go to sleep, fellow, at the wheel, did you?" "Not at the wheel, sir, but down in the fore-peak, in my berth. Eau-douce sent us below, soldiers 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 anything of either, but Jasper and the pilot." "Here is a circumstance for you, serjeant!" said Cap, leading his brother-in-law a little aside-"there is no one on board to pump, for they all suck from ignorance, at the first stroke of the brake. How the devil am I to find the way to this station, for which we are bound?" "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 discovering islands, surely." "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 finding the places they wish to go to." "If I have understood you, serjeant, this station, or blockhouse, 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 soundingsay, d--e, 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 serjeant now returned to their station near the helm, and the former renewed his inquiries. "Do you happen to know what may be the latitude and longitude of this said island, my lad?” he asked. "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." "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?" "I believe I do, sir--that is five feet six, the regulation height for soldiers in the king's service.' "There's the longitude found out for you, serjeant, in the rattling of a brace-block! You have some notion about a degree, and minutes, and seconds, I hope?" "Yes, sir, degree means my betters, and minutes and seconds are for the short or long log-lines. We all know these things, as well as the salt-water people." "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, nothe-nothe-east, nothe-east and by nothe, notheeast; nothe-east and by east, east-nothe-east, east and by nothe, east;-" "That will do that will do. You'll bring about a shift of wind, if you go on this manner. I see very plainly, serjeant," 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 serjeant, who, to coin a word, was very much of an idiosyncratist, made no objections; and, as the wind grew lighter, as usual with the advance of night, and there were no immediate 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 Serjeant 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-in-law, let him into the secrets of all these sudden changes. 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. At one A. M. it began to blow from the north-east, 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 staysail, 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. "I can't say but the boat behaves well, serjeant," the old sailor added; "but it blows forty-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 d--d 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?" "Why two or three hours, mayhap, and she went like a horse for the first pair of them. Oh! we've a fine offing, now, for, to own the truth, little relishing the neighborhood of them said islands, although they are to windward, I took the helm myself, and run her off free, for some league or two. We are well to leeward of them, I'll engage. say to leeward, for, though one might wish to be well to windward of one island, or even half a dozen, when it comes to a thousand, the better way is to give it up at once, and 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 anything 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 whe should ever reach the station with this wind directly in our teeth." "There are several serious professional reasons, serjeant, 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, buth 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 a duty to take Jasper out of arrest." "And make a haven in Frontenac! No, serjeant, 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 going upon a coast in a gale like this. I shall 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, serjeant, and I pledge you the character of Charles Cap, that all will go well." Serjeant 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 apprehension of treachery, that he was quite willing any one but Jasper should, just then, have the control of the fate of the whole party. Truth, moreover, compels us to admit another motive. The particular duty on which he was now sent, should have been confided to a commissioned officer of right; and Major Duncan had excited a good deal of discontent among the sub alterns of the garrison, by having confided it to one of the serjeant's humble station. To return, without having even reached the point of destination, therefore, the latter felt would be a failure from which he was not likely soon to recover; and the measure would, at once, be the means of placing a superior in his shoes. CHAPTER XVI. "Thou glorious mirror, where the Almighty's form Calm or convulsed-in breeze. or gale, or storm, Dark heaving ;-boundless, endless, and sublime The image of Eternity; the throne Of the Invisible; even from out thy slime The monsters of the deep are made; each zone BYRON. As the day advanced, that portion of the inmates of the vessel which had the liberty of doing so, appeared on deck. As yet, the sea was not very high, from which it was inferred, that the cutter was still under the lee of the islands; but it was apparent to all who understood the lake, that they were about to experience one of the heavy autumnal gales of that region. Land was nowhere visible; and the horizon, on every side, exhibited that gloomy void, which lends to all views, on vast bodies of water, the sublimity of mystery. The swells, or, as landsmen term them, the waves, were short and curling, breaking of necessity sooner than the longer seas of the ocean; while the element itself, instead of presenting that beautiful hue, which rivals the deep tint of the southern sky, looked green and angry, though wanting in the lustre that is derived from the rays of the sun The soldiers were soon satisfied with the prospect, and, one by one, they disappeared, until none were left on deck, but the crew, the serjeant, Cap, Pathfinder, the Quarter-Master, and Mabel. There was a shade on the brow of the latter, who had been made acquainted with the real state of things; and who had fruitlessly ventured an appeal, in favor of Jasper's restoration to the command. A night's rest, and a night's reflection, appeared also to have confirmed the Pathfinder in his opinion of the young man's innocence; and he, too, had made a warm appeal in behalf of his friend, though with the same want of success. Several hours passed away, the wind gradually getting to be heavier, and the sea rising, until the motion of the cutter compelled Mabel and the Quarter-Master to retreat, also. Cap wore several times; and it was now evident that the Scud was drifting into the broader and deeper parts of the lake, the seas raging down upon her in a way that none but a vessel of superior mould and build could |