through it—kept hospital a-board the old
raft, and Mrs. Belltott, as brisk as ever again
(but the spirit of that little woman, when
things tried it, was not equal to appearances),
was head-nurse under his directions. Before
we got down to the Mosquito coast, the joke
had been made by one of our men, that we
should see her gazetted Mrs. Tom Packer,
vice Belltott exchanged.

When we reached the coast, we got
native boats as substitutes for the rafts;
and we rowed along under the land;
and in that beautiful climate, and upon
that beautiful water, the blooming days
were like enchantment. Ah! They were
running away, faster than any sea or river,
and there was no tide to bring them back.
We were coming very near the settlement
where the people of Silver-Store were to be
left, and from which we Marines were under
orders to return to Belize.

Captain Carton had, in the boat by him, a
curious long-barreled Spanish gun, and he
had said to Miss Maryon one day that it was
the best of guns, and had turned his head to
me, and said:

"Gill Davis, load her fresh with a couple
of slugs, against a chance of showing how
good she is."

So, I had discharged the gun over the sea,
and had loaded her, according to orders, and
there it had lain at the Captain's feet,
convenient to the Captain's hand.

The last day but one of our journey was
an uncommonly hot day. We started very
early; but, there was no cool air on the sea
as the day got on, and by noon the heat was
really hard to bear, considering that there
were women and children to bear it. Now,
we happened to open, just at that time, a
very pleasant little cove or bay, where there
was a deep shade from a great growth of
trees. Now, the Captain, therefore, made
the signal to the other boats to follow him in
and lie by a while.

The men who were off duty went ashore,
and lay down, but were ordered, for
caution's sake, not to stray, and to keep
within view. The others rested on their
oars, and dozed. Awnings had been made
of one thing and another, in all the boats,
and the passengers found it cooler to be
under them in the shade, when there was
room enough, than to be in the thick woods.
So, the passengers were all afloat, and mostly
sleeping. I kept my post behind Miss
Maryon, and she was on Captain Carton's
right in the boat, and Mrs. Fisher sat on her
right again. The Captain had Mrs. Fisher's
daughter on his knee. He and the two ladies
were talking about the Pirates, and were talking
softly: partly, because people do talk
softly under such indolent circumstances, and
partly because the little girl had gone off
asleep.

I think I have before given it out for my
Lady to write down, that Captain Carton had
a fine bright eye of his own. All at once,
he darted me a side look, as much as to
say. "Steady—don't take on—I see
something!"—and gave the child into her mother's
arms. That eye of his was so easy to
understand, that I obeyed it by not so much as
looking either to the right or to the left out
of a corner of my own, or changing my
attitude the least trifle. The Captain went on
talking in the same mild and easy way; but
began—with his arms resting across his knees,
and his head a little hanging forward, as if
the heat were rather too much for him—
began to play with the Spanish gun.

"They had laid their plans, you see," says
the Captain, taking up the Spanish gun
across his knees, and looking, lazily, at the
inlaying on the stock, "with a great deal of
art; and the corrupt or blundering local
authorities were so easily deceived;" he ran
his left hand idly along the barrel, but I
saw, with my breath held, that he covered
the action of cocking the gun with his right
—"so easily deceived, that they summoned
us out to come into the trap. But my intention
as to future operations——" In a flash the
Spanish gun was at his bright eye, and he fired.

All started up; innumerable echoes
repeated the sound of the discharge; a cloud of
bright-colored birds flew out of the woods
screaming; a handful of leaves were
scattered in the place where the shot had struck;
a crackling of branches was heard; and some
lithe but heavy creature sprang into the air,
and fell forward, head down, over the muddy
bank.

"What is it?" cries Captain Maryon from
his boat. All silent then, but the echoes
rolling away.

"It is a Traitor and a Spy," said Captain
Carton, handing me the gun to load again.
"And I think the other name of the animal
is Christian George King!"

Shot through the heart. Some of the
people ran round to the spot, and drew him
out, with the slime and wet trickling down
his face; but, his face itself would never stir
any more to the end of time.

"Leave him hanging to that tree," cried
Captain Carton; his boat's crew giving way,
and he leaping ashore. "But first into this
wood, every man in his place. And boats!
Out of gunshot!"

It was a quick change, well meant and
well made, though it ended in disappointment.
No Pirates were there; no one but the Spy
was found. It was supposed that the Pirates,
unable to retake us, and expecting a great
attack upon them, to be the consequence of
our escape, had made from the ruins in the
Forest, taken to their ship along with the
Treasure, and left the Spy to pick up what
intelligence he could. In the evening we
went away, and he was left hanging to the
tree, all alone, with the red sun making a
kind of a dead sunset on his black face.

Next day, we gained the settlement on the