"If you give me the information I desire, I will pay for the boat," added Christy, who proposed to do so out of his own pocket, for his father was a millionaire of several degrees, and the son had very nearly made a fortune out of the prizes, from which he had received an officer's share. "Tank you, massa; I'm a poor man, and I git my livin' gwine fishin' in dat boat you done stove." "What is your name, my man?" "Quimp, sar; and dat's de short for Quimple," replied the colored person of this name. "Where do you live?" "Ober on de shor dar, in de woods." "How deep is the water inside of these keys, Quimp?" asked Christy, pointing to the long, narrow islands which lined the south-easterly side of the bay. "Not much water inside dem keys dar, sar," replied the boatman, looking off in the other direction. "But there are deep places in there, I am very sure." "Yes, sar; ten feet in some places," replied Quimp, suddenly becoming more communicative. "When de wind blow from de west or de norf-west, dar's twelve foot inside de long key." "Do you know of any vessels, any schooners, or steamers, inside the bay, Quimp?" asked Christy, pushing his inquiries a point farther. "Couldn't told you, massa," replied the boatman, shaking his head. "Do you mean that you don't know, my man?" "Dis nigger done got but one head, and it's wuf more to him dan it is to any oder feller, massa; and it don't do for him to tell no stories about vessels and steamers," replied Quimp, shaking his head more vigorously. "I suppose you have a family, Quimp?" "No, sar; done got no family. De ole woman done gone to glory more'n ten years ago, and de boys done growed up and gone off. No, sar; dis nigger got no family." "Then you don't care to stay here, where you have to work hard for little money?" suggested Christy. "Money! Don't see no money. Nobody but white folks got any money; and dey has next to noffin in dese times." "I will pay you well for any information that may be of importance to me, and I will take you on board of a man-of-war farther down the bay, if you are afraid of losing your head." "If dis nigger told some stories he lose his head for sartin," added Quimp, shaking his head, as if to make sure that it safely rested on his shoulders. "If you tell me the truth, you shall be protected." "Wot you want to know, massa?" demanded Quimp, as though he was weakening in his resolution. Christy could not help wondering why the boatman had come out from behind the key, if he was not willing to impart his knowledge to the officer of the boat, for he could not help understanding the object of the gunboats in visiting the bay; and the Bellevite lay not half a mile below the northern end of what Quimp called the long key. "I want to know if there are any steamers or other vessels in the bay," replied Christy, coming directly to the point. "If there are any, we shall find them; but you can save us the trouble of looking for them."