"We are in Hamilton harbor; and if you will come out of the cuddy, you will find yourself in the midst of flowers and green trees," replied the skipper with a smile. "I must have slept six hours," said Christy, rubbing his eyes as he crawled out of the cuddy. The scenery around him was certainly very beautiful, and he gazed upon it in silence for a few minutes. It seemed to him just as though he had waked in fairyland. He had cruised in the vicinity of the islands, but he had never been very near the shore before. Though he had been in Alabama, and seen the shores of the Gulf States, he had never beheld any region that seemed so lovely to him. He had been on shore at Nassau, but only on the wharves, and had hardly seen the beauties of the island. "Why didn't you call me before, M. Rubempre?" asked he, when he had taken in the view from the pier. "Because I thought your sleep would do you more good than the view of the shore, which you will have plenty of opportunities to see before we leave," replied the detective. "But we must begin our work, for we have no time to lose. I arranged with Captain Chantor to pick us up to-morrow night at about the point where we embarked in the boat. In the mean time he will sail around the islands, though the Chateaugay will not come near enough to be seen from the shore." "What will you do with the boat while we are absent?" "Leave it where it is." While they were talking, an old negro came down the pier, and very politely saluted the strangers. He appeared to come from a small house a short distance from the shore, and passed along to a boat which lay near the Eleuthera. "Is that your boat?" asked the detective, calling him back. "Yes, sir; I am a fisherman, though I've got the rheumatism, and don't go out much; but I have to go to-day, for we have nothing to eat in the house," replied the negro, whose language was very good. "What is your name?" "Joseph, sir." "Do you speak French?" "Oh, no, sir!" exclaimed Joseph. "I don't speak anything but plain English; but I used to work sometimes for a French gentleman that kept a boat at this pier, six or seven years ago." "What was his came?" asked the detective, who had had a suspicion from the first that he knew the man, though he had changed a great deal as he grew older. "Mounseer Gillflower," replied Joseph; "and he was very kind to me." "I am a Frenchman, Joseph; and, if you don't want to go fishing, I will employ you to take care of my boat, and carry my valise to a hotel," continued the detective, as he handed an English sovereign to him, for he had taken care to provide himself with a store of them in New York. "Thank you, sir; but I can't change this piece," protested Joseph very sadly. "I don't want you to change it; keep the whole of it." "God bless you forever and ever, Mounseer!" exclaimed the fisherman. "I haven't had a sovereign before since Mounseer Gillflower was here. I am a very poor man, and I can't get any work on shore."