“I can’t say, positively,” replied his uncle. “But there was one a very short time ago. She was doing duty as a packet between the Virgin Islands and her name was the Vigilant. She was a trim, speedy little schooner—the typical ‘low black craft with rakish masts’ of story and fiction and had had a most adventurous and romantic career. She was built at Baltimore and was originally intended as a privateer for use in the Revolution. But the war was over before she was launched and she served as a smuggler, a slaver and a pirate, changing hands frequently. At that time she was rigged as a topsail schooner and was called the Nonesuch, and at one time she was even a man-of-war. That happened when Denmark and Spain were at war and a Spanish cruiser was harassing Danish commerce, always escaping by fleeing to waters too shoal for the Danish war vessels. The Vigilant was pressed into service, disguised as a merchantman, and lured the Spaniard on until at close quarters, when she suddenly showed her real character in true pirate fashion, and, throwing grappling irons, the armed crew of the schooner swarmed over the Spaniard’s side, killed the captain and officers, overpowered the crew and captured the ship. It was the last engagement of the gallant little schooner—a fitting end to her career—and ever since she has done duty as an honest merchantman. I have seen her many times, have even sailed on her, and, for all I know to the contrary, she may still be plowing the blue Caribbean in the haunts of the buccaneers as staunch, fast and seaworthy as when the Jolly Roger flew from many a masthead.” THE END