mild, genial, sunshiny weather, that carried us right up the Channel to Portland Roads, which we entered on a lovely summer evening, nine months, almost to a day, from the date upon which we had quitted it, at the commencement of the voyage. I was of course careful to have the ship's number and burgee conspicuously displayed as we entered the roadstead, and I also observed the precaution of standing far enough over towards the Weymouth side of the bay to permit of the flags being distinctly made out before bringing the ship to an anchor; the result of which was that, before the canvas was well clewed up, a small steam launch emerged from Weymouth Harbour, and in due time deposited my dear mother and my very good friend Mr Richards upon the _Esmeralda's_ deck. Of the joyous meeting that ensued--of my dear mother's smiles and tears and caresses and ejaculations of gratitude at my safe return--and of Mr Richards' hearty congratulations at my successful achievement--I will say nothing; the picture may very well be left to the vivid imagination of the reader. I need only state that, after the first bustle and excitement of the meeting had passed over, Mr Richards drew me carefully aside and remarked-- "It is all right, my dear boy; everything is arranged. I have put the whole affair into the hands of Tom White--a man whom I would trust with my very life--and he will come off to you with half a dozen `lerrets' and a strong gang of thoroughly reliable men at two o'clock to-morrow morning. Hand over your cases of treasure to him without hesitation, and he will take care of them for you. He knows exactly how to manage the business, trust him, for he was a smuggler in his youth, when smuggling was still a paying business, as were his forbears for generations before him; so it is in the man's blood, you see." And as Mr Richards had said, so it proved. The night was, luckily, _very_ dark, and therefore exactly suited to our purpose; and promptly at two o'clock, the man White, with his fleet of "lerrets," came gliding noiselessly alongside out of the darkness, and in less than half an hour every ounce of the treasure was out of the ship, with nobody a bit the wiser. The next morning a man came alongside offering crabs for sale, and before leaving the ship, he slipped a crumpled, dirty piece of note-paper, smelling strongly of fish, into my hand; upon opening which I, with some difficulty, deciphered the following communication:-- "Deer Sur the boxis be awl rite yours to command T. White."