spy, or something worse! Just guess what he asked me suddenly one morning--why, if I weren't a distinguished _savant_, and wouldn't like to study the botany of some island! "No, monsieur, not at all," replied I, in fearfully bad French. "The geology, then?" persisted he, with a curious gleam in his fierce black eyes--"does the research of monsieur lie in that direction?" "Why, no," I answered, carelessly, "I don't care a _sacré_ about stones, or anything of the kind, indeed; indigo is _my_ particular line, which may be called botany, in a way--I'm perhaps prejudiced in favour of it, monsieur!" The Frenchman leant his tufted chin on his hand,' continued Mr Rollock, 'meditated a bit, then glanced at me again, as if he didn't care though I were studying seaweed in the depths of the ocean rolling round us, and stalked downstairs. Then he took to Mrs Brady again, and lastly to the Yankee, whose conversations with him, I fancy, had a twang of both commerce and politics.' 'What do you think of it all, Mr Rollock?' inquired I, rather listlessly. 'It didn't strike me at the time,' said the planter, 'but now I just ask you, Collins, if there ain't a certain great personage studying geology at present in a certain island, not very far away, I suppose, where there's plenty of it, and deuced little botany, too, I imagine?' To this question of the old gentleman's I gave nothing but a half-stupid sort of stare, thinking as I was at the same time of something else I cared more about. "By Jupiter! though,' cried I, on a sudden, 'instead of heaving the ship to, I do believe we've set topmast-stu'nsails, judging from the way she pitches into the water; there's the brig nearing the wind a point or two in chase, too; why, the fellow that has charge of the deck must be mad, sir!' Next minute the fire out of one of her bowchasers flashed out behind the blue back of a swell, and the sudden _thud_ of it came rolling down to leeward over the space betwixt us, angrily, so to speak; as the brig's fore-course mounted with a wave, the sun shining clear on the seams and reef-points, till you caught sight of the anchor hanging from one bow, and the men running in her lee stun'sail-booms upon the yard-arms. The planter and I went on deck at once, where we found a fine breeze blowing, far out of sight of land, the Indiaman rushing ahead stately enough; while our young fourth officer appeared to have just woke up, and the watch were still rubbing their eyes, as if every man had been 'caulking it,' after last night's work. Even Mr Finch, when he came hastily up, seemed rather doubtful what to do, till the salt old third-mate assured him the brig was a British sloop-of-war, as anyone accustomed to reckoning sticks and canvas at sea could tell by this time; upon which our topsails were clued up, stu'nsails boom-ended, and the ship hove into the wind to wait for the brig.