He had laid them aside, having taken them out of
the locker when he was rummaging for the linen. "What have we here?
Kingston Chronicle, Montego Bay Gazette, Falmouth Advertiser. A great
newsmonger you must be. What arrivals?--let me see;--you know I am a
week from headquarters. Let me see."
At first he made a motion as if he would have snatched them out of my
hands, but speedily appeared to give up the idea, merely murmuring
"What can it signify now?"
I continued to read--"Chanticleer from a cruise--Tonnant from Barbadoes
Pique from Port--au--Prince. Oh, the next interests me the Firebrand
is daily expected from Havanna; she is to come through the gulf, round
Cape Antonio, and beat up the haunts of the pirates all along the Cuba
shore." I was certain now that at the mention of this corvette mine host
winced in earnest. This made me anxious to probe him farther. "Why,
what means this pencil mark--'Firebrand's number off the Chesapeake was
1022?' How the deuce, my fine fellow, do you know that?"
He shook his head, but said nothing, and I went on reading the pencil
memoranda--"But this is most probably changed; she now carries a red
cross in the head of her foresail, and has very short lower masts like
the Hornet." Still he made me no answer. I proceeded--"Stop, let me see
what merchant ships are about sailing. Loading for Liverpool, the John
Gladstone, Peter Ponderous master;" and after it, again in pencil
"Only sugar: goes through the gulf.
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