sible to successfully imitate. The seal bore a coat-of-arms, consisting of an eagle flying with a double-edged sword in its beak, above a ship in full sail. A motto in Danish encircled these emblems, and Captain May inquired its meaning.

"It refers to the emblems, and means in English: The ship must sail swiftly, lest the eagle drop the sword on her deck!""

"Well, that's past a plain seaman's comprehension; its mysterical to me!" exclaimed the simple-minded captain. "It has a secret meaning, Captain May!"

So it must, Herr Vonved! And I suppose that is your family arms?"

"Not so: it is the private symbol I have myself assumed."

"Do you know, Herr Vonved," confidentially observed the honest veteran shipmaster, "that I myself have sometimes thought of getting a seal cut with emblems, as you call them, of my own invention or choosing."

"Indeed, Captain May; and what do you propose to have engraved ?" said Vonved, very blandly.

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Why, what do you say to a compass in the center, and and a marlingspike on one side, and an anchor on the other for supporters, and waves at the bottom, with C. M.' for my name? Ship-shape, eh! Nothing mysterical about that ?"

"Capital, sir! A better and more appropriate device could not be desired " responded the Dane, with a look of arch

where I have to take in some cargo; and meanwhile you are heartily welcome to share my cabin, and we shall have time to become better acquainted, and to overhaul our old logs together. I'm going on deck,

now."

"And I will go with you!"

They ascended together, and Vonved, after looking aloft, and keenly scanning the horizon in every quarter, and glanc ing at the compass to ascertain the ship's course, courteously thanked the mate for the share the latter had taken in his own marvelous preservation over-night, and then requested to see the look-out man who had first perceived him floating helpless on the spar. The man was called, and Vonved spake a few kindly words to him expressive of his gratitude, and gave him all the money in his pocket, which included a Frederick d'or, and two or three other gold pieces. The bluff English seaman did not wish to accept them, but the Dane insisted that he should.

Several vessels were in sight, all at a considerable distance. One of them, evidently a very small craft, by and by attracted the especial notice of Lars Vonved. His gaze was intently riveted on her, and at length he said:

"I think I know that Danish jægt!" "A Danish jogt, is she?" cried Captain May. "You have keen eyes, Herr Vonved; I could not swear whether she is a Danish jogt or an English sloop at this distance, by the naked eye."

Vonved eagerly seized a telescope, but hardly had he leveled it ere he lowered it again, and coolly slapped the joints together, whilst a smile of singular meaning flitted over his features.

"Do you know her ?"

"You shall see, Captain May!" and springing on the quarter-deck bulwark, where he steadied himself against the spanker-boom, Vonved untwisted his crimson silk sash, and held it fluttering out as a signal. This sash was about a dozen feet long by two or three in breadth, and in the center were three large white stars, horizontally disposed.

Captain May leveled his telescope at the strange vessel, to curiously watch whether the signal would be noticed or answered, and in a couple of minutes, to his astonishment, he beheld a group of four or five men hurriedly gathering together on the quarter-deck of the little craft, one of whom was gazing with a

"The Falk lay at anchor a mile or two from the shore, and shortly after sunset on the 27th-the evening of the outlaw's capture-a horrible explosion took place, and the vessel was blown to pieces. Of all on board, only one man escaped. He was picked up by a boat from the shore; and he states his belief that Lars Vonved, knowing the doom that awaited him at Copenhagen, by some means broke through the bulkhead that separated him from the powder-magazine, and crowned his long list of crimes by deliberately blowing up the vessel, preferring to perish in this manner rather than on the wheel. The single survivor is also of opinion that, through some culpable negligence of the officers, Vonved was not even searched; therefore, supposing he had a dagger or strong knife concealed on his person, he might soon cut his way into the powder-magazine: and this is probably the plan he adopted.

"Many mangled bodies of the hapless crew have been washed ashore, but no remains of the arch-monster himself have hitherto been identified. Doubtless he was blown to atoms when he applied the fatal match."

Captain May listened to this narrative with feelings of extreme perturbation, which was increased when the consul said:

"Did you hear the explosion?"

"No, sir, we neither heard nor saw it. Probably we were too distant, and it was a stormy night too. What had this outlaw done, sir ?"

"Rather ask what he hadn't done!" answered the consul. "If only half that is said of him be true, he was a very incarnation of mischief and subtlety. For the last half-dozen years his name has struck terror in the hearts of his countrymen-that is, if they really are his countrymen; for although he spoke Danish like a native, and resembled a Dane personally, there is, I believe, a mystery about his birth; for the authorities were never able to satisfactorily learn whence he came, nor who were his relatives. The name itself-provided it be genuine--is rather Swedish than Danish; but the man himself always avowed he was a Dane, and it has even been strongly rumored that he is of a most noble and ancient family. He must have begun his rover's profession betimes, for, I think, he could

not be much above thirty when he thus closed his fearful career."

"But his crimes, sir? Was he really a rover ?" Have you

"What, Captain May!

really never before heard of Lars Vonved, the Baltic Rover ?"

"No, sir, I have not; but it is a dozen years since I was last up the Baltic."

"Ah! that accounts for your ignorance. Why he was a smuggler, pirate, and soforth; dyed in the guilt of a thousand crimes! Such at least is the story, though some people affect to disbelieve the greater portion of his alleged misdoings. All I know is, that he has been repeatedly captured, but always escaped, either through bribing his guards, or by the dexterity and dauntless courage, and tremendous personal strength, he is alleged to possess. I think it must be nearly five years since he was condemned to work in chains a slave for life, but he escaped the first time he was set to work on the roads. Subsequently he was recaptured, and many additional attrocious crimes being laid to his charge, he was then condemned to be broken alive on the wheel; but the very night before the day appointed for his execution he escaped from the Tughthuus in a marvelous manner. What is stranger than all, although a very heavy price was set on his head, dead or alive, none of the outcasts with whom he was more or less connected ever betrayed him, and his own crew were said to be thoroughly devoted to him. It would seem, however, if this newspaper account is correct, that one of them has proved a traitor at last."

"After all, the rogue must have had his good points, then," bluntly observed the captain.

"Yes, I believe such was really the case, and very romantic stories have been told of his generosity, and songs have been written and are popularly sung about his exploits."

"And what sort of a fellow was he, sir ?" The consul gave an accurate description of Vonved, explaining that he had never seen him, but that the Danish authorities had caused lithographed portraits of the outlaw, with a fac-simile of his autograph, to be extensively circulated to aid in his identification and arrest.

"You would know his handwriting then,

"Well, then, depend upon it that he and his lawless crew will never harm you nor yours. He never was known to break his word to friend or foe, and so far from injuring any one who ever served him, even unconsciously, he will risk his life to repay them. Take back your precious autograph, Captain May-it is a sort of pass bearing the sign-manual and seal of a potent rover and preserve it carefully, resting assured that if Lars Vonved scuttles half the ships that sail on the Baltic, your bark will never be of the number. Ah! had you only known who was your guest, and had clapped him in irons, and brought him to Copenhagen, I verily think the king would have made you a night of the Dannebrog! You have missed both money and honor."

"And I'm not sorry for it," burst from the honest British tar. "Like any honest God-fearing mariner, I hate and abhor a rover, and heartily wish him a short shrift and a hempen necklace to swing him like a jewel-block at the yard-arm, as he merits. But, sir, it was God's will that we should save his life, and I would not have given the man up under such circumstances, even had I suspected him to be what you describe. A miscreant he may be, ay, must be, if he is really a rover-and he did throw dust in my eyes with his yarn about losing his craft on the Jomfru reef-but somehow I can't think he's half so black as they paint him."

"Well, perhaps not; but let me give you a bit of earnest advice, Captain May. Keep your agency in letting him loose on the world again a profound secret, for I can assure you that the Danish government would look very black if they heard of it. And what they will say or do when he suddenly turns up again, all ripe and ready for mischief, is more than I can im

"We all must die-Heaven's will be done! And yet I hope to see the sun Rise many a day ere my race be run!'

Undaunted cried Lars Vonved.

"Oh! clasp thy guilty hands and pray That outraged heaven in mercy may Pardon e'en thee-for at dawn of day

Thou'lt surely die, Lars Vonved!'

"More merciful than man is heaven!
And by all my hopes to be forgiven,
I tell thee, priest, thou oft hast shriven
Worse sinners than Lars Vonved.'

"That can not be,' the priest replied, 'For guiltier wretch yet never died Than thou, who'lt perish in thy pride, At dawn o' day, Lars Vonved!' "Lars Vonved gave a laugh of scorn'Think not, good priest, the coming morn Will see the fearless heart out-torn

From the bosom of Lars Vonved!'

"Farewell, thou boasting fool! I go

And leave thee to eternal woe!' 'Nay, good priest, do not leave me so!'

Softly cried Lars Vonved.

"The priest turned round, and ere he knew Was pinioned and his mouth gagged too, His robe stripped off, and his hood of blue, By the outlaw, bold Lars Vonved.

"Sir priest, I must make free to borrow Your dress awhile-but do not sorrow; They'll set you free at dawn to-morrow, So farewell!' cried Lars Vonved

"The watchful guards as they let him pass, Said: 'Holy man, has he ta'en the mass? Does he repent? 'Ah! no, alas!

Too hardened is Lars Vonved!"

"At dawn of day, the dungeon door
Was open flung, and on the floor
They found the true priest groaning sore,
But flown away, Lars Vonved!"

"Such is the popular belief; and I never heard any other version of the escape that he undoubtedly effected."

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Well, sir, I am quite taken aback by the whole affair. To think that a rover has been in my ship-that he has slept in my berth-that he has eat and drunk with me at my table!" and the worthy old captain flushed with mingled feelings of amazement, indignation, and incredulity, at the recollection.

Although Captain May kept a discreet silence concerning the outlaw's preservation, some of his crew, hearing of the explosion of the Danish brig of-war, naturally related the circumstance of having rescued a man floating on a piece of wreck in the locality where the catastrophe happened. This speedily reached the ears of the authorities, and the whole truth was wrung from the reluctant captain.

Proclamations were immediately issued in Copenhagen, and distributed all over Denmark Proper, and the Danish Islands and Schleswig and Holstein, denouncing the new and crowning enormity that Lars Vonved was positively accused of having committed, and relating his own marvelous escape. So important was his capture deemed, that the government increased the price on his head to the sum of two thousand five hundred specie-dalers, (£562 10s. sterling,) and offered a free pardon to any accomplices who would betray him.

The Danish people, generally, were divided between horror of the alleged atrocities of the outlaw, and of a species of superstitious admiration of the almost superhuman manner in which he had hitherto escaped paying the forfeit of his deeds. By an idiosyncrasy of human nature, the most detestable and monstrous criminals, if renowned for feats of brilliant and successful daring, rarely fail to excite interest and fearful sympathy in the breasts of the majority of their countrymen. Even the philosopher, who justly condemns the immorality of this morbid feeling, often himself feels its influence. Thus it was that the last reputed exploit of the greatest modern outlaw of all Scandinavia, the renowned Baltic Rover, added thousands to the ranks of those who half admired, half-shuddered at his name and

fame; yet the heavy blöd-penge (bloodmoney) tempted many to watch every opportunity of achieving his capture, or of obtaining information that would lead to it. Besides this, so far as the sailors of the navy and the landsoldats and officers of justice were concerned, it was their especial duty to hunt him down, independent of the reward, and that duty they were all anxious to perform. So extreme was the official activity now displayed at every Danish port, and along all the coasts of the mainland and islands, and so strong the assurance of the governments of the different countries bordering on the Baltic, that they would use their utmost vigilance to arrest the outlaw if he ventured to land on their territories, that the prospect of Vonved's final escape seemed indeed slight. It must be borne in mind that the Baltic is a large inland sea, and that passports are most strictly required to enable the bearer to land, or to travel through the countries bordering upon it. What likelihood was there of Vonved ob. taining one, even under false pretenses? And even if he did, he would almost certainly be recognized from the description of his remarkable person, ere he had traveled many leagues.

Wagers were freely laid in Copenhagen that the Baltic Rover would be seized, dead or alive, within thirty days.

THE Vessel which received Lars Vonved, when he bade adieu to his kind preservers of the Camperdown, was one of the smallest of that kind of Danish sea-going craft called jægts, and she was a beautiful specimen of her class. Her length was thirty-five feet; her breadth of beam eleven feet; her depth of hold five feet. In her present trim, she drew four feet of water forward, and five aft, and, therefore, had not much dry side amidships, but as she had a considerable shear, of course her bows and stern rose comparatively high. Her symmetrical bows were pretty full above the water, but below, their lines were hollow and tapered finely. The stern had a clean run, and the counter was a flat oval, broken by two small slightly-projecting windows, each consisting of a square of thick plate-glass set in