ously wronged, now friendless and an orphan, torn from his home, and thrown upon the wide world to seek that existence which his father might, had he lived, have procured for him under more favourable circumstances, this evidence of misery inflicted upon a third unoffending individual, was calculated to revive, in one so sensitive as Shenstone had become, the image of past horrors with a reality most painful, and to open again wounds which even yet were but partially cicatrized. It was many days ere he regained even his wonted degree of cheerfulnesss; his physical powers were to a certain degree affected by the violence of his emotion, and the excitement caused by all that he had heard, produced some return of uneasiness in his wound, which contributed, as well as its cause, to retard his progress towards a return to his previous state of mind.

In the meantime, the interest he evinced in the lad was such as to excite the surprise of the entire ship's company. He would constantly send for Montreville to his cabin; he took pains to instruct him; he was careful of his health, which, though the boy was active, enterprising, and intelligent, was somewhat delicate; and he treated him in all respects as a fond father would treat a first and only child. To Arthur's expressions of surprise at the sudden fancy he had taken for this boy, and to his urging him to account for the predilection, he merely replied that he had been acquainted with the lad's father, during his residence in North America, and that the destitute situation in

which he was placed, and his personal merits, were amply sufficient to create an interest in his favour. Nor did the young Montreville appear ungrateful for the kindness shown him; he soon became sincerely attached to his benefactor, and looked forward with delight to the close of his voyage, when Shenstone had promised to adopt him as his own child, and to endeavour at an early period to enable him once again to join his little sister Anne, on whom his affections were so strongly placed, and to whom his wishes chiefly tended.

CHAPTER XVI.

To thee the love of woman hath gone down,

Dark flow thy tides o'er manhood's noble head,

O'er youth's bright locks, and beauty's flowery crown

MRS. HEMANS.

For many days the Antelope pursued her homeward course with speed and safety, for the breeze was at once so steady and so favourable, that the captain was enabled to spread to it every extra yard of canvass which his sail-room contained, at least so long as the sun was still above the horizon. At the approach of night, however, he invariably shortened sail, and on these occasions the crew, wearied perhaps with the prosperous monotony of the day's voyage, dis

played considerable activity in the execution of the captain's order, emulating, as far as their comparative strength of numbers would permit, the rapidity and precision with which such manœuvres are performed on board ships of war. Among them, the young Montreville was distinguished for a catlike activity which called forth the admiration of his comrades, but was witnessed with very different feelings by the friend who took so strong an interest in his fate, and felt such anxiety to procure his safe return to the sister for whom the boy professed an affection so touching.

One evening something had gone wrong with the top studding-sail boom. Young Montreville was perched at the extremity of the yard busily employed in setting matters to rights, (though by no means a part of his duty in his ordinary capacity), whilst Shenstone and Captain Vandermeer were watching him from the deck.

“It is lucky, after all, Mr. Shenstone," said the Captain," that the boy's friends sent him to sea; he was made for it. It does my heart good to see a lad run so nimbly along the yard."

"You look upon this with the eyes of a sailor," said Shenstone; "I, on the contrary, though I have performed many voyages, ain nevertheless so thorough a landsman that I had rather see that boy exposed to almost any degree of real danger on land, than watch him in the performance of such duties as he has just now been executing, though I believe, nay know, that

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there is no danger at all in the performance to the active and experienced."

"None now, certainly, with a light breeze like this. Why the urchin might stand on his head on the truck! But the boy is certainly venturous, and as the season is drawing near when we may look for rougher weather, I think I must keep him below a little, at least till we have passed the Straits."

"Promise me that you will do so," said George, with an eagerness which would have surprised any one not accustomed to the earnestness and apparent warmth of feeling which occasionally broke through the restraint of his habitual melancholy and reserve.

The promise was given, and Montreville received with surprize, and prepared with reluctance to obey, the particular orders of the captain, that he should on no account go aloft without special permission.

In the precautions it takes, how little does human foresight sometimes avail?

As the vessel neared the Straits of Sunda, the navi. gators no longer dared to avail themselves of the full influence of the breeze which still favoured their progress; her weight of canvass was considerably reduced. Glasses, which had long remained unemployed, were now directed from the mast head, in eager search for the first indication of land in the horizon, and the fear. of coral reefs and shoals kept the best hands employed with the deep sea lead in endeavouring to find soundings. As the interest which attends the expected making of land in such seas as those of the Eastern Archi

pelago increased, the heavy splash of the lead and the recurring chant of the seamen became more frequent. This most necessary operation was one of great interest to Montreville, and though it required a strength rather beyond his years, and he was therefore not to be trusted with its execution, he endeavoured unceasingly to obtain the requisite instruction from professors in the art. One man in particular, perhaps the most able and practised of the crew, took the boy into especial favour, and used occasionally to diversify his lesson; to the great delight of his pupil, by exhibiting a feat which required some strength and dexterity, namely the flinging the lead over the main yard

arm.

The breeze had somewhat freshened; the course of the Antelope lay some points hearer to the wind than had hitherto been the case; the table in the main cabin, on which George Shenstone was leaning, in gloomy abstraction, gave visible token by its inclination, that a change had occurred either in the direction of the wind, or of the vessel. It was a change of little consequence to the interests of any concerned in the voyage; for ships, by some strange propensity of their nature, difficult of explanation to landsmen, travel nearly as fast through the water when the wind is apparently doing its best to blow them out of their course, as when that same agent is urging them in the very direction they wish to pursue.

There was a sudden bustle upon deck; that description of noise of pattering feet, and a rush of many in

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