In Greek Waters

to late events there. That he should obtain a really fair view of the situation was impossible. The Greeks had countrymen in every commercial city in th

wrongs were exaggerated and events distorted with an utter disregard for

ivity, and wealth superior to the Turks. They were subservient and cringing when it suited their purpose, and were as a rule utterly unscrupulous. The consequence was that they worked their way into posts of responsibility and emolument in great numbers, being selected by the Porte in preference to the duller and less pushing Turks. In some portions

d most of the responsible posts. In Greece proper the Christians vastly predominated, wh

ristian population, while for some time a secret society named the Philike Hetaireia had been at work preparing them for a rising. It was

bsolutely nothing. The main body of the population, who bitterly hated their Greek oppressors, remained quiescent. Russia, seeing his utter incapacity, repudiated him, and after keeping alive the hopes of his followers by lying proclamations Hypsilantes secured his own safety by flight across the Austrian frontier when the Turkish army approached. The five hundred young men of the Sacred Battalion fought nobly and were killed almost to a man; but with the exception of a band of officers who refused to surrender, and shut themselves

, who was constantly absent in London. August came, and Horace returned from his last trip and was feeling rat

r back from

you as soon as you returned that he wishe

ut anything, that Horace went in in some wonder as to what coul

t on going back to Eton, H

ather go back, father, than be doing nothing here. I am very fond of sailing as an amusement, but one

to do, Horace. You know my feeling with

o was indeed rather tired

show decisively that this is no mere hasty rising, but that the people are in earnest in the determination to win their liberty. No

ded. "Going out t

ngs to help Greece to regain her independence. That moment has come. At first I feared that the movement would speedily die out; but the letters that I receive show that it is increasing daily, and indeed that the Greeks have placed themselves beyond the hope of forgiveness by, I am sorry to say, the massacre of large numbers of Turks. It is, of course, to

boyhood that I am what you might call unpractical; while I take it that you from your temperament, and from being at a great public school, are eminently practical,

so much, should be kept in slavery by the Turks, who have never done any good to mankind that I know of, and I should certainly be glad t

dy starting to assist the Greeks. What they will need most is no

reading the thing up as much as I could since it began, and as far as I can see the upper class Greeks, the me

through the middle ages they were everywhere persecuted, every avenue to honourable employment was closed to them, consequently they devoted themselves to making money, and have been the bankers of kings for hundreds of y

father; I t

his father asked anxiously, "because, though it is my savings,

ut for that, and not to go into the pockets of a lot of fellows who think more of feathering their own nests than of the freedom of Greece. So I should say the best thing would be to send out a cargo of arms and amm

o any fighting at present, but you will

ght that if there was any fighting to be done he

o up to town to inquire about arms. My Greek friends

et some supper and turn in. I will think it over. I think we had better talk it over quietly and quite make

mfort to me, my boy, to have you with me. At any rate I will write to-night to you

more and more impressed with the fact that in everything unconnected with his favourite subject his father was, as he said himself, utterly unpractical. He left the management of his estate to the steward, the management of the house to Zaimes, both happily, as it chanced, honest and capable men; but had they been rogues they could have victimized him to any extent. That his father, who lived in his library and who was absorbed in the past, should plu

uld say, would be made utterly miserable. He admits that the upper class are untrustworthy and avaricious. Now he says that the lower class have massacred people in cold blood. It does not affect him much in the distance, but if he were in the middl

t's it," he exclaimed, "that is a splendid idea. What a fool I was not to think o

ter over for another half-hour, a

matter over in your mind?" his father ask

on a plan that seems to me the ver

s it, H

. The next thing is, if we go to Athens, and people know that you are a rich Englishman, you will get surrounded by sharks, and before you have time to know who is to be trusted, or anything about it, all your money will be gone. Then I am sure that you could not in that way take any active part in helping

exercise every day, even if I did get through a little less work. Still I am stronger than you think.

First I should engage with Martyn if he is there, or go to the man whom his father recommended to me at Plymouth, and get him to buy for you a fast schooner or brig-one that had either been an English privateer or a captured Frenchman would be about the thing-arrange with him to be the captain and engage officers and crew, and get him to arm her with as many guns as she will carry. He would be able probably to put us into the best way of buying muskets. As such immense numbers of soldiers have been paid off, no doubt there have been great sales of muskets by government,

the Greek flag, and by harassing the Turks at sea we might do a hundred times more good than we could by land. There would be no fatigue and no discomfort. You would always be comfort

t happy idea. We will not lose a moment about it. I like that young fellow Martyn, and I hope you will be able to get hold of him. Let him name his own terms. I have not the least idea whether the captain of a vessel of that sort

t to-day, fat

y not,

rranged we should both go

ot that. It is very annoying, bu

ther. I am sure aunt would be very vexed if we did no

e said doubtfully. "She might raise objections, you know; though that, of course, would make no

uld be backed by the whole strength of his mother's family. He did not say this, but went on, "It is a nuisance being asked a tremendous lot of questions about things, especially when you don't know

ach to-morrow morning. I will sign a dozen blank cheques, which you can fill up as required. Of course whoever accepts the post of captain will know all that will be w

e would be any use, and having a man going about

ighted at Exmouth, and hurried

in?" he asked the serva

resent, sir; I think he

home?" Horace asked,

cked, and Mr. William turned up without any clot

then without another word ran down to the wharfs. He soon saw th

in surprise, as Horace came up

top of th

ere wrecked off St. Catharine's Point, at the back of the Isle of Wight, a

"She didn't say that any lives had been lost; but I must have astoni

hurrah for?" the m

and was so pleased that you were not

or another berth, for I think the vessel was only partly insured, and as the owners only have one or two ships I expect it wil

ame up, so that he was able at once to o

ou were wrecked, Will, for I had come over on purpose to s

ng in for a big yacht ins

nd he is going to send out a lot of arms and ammunition. So we have talked it over and agreed that the best thing to do would be to buy a fast schooner or brig, fit her up as a privateer, fill her with arms

am not giving any opinion as to whether it is a wise thing on the part of yo

thing about what the pay should be, but he particularly said that a

different light; but as I ain't, and have no idea of getting spliced, the danger does not trouble me. I have been getting eight pounds a month as third ma

a merchant's ship. However, he will write to you about it. There will be a tremendous lot to do before we start, and we want to be off as soon as possible. There is a ship to buy and fit out, and of

s of them to be had at every port. Five years ago every vessel went to sea armed. Now even the biggest craft only carry a gun or two for firing signals with, unless, of c

th will be the be

for picking up the sort of craft we want. Still, as Plymouth is so much the nearest here, I should say we had best try there first. Then if we can't find what we want we will take a passage by coaster to

k, when I started, of going farther than Plymouth; b

d at Plymouth we want more I can easily get one

, Will? My father is anxi

the chaise ready. Our best plan would be to drive to Exeter and take the evening coach going through there. There is one comes through about six

go to the inn,

My father went out in the cutter to look after a wreck four or five miles along the coast, and he said he did not expe

r be with your fathe

y as I am going to sail with you, and he maybe able to put us up to a few wrinkles as to getting our powder on board, and so on. Of course I have been accustomed to seeing it got in from gover

u are thinking about my saying hurrah when I heard Mr. Martyn was wrecked?" he said. "Well, I did not exactly mean that, only I w

n't it? I have just come back to tell you to put another knife and fork upon the table, as Mr. Beveridge

ted calf, and if there was it would take ever so long to

rt run straight down to the butcher's and get a good big tender steak, an

revenue cutter, although only in fact a lieutenant) several times while fitting out the

n that little craft. I hear you did a brave deed in her, going out in that gale to rescue the crew of the

ridge is going to get a fast craft to carry out arms and am

you are off so soon; but you are likely to see som

tend to catch the six-o'clock coach at Exeter, so as to get to Plymouth to-night. I am going to see if we can

no kit to pack, so there is no difficulty ab

in plenty of time for the coach, and arrived duly in Plymouth. As soon as they had breakfasted next morning they started out a

g agent said. "We have a dozen at least on our own books, and

of hundred tons. She must be very fast and weatherly; the sort of craft that

she had not enough carrying power for his business. She never was built for cargo, and would be an expensive vessel to work, for she has a large sail spread, and would want so strong a crew to work her that she would never pay. He bought her cheap for that reason, and will be gla

. "At any rate we will begin by havi

here in a sailing boat in half an hour. I will go with you myself. Th

ate l

Beveridge's father is fond of the sea, and has commissioned me to buy a comfortab

your purpose better than the Creole. She would make a splen

r age?" the

hey sold her. At any rate she is sound, and in as good condition as if she had just come off the stocks. She had been hulled in two or three places in the fig

e are

eave them there and have good fires going occasionally to keep

han the half hour mentioned by the agent he sai

they caught her coming out of a river, for she would show her heels, I should guess, to any cruiser that

ssel they rowed round he

er in her lines, and lighter. She ought to sail lik

SIGHT OF T

the hold now. She was sold just as she stood;

ruising up the Mediterranean it is just as well to have a

board. "She has a wonderful lot of beam, much more than she looks to

race said as they went below. "I tho

rd they rigged up a deck of planks here so as to have two tiers for t

is knife, going down into the hold and prying into the state of the timbers there, getting into the boat, to examine the s

will do," he said. "How

with all her gear, fittings, and so on, thrown in. As you see, there is the cabin furnit

likely to have her on his hands any time, eating her head off and losing value, he ought to be glad to take anything near what he gave for her. Wel

dred less. It is a ri

his ship is practically fit for nothing but a yacht or the Levant trade. I expect I cou

air to knock down the price

t it, that is all. He is not obliged to sell, and you are not obliged to buy. Still, the price is a very reasonable

es

Beveridge will give you a cheque for thirteen hun

is your money up to to-night, but from twelve o'clock to-day Mr. Martyn take

will pay you from twelve o'clock, so you