"Then I hope you will stay with us longer. We are going to look at Danzig, and then sail for Swinemünde."
"Certainly; we shall be very glad to have you remain on board as long as you will."
The principal indorsed this request, and the Kinnairds assented.
"You will see something new on board to-morrow, if you stay," added Lincoln. "To-morrow will be the first day of the month, and we have an election of officers."
"And will you be the commodore next month?"
"I don't know," laughed Lincoln. "Perhaps I shall not have votes enough."
"Thank you, Miss Gurney; my position is certainly a very comfortable one, for I have but little to do, except to entertain the ship's guests, which in this instance is an exceedingly pleasant duty."
"You are very kind, Commodore Lincoln. I wish I was a young man," added Miss Gurney.
"I don't; I'm afraid I shouldn't like you half so well if you were."
"But if I were I should be a sailor, and would study till I became a commodore," replied the young lady, blushing.
"Nothing could be more delightful than to live in the cabin, and go from place to place in this beautiful ship."
"If you were on board in a gale of wind, perhaps you would not think her so very beautiful."
The conversation was interrupted by the call for all hands to go on shore. The boats were lowered, and the ship's guests were invited to take passage in the commodore's barge. De Forrest pulled the stroke oar in this boat, and his disgust was intolerable. The fair Miss Gurney sat directly in front of him, chatting with the commodore. He had flattered himself that this young lady had some regard for him, and he had accompanied her party from city to city, solely for the sake of being with her--she was so fascinating. He had permitted her to lead him to the shores of the Baltic, where he had been captured by the principal. And this was the reward of all his devotion! Thus she gave him the cold shoulder, and bestowed her smiles upon the commodore! It was real agony to him, and the coxswain was obliged to call out to him more than once to mind his stroke.
The company landed, except De Forrest and Beckwith, whose liberty had been stopped, and they were handed over to the care of Peaks, the boatswain, who put them both into the fourth cutter, and pulled back to the ship, leaving the other forward officers in charge of the rest of the boats. The party took the train at Neufahrwasser, and in a quarter of an hour were in Danzig.