"' over them great quarrel arose There were many of us who were glad enough to win back our freedom, and yet who had no wish murder souls to knock the soldiers over with their muskets in their hands, and another to stand by while men were being killed in cold blood Eight of us, five convicts and three sailors, said that see it done But no moving Predergast and those who were Our only chance of safety lay in making clean job of it, said he, and leave tongue with power to wag in witness-box It nearly came to our sharing the fate prisoners, but at last that wished take boat and go We jumped offer, for we were already sick bloodthirsty doings, and we saw that there worse before it We were given suit of sailor togs each, barrel of water, two casks, one of junk and one of biscuits, and compass Prendergast threw us over chart, told us that we were shipwrecked mariners whose ship had foundered in Lat 15 degrees and Long 25 degrees west, and then cut the painter go

"'And now I come most surprising part story, my dear son The seamen had hauled the fore-yard aback during the rising, but now left them they brought it square again, and light wind north and east the bark began to draw slowly away Our boat lay, rising and falling, long, smooth rollers, and Evans and I, who were the most educated party, were sitting sheets working out our position and planning what coast make for nice question, Cape de Verds were about five hundred miles north of us, African coast about seven hundred east whole, wind was coming round north, we thought that Sierra Leone best, and turned our head direction, the bark being nearly hull down starboard quarter Suddenly looked at her we saw dense black cloud of smoke shoot up from her, which hung like monstrous tree sky line few seconds later roar like thunder burst upon our ears, and smoke thinned away no sign left Gloria Scott In an instant we swept the boat's head round again and pulled with all our strength place where the haze still trailing over the water marked the scene catastrophe

"' long hour before we reached it, and at first we feared that we had come too late to save splintered boat and number of crates and fragments of spars rising and falling waves showed us where the vessel had foundered; but no sign o life, and we had turned away in despair when we heard cry for help, and saw at some distance piece of wreckage with man lying stretched across it When we pulled him aboard the boat he proved young seaman name of Hudson, who was so burned and exhausted that no account of what had happened until the following morning

"'It seemed that after we had left, Prendergast gang had proceeded to death the five remaining prisoners The two warders shot and thrown overboard, and so also had the third mate Prendergast then descended 'tween-decks and own hands cut the throat unfortunate surgeon There only remained the first mate, who was bold and active man When the convict approaching him bloody knife hand he kicked off his bonds, which he had somehow contrived to loosen, and rushing down the deck he plunged after-hold dozen convicts, who descended wit their pistols in search of him, found him with match-box hand seated beside an open powder-barrel, one of hundred carried on board, and swearing that blow all hands up if he were in molested An instant later the explosion occurred, though Hudson thought caused misdirected bullet of convicts rather mate's match Be the cause what , it end Gloria Scott and rabble who held command of her

"'Such, in few words, my dear boy, history terrible business involved we were picked up brig Hotspur, bound for Australia, whose captain found no difficulty in believing that we were the survivors of passenger ship which had foundered The transport ship Gloria Scott was set down Admiralty as being lost at sea, and no word has ever leaked out her true fate After an excellent voyage the Hotspur landed us at Sydney, where Evans and I changed our names and made our way diggings, where, crowds who were gathered from all nations, we had no difficulty in losing our former identities The rest not relate We prospered, we travelled, we came back as rich colonials to England, and we bought country estates For more than twenty years led peaceful and useful lives, and we hoped past was forever buried Imagine, then, my feelings when seaman who came I recognised instantly the man who picked off the wreck He had tracked us down somehow, and had set himself to live upon our fears understand now how it I strove the peace , and in some measure sympathise with me fears which fill me, now that he has gone from me other victim with threats upon his tongue '

"Underneath is written in hand so shaky be hardly legible, 'Beddoes writes in cipher H Has told all Sweet Lord, have mercy souls ! '

"That narrative which that night to young Trevor, and , Watson, that under the circumstances dramatic one The good fellow was heart-broken at it, and went out Terai tea planting, where I hear that doing well sailor and Beddoes, neither was ever heard of again day the letter of warning was written They both disappeared utterly and completely No complaint lodged with he police, Beddoes had mistaken threat for deed Hudson seen lurking about, and believed police that he had done away with Beddoes and had fled I believe truth was exactly the opposite most probable that Beddoes, pushed to desperation and believing himself already betrayed, had revenged himself upon Hudson, and had fled country with money as lay his hands on Those are the facts case, Doctor, and of any use to your collection, very heartily at your service "