In the course of the afternoon, servants came to the door, whispered something in his ear and Matthew excused himself. When he returned, he easily picked up the conversation precisely where he left off. "It is not uncommon for the King's Privateers to steal a man's untaxed half. To protect his goods, a careful man must make others believe he is completely ruthless."

Now on his second glass of wine, Caleb felt wonderful, "How delightful it all sounds. We hoped to see privateers on our voyage, but we saw no other ships a week after leaving England."

Matthew drew back and wrinkled his brow. "You saw no ships at all? Not any?" He slapped his hands behind his back and re­sumed his pacing. "Not so much as a transport?"

Said Uriah, "I assure you, once the food ran low we eagerly watched for other ships. Masters said we were off course but MacPherson denied it."

"That's it! MacPherson sailed south." Matthew's eyes lit up and he studied Uriah face. "Tell me, what cargo had he on The Benison Felicity?"

It was Caleb who answered. "The boxes were unmarked."

"What sort of boxes?"

"They were longer than a man's arm and the width of . . ."

"Muskets? Could the boxes be filled with muskets?"

Caleb mumbled, "I suppose so."