188 Royal Intrigue ; or, [AUG. 



with visitors. Here, while one of the gentle sex fondly rushed into the 

 arms of the long-absent husband, another tendered the soft and yielding 

 hand to the betrothed of her heart, who now returned to claim the 

 valued prize. Brothers pressed to their bosom the affectionate sister, 

 whose well-recollected budding beauties had now ripened into the full 

 luxuriance of female loveliness ; and brilliant eyes and lovely lips 

 welcomed the wandering sailor to his native shore, banishing the remem- 

 brance of past care and peril. 



While the crowded deck presented a scene of unbounded joy and 

 festivity, a solitary individual paced in melancholy mood up and down 

 the vessel's poop, listless of all that passed beneath him. The being 

 thus estranged and separated from the joyous group, was a youth appa- 

 rently about nineteen years of age a child of other climes whose 

 dark expressive countenance, shaded by clustering locks of the raven's 

 hue, bore the stamp of his transatlantic nativity. Haughty in his 

 deportment, he took his lonely round in silent meditation ; often throw- 

 ing towards the blue arch of Heaven his flashing brilliant eye, half in 

 supplication half in reproach at his cruel destiny. The centinel by 

 whom he was guarded preserved a respectful distance, bestowing on his 

 charge a look of pity, while he seemed to detest his own ungracious 

 office ! Once or twice the bursts of mirthful joy which broke from the 

 happy beings beneath, seemed to recal him from his abstraction ; and as 

 he turned his eyes downwards, the lovely faces which met his gaze, the 

 soft Andalusian lisp which " like sweet music," stole on his ravished 

 ear, caused a momentary smile to play over his melancholy face, which 

 found its way to every heart the Elders cried <e poor child !" whilst 

 the younger invoked Heaven's pity for the handsome American ! 



" Who is he ? What is his crime ?" were now the universal questions ; 

 the sole answer to which was " The Prisoner I inquire no more !" The 

 profound secrecy with which the unfortunate youth had been placed on 

 board the Antorcha by the Grand Inquisitor at Callao; the severe 

 injunctions delivered for his safe keeping, accompanied by the most 

 minute directions to treat him with every degree of tenderness and 

 attention consistent with his personal security ; and, above all, the inter- 

 diction against his holding communication with any person on board, 

 either by speech, or letter, involved his case in the deepest mystery; 

 while his sweet and engaging manners, when accepting the mute cour- 

 tesies which all on board were anxious to bestow, during the tedious 

 voyage, won for him the pity and respect of the whole crew. 



The Captain alone seemed to be in possession of the secret of his 

 crime ; but that it could not be one of an atrocious nature, might be 

 inferred from the perceptible pleasure he appeared to take in every act 

 of kindness, whether from himself or his subordinates, which could 

 possibly render the prisoner's situation less irksome. What, then, was 

 his crime ? Time must disclose it J 



A strange and general feeling of curiosity was excited by the exag- 

 gerated reports brought on shore; and nought was talked of for the 

 ensuing two days but the " mysterious prisoner !" the " handsome Ameri- 

 can !" The ship was visited by those who had, and those who had not 

 relatives on board ; but disappointment followed this universal excite- 

 ment: the interesting captive had suddenly disappeared; he was 

 removed in the dead hour of night, and (strictly guarded) pursued an 

 unknown route with the same mystery and silence that attended his 



