164 TEAVEL, ADVENTUKE, AND SPORT. 



the space of a moment, and then, with delight ex- 

 pressed on his countenance, sprang forward, and 

 clasped him in his arms. 



" Captain Eeady ! " 



" That is my name," quietly replied the captain. 



" Is it possible you do not know me ] " exclaimed 

 the officer. 



Ready looked hard at him, and seemed a little in 

 doubt. At last he shook his head. 



" You do not know me ? " repeated the other, almost 

 reproachfully, and then whispered something in his 

 ear. 



It was now Eeady's turn to start and look surprised. 

 A smile of pleasure lit up his countenance as he grasped 

 the hand of the officer, who took his arm and dragged 

 him away into the house. 



A quarter of an hour elapsed, during which we lost 

 ourselves in conjectures as to who this acquaintance 

 of Eeady's could be. At the end of that time the 

 captain and his new (or old) friend reappeared. The 

 latter walked away, and we saw him enter the Govern- 

 ment House, while Eeady joined us, as silent and 

 phlegmatic as ever, and resumed his stick and pen- 

 knife. In reply to our inquiries as to who the officer 

 was, he only said that he belonged to the army be- 

 sieging Callao, and that he had once made a voyage 

 as his passenger. This was all the information we 

 could extract from our taciturn friend ; but we saw 

 plainly that the officer was somebody of importance, 



