It was my friend--and, at dinner with him and his lady, next evening, I heard the story of some of those lost years.

Moreover, he confided to me that a certain portion of his adventures had seemed so romantic that he had been tempted to set them down in a narrative, merely, of course, for the amusement of his family and friends.

On our parting, he entrusted me with this manuscript, which I found so interesting that I was able to persuade him to consent to its publication to that larger world which it seemed to me unfair to rob of one of those few romances that have been really lived, and not merely conjured up out of the imaginations of professional romancers._ _His consent was given with some reluctance, for, apart from a certain risk which the publication of the manuscript would entail, it contains also matters which my friend naturally regards as sacred--though, in this respect, I feel sure that he can rely upon the delicacy of his readers.

He made it a condition that every precaution should be taken to keep secret the name and identity of his wife and himself._ _Therefore, in presenting to the world the manuscript thus entrusted to me, I have made various changes of detail, with the purpose of the more surely safeguarding the privacy of my two friends; but, in all essentials, the manuscript is printed as it came originally into my hands._ R.Le G.
CONTENTS PAGE Prologue vii _Book I_ Out of the Constant East the Breeze 2 CHAPTER I.

Introduces the Secretary to the Treasury of His Britannic Majesty's Government at Nassau 3 II.