Kate Bonnet | Page 5

the guns necessary for defence in these
somewhat disordered times, and his latest endeavours were towards the shipping of a
suitable crew. Seafaring men were not scarce in the port of Bridgetown, but Major
Bonnet, now entitled to be called "Captain," was very particular about his crew, and it
took him a long time to collect suitable men.
As he was most truly a landsman, knowing nothing about the sea or the various intricate
methods of navigating a vessel thereupon, he was compelled to secure a real captain--one
who would be able to take charge of the vessel and crew, and who would do, and have
done, in a thoroughly seamanlike manner, what his nominal skipper should desire and
ordain.
This absolutely necessary personage had been secured almost as soon as the vessel had
been purchased, before any of the rest of the crew had signed ship's articles; and it was
under his general supervision that the storing and equipment had been carried on. His
name was Sam Loftus. He was a big man with a great readiness of speech. There were,
perhaps, some things he could not do, but there seemed to be nothing that he was not able

to talk about. As has been said, the rest of the crew came in slowly, but they did come,
and Major Bonnet told his daughter that when he had secured four more men, it was his
intention to leave port.
"And sail for Jamaica?" she exclaimed.
"Oh, yes," he said, with an affectionate smile, "and I will leave you with your Uncle
Delaplaine, where you can stay while I make some little cruises here and there."
"And so I am really to go?" she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling.
"Really to go," said he.
"And what may I pack up?" she asked, thinking of her step-mother.
"Not much," he said, "not much. We will be able to find at Spanish Town something
braver in the way of apparel than anything you now possess. It will be some days before
we sail, and I shall have quietly conveyed on board such belongings as you need."
She was very happy, and she laughed.
"Yours will be an easily laden ship," said she, "for you take in with you no great store of
goods for traffic. But I suppose you design to pick up your cargo among the islands
where you cruise, and at a less cost, perchance, than it could be procured here?"
"Yes, yes," he said; "you have hit it fairly, my little girl, you have hit it fairly."
New annoyances now began to beset Major Bonnet. What his daughter had remarked in
pleasantry, the people of the town began to talk about unpleasantly. Here was a
good-sized craft about to set sail, with little or no cargo, but with a crew apparently much
larger than her requirements, but not yet large enough for the desires of her owner. To be
sure, as Major Bonnet did not know anything about ships, he was bound to do something
odd when he bought one and set forth to sail upon her, but there were some odd things
which ought to be looked into; and there were people who advised that the attention of
the colonial authorities should be drawn to this ship of their farmer townsman. Major
Bonnet had such a high reputation as a good citizen, that there were few people who
thought it worth while to trouble themselves about his new business venture, but a good
many disagreeable things came to the ears of Sam Loftus, who reported them to his
employer, and it was agreed between them that it would be wise for them to sail as soon
as they could, even if they did not wait for the few men they had considered to be needed.
Early upon a cloudy afternoon, Major Bonnet and his daughter went out in a small boat to
look at his vessel, the Sarah Williams, which was then lying a short distance below the
town.
"Now, Kate," said the good Major Bonnet, when they were on board, "I have fitted up a
little room for you below, which I think you will find comfortable enough during the
voyage to Jamaica. I will take you with me when I return to the house, and then you can

make up a little package of clothes which it will be easy to convey to the river bank when
the time shall come for you to depart. I cannot now say just when that time will arrive; it
may be in the daytime or it may be at night, but it will be soon, and I will give you good
notice, and I will come up the river for you in a boat. But now I am very busy, and I