At another time, being in charge of a picket of Germans, he and his command were captured by a party of Confederates, who haled him before their colonel, a southern gentleman of the old school.  In the course of his interrogation by the southern officer, he was asked where he hailed from.  He replied, “London, England.”  “Then,” said the colonel, “how is it you find yourself fighting for these accursed Yankees?” The cockney faltered out some feeble excuse or another, which his captor cut short by saying, “I’ve a great respect for the English, and consequently I’ll let you go this time.  But if ever I catch you again, you’re gone up.  As for those d-----d Dutchmen, they’ll be strung up inside of five minutes.”  And they were.

So with yarn, song, and dance, the evening passed pleasantly away; while the two old hookers jogged amicably along side by side, like two market-horses whose drivers are having a friendly crack.  Along about midnight we exchanged crews again, and parted with many expressions of good-will—­we to the southward, she to the eastward, for some particular preserve believed in by her commander.

In process of time we made the land of Vau Vau, a picturesque, densely wooded, and in many places precipitous, group of islands, the approach being singularly free from dangers in the shape of partly hidden reefs.  Long and intricate were the passages we threaded, until we finally came to anchor in a lovely little bay perfectly sheltered from all winds.  We moored, within a mile of a dazzling white beach, in twelve fathoms.  A few native houses embowered in orange and cocoa-nut trees showed here and there, while the two horns of the bay were steep-to, and covered with verdure almost down to the water’s edge.  The anchor was hardly down before a perfect fleet of canoes flocked around us, all carrying the familiar balancing outrigger, without which those narrow dugouts cannot possibly keep upright.  Their occupants swarmed on board, laughing and playing like so many children, and with all sorts of winning gestures and tones besought our friendship.  “You my flem?” was the one question which all asked; but what its import might be we could not guess for some time.  By-and-by it appeared that when once you had agreed to accept a native for your “flem,” or friend, he from henceforward felt in duty bound to attend to all your wants which it lay within his power to supply.  This important preliminary settled, fruit and provisions of various kinds appeared as if by magic.  Huge baskets of luscious oranges, massive bunches of gold and green bananas, clusters of green cocoa-nuts, conch-shells full of chillies, fowls loudly protesting against their hard fate, gourds full of eggs, and a few vociferous swine—­all came tumbling on board in richest profusion, and, strangest thing of all, not a copper was asked in return.  I might have as truly said nothing was asked, since money must have been useless here.  Many women came alongside, but none climbed on board.