It was not long after the governor’s boat had reached her station, which was fairly within the short range of the two guns in the battery, ere a boat shoved off from the ship, showing the white flag, too.  In a few minutes, the two boats were within the lengths of each other’s oars, riding peacefully side by side.

On board the stranger’s boat, in addition to the six men who were at the oars, were three persons in the stern-sheets.  One of these men, as was afterwards ascertained, was the admiral himself; a second was an interpreter, who spoke English with a foreign accent, but otherwise perfectly well; and the third was no other than Waally!  The governor thought a fierce satisfaction was gleaming in the countenance of the savage when they met, though the latter said nothing.  The interpreter opened the communications.

“Is any one in that boat,” demanded this person, “who is empowered to speak for the authorities ashore?”

“There is,” answered the governor, who did not deem it wise, nevertheless, exactly to proclaim his rank.  “I have full powers, being directly authorized by the chief-magistrate of this colony.”

“To what nation does your colony belong?”

This was an awkward question, and one that had not been at all anticipated, and which the governor was not fully prepared to answer.

“Before interrogatories are thus put, it might be as well for me to know by what authority I am questioned at all,” returned Mr. Woolston.  “What are the vessels which have anchored in our waters, and under what flag do they sail?”

“A man-of-war never answers a hail, unless it comes from another man-of-war,” answered the interpreter, smiling.

“Do you, then, claim to be vessels of war?”

“If compelled to use our force, you will find us so.  We have not come here to answer questions, however, but to ask them.  Does your colony claim to belong to any particular nation, or not?”

“We are all natives of the United States of America, and our vessels sail under her flag.”

“The United States of America!” repeated the interpreter, with an ill-concealed expression of contempt.  “There is good picking among the vessels of that nation, as the great European belligerents well know; and while so many are profiting by it, we may as well come in for our share.”

It may be necessary to remind a portion of our readers, that this dialogue occurred more than forty years ago, and long before the republic sent out its fleets and armies to conquer adjacent states; when, indeed, it had scarce a fleet and army to protect its own coasts and frontiers from insults and depredations.  It is said that when the late Emperor of Austria, the good and kind-hearted Francis II., was shown the ruins of the little castle of Habsburg, which is still to be seen crowning a low height, in the canton of Aarraw, Switzerland, he observed, “I now see that we have not always been a great family.”  The governor cared very little for the fling at his native land, but he did not relish the sneer, as it indicated the treatment likely to be bestowed on his adopted country.  Still, the case was not to be remedied except by the use of the means already provided, should his visitors see fit to resort to force.