IN SWEDEN 69

sure of catching him if he presents himself there. The
general opinion is that he will for a time go into hiding
with his friends in the hills of Cumberland or Westmore-
land, or perhaps on the Yorkshire moors; but they are sure
to catch him sooner or later.”

“It is a bad business altogether,” Mr. Jervoise said,
“and we can only hope that all guilty persons will in time
get the punishment they so well deserve. How can trade
be carried on if the country is to be disturbed by plots and
conspiracies?”

“ How, indeed?” the landlord repeated heartily. “Ido
not meddle in politics, being content to earn my living
by my business, and to receive all who can pay their reck-
oning, without caring a jot whether they be Whigs or
Tories?”

The next morning Mr. Jervoise and Sir Marmaduke went
down to the port, leaving the lads to wander about the
town at their pleasure, as two persons were likely to attract
less attention than four. They found that there were two
vessels in port loading with munitions of war for Sweden,
and that one of them would sail shortly. They at once
went on board her and saw the captain.

“Do you carry any passengers?”

“None have applied so far,” the captain said; “but if
they were to offer I should not say no to them.”

“We want to take passage for Sweden,” Mr. Jervoise
said. “The King of that country is, as they say, fitting out
an army. Clothes are as necessary for troops as swords
and guns, and we think we could obtain a contract for these
goods. ‘There is no hope of doing so unless we ourselves
§0 over, and though sorely loath to do so, for neither of us
have ever before set foot on board a ship, we determined on
making the journey together with our two clerks, for whom
we will take passage at the same rate as for ourselves, seeing
that they are both related to us.”