Morgan--a Welshman and a forty-niner."

"O, if you're a pioneer," cried I, "come to me and I'll provide you with

an axe."

"You'll want your axes for yourself, I fancy," he returned, with one

of his quick looks. "Unless you have private knowledge, there will be a

good deal of rather violent wrecking to do before you find that--opium,

do you call it?"

"Well, it's either opium, or we are stark, staring mad," I replied. "But

I assure you we have no private information. We went in (as I suppose

you did yourself) on observation."

"An observer, sir?" inquired the judge.

"I may say it is my trade--or, rather, was," said I.

"Well now, and what did you think of Bellairs?" he asked.

"Very little indeed," said I.

"I may tell you," continued the judge, "that to me, the employment of a

fellow like that appears inexplicable. I knew him; he knows me, too; he

has often heard from me in court; and I assure you the man is utterly

blown upon; it is not safe to trust him with a dollar; and here we find

him dealing up to fifty thousand. I can't think who can have so trusted

him, but I am very sure it was a stranger in San Francisco."

"Some one for the owners, I suppose," said I.

"Surely not!" exclaimed the judge. "Owners in London can have nothing

to say to opium smuggled between Hong Kong and San Francisco. I should

rather fancy they would be the last to hear of it--until the ship was

seized. No; I was thinking of the captain. But where would he get the

money? above all, after having laid out so much to buy the stuff in

China? Unless, indeed, he were acting for some one in 'Frisco; and in

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