tongue and other likings; but he up with the kettle on the fire, and put in about a fathom and a half of pig-tail. "So?" says I; and he says, "So!" and we both of us began to laugh, as long and as gentle as a pair of cockles, with their tongues inside their shells.

'Well, your honour understands; I never spake so much before since ever I pass my coorting time. We boiled down the pig-tail to a pint of tidy soup, and strained it as bright as sturgeon juice; then we got a bottle with "Navy Supply" on a bull's-eye in the belly of it; and we filled it with the French white brandy, and the pig-tail soup, and a noggin of molasses, and shook it all up well together; and a better contract-rum, your honour, never come into High Admiral's stores.'

But Joseph, good Joseph,' cried Mr. Mordacks, 'do forge ahead a little faster. Your private feelings and the manufacture of them are highly interesting to you; but I only want to know what came of it.'

Your honour is like a child hearing of a story; you wants the end first, and the middle of it after; but I bowls along with a hitch and a squirt, from habit of fo'castle; and the more you crosses hawse, the wider I shall head about, or down helm, and bear off mayhap. I can hear my Bob a singing; what a voice he hath! They tell me it cometh from the timber of his leg; the same as a old Cremony. He tuned up a many times in yonder old barge, and shook the brown water, like a frigate's wake. He would just make our fortin in the Minister, they said, with Black-eyed Susan and Tom Bowline.' Truly, he has a magnificent voice; what power, what compass, what a rich clear tone! In spite of the fog I will have the window up.'

6

Geoffrey Mordacks loved good singing, the grandest of all melody, and, impatient as he was, he forgot all hurry; while the river, and the buildings, and the arches of the bridge, were ringing, and echoing, and sweetly embosoming the mellow delivery of the one-legged tar. And old Joe was highly pleased, although he would not show it, at such an effect upon a man so hard and dry.

'Now, your honour, it is overbad of you,' he continued with a softening grin, 'to hasten me so, and then to hear me out o' window, because Bob hath a sweeter pipe. Ah, he can whistle like a blackbird, too, and gain a lot of money; but there, what good? He sacrifices it all to the honour of his heart, first maggot that cometh into it; and he done the very same with Rickon Goold, the Methody galley-raker. We never was so softy when I were afloat. But your honour shall hear, and give judgment for yourself.

'Mother Precious was ready in her mind to run out a doubleshotted gun at Rickon, who liveth down upon the rabbit-warren, to the other side of Bempton, because he scarcely ever doth come nigh her; and when he do come, he putteth up both hands, to bless her for hospitality, but neither of them into his breeches pocket. And being a lone woman, she doth feel it. Bob and me gave her

ship-shape as the battle of the Nile. There was Rickon Goold at anchor, with a spring upon his cable, having been converted; and he up and hailed that he would slip, at the very first bad word we used. My son hath such knowledge of good words, that he answered, "Amen, so be it."

"Well, your honour, we goes on decorous, as our old Quartermaster used to give the word; and we tried him first with the usual tipple, and several other hands dropped in. But my son and me never took a blessed drop, except from a gin-bottle full of cold water, till we see all the others with their scuppers well awash. Then Bob he findeth fault-Lor' how beautiful he done it!-with the scantling of the stuff; and he shouteth out, "Mother, I'm blest if I won't stand that old guinea bottle of best Jamaica, the one as you put by, with the cobwebs on it, for Lord Admiral! No Lord Admiral won't come now. Just you send and hoist it up." away,

'Rickon Goold pricked up his ugly ears at this; and Mother Tapsy did it bootiful. And, to cut a long yarn short, we spliced him, Captain, with never a thought of what would come of it; only to have our revenge, your honour. He showed himself that greedy of our patent rum, that he never let the bottle out of his own elbow, and the more he stowed away the more his derrick-chains was creaking; but if anybody reasoned, there he stood upon his rights, and defied every way of seeing different; until we was compelled to take and spread him down, in the little room with sea-weeds over it.

6

With all this, Bob and me was as sober as two judges, though your honour would hardly believe it perhaps; but we left him in the dark, to come round upon the weeds; as a galley-raker ought to do. And now we began to have a little drop ourselves, after towing the prize into port, and recovering the honour of the British Navy; and we stood all round to every quarter of the compass, with the bottom of the locker still not come to shallow soundings. But sudden our harmony was spoiled by a scream, like a whistle from the very bottom of the sea.

'We all of us jumped up, as if a gun had broke its lashings; and the last day of judgment was the thoughts of many bodies; but Bob he down at once with his button-stump gun-metal, and takes the command of the whole of us. "Bear a hand, all on you," he saith, quite steadfast: "Rickon Goold is preaching to his own text to-night." And so 'a was, sure enough; so 'a was, your honour.

'We thought he must have died, although he managed to claw off of it, with confessing of his wickedness, and striking to his Maker. All of us was frightened so, there was no laugh among us, till we come to talk over it afterwards. There the thundering rascal lay in the middle of that there mangerie of sea-stuff, as Mother Precious is so proud of, that the village calleth it the "Widow's Weeds." Blest if he didn't think that he were a'lying at the bottom of the sea, among the stars and cuttles, waiting for the day of judgment.

hand of the Lord hath sent me down to keep you company down here. I never would 'a done it, Captain, hard as you was on me, if only I had knowed how dark, and cold, and shivery it would be down here. I cut the big bunk out; I'll not lie; no lies is any good down here, with the fingers of the deep things pointing to me, and the black devil's wings coming over me-but a score of years agone it were, and never no one dreamed of it-oh, pull away, pull, for God's sake pull-the wet woman, and the three innocent babbies, crawling over me, like congers!"

'This was the shadows of our legs, your honour, from good mother Tapsy's candle; for she was in a dreadful way by this time about her reputation and her weeds, and come down with her tongue upon the lot of us. "Enter all them names upon the log," says I to Bob, for he writeth like a scholar. But Bob says, "Hold hard, Dad, now or never." ." And with that, down he goeth on the deck himself, and wriggleth up to Rickon through the weeds, with a hiss like a great sea-snake, and grippeth him. "Name of ship, you sinner!" cried Bob in his deep voice, like Old Nick a-hailing from a sepulchre. "Golconda,' of Calcutta," says the fellow, with a groan as seemed to come out of the whites of his eyes; and down goes his head again, enough to split a cathead. And that was the last of him we heard that night.

'Well, now, Captain, you scarcely would believe; but although my nob is so much older of the pair, and white where his is as black as any coal, Bob's it was as first throwed the painter up, for a-hitching of this drifty to the starn of your consarns. And it never come across him, till the locker was run out, and the two of us pulling longer faces than our legs is. Then Bob, by the mercy of the Lord, like Peter, found them guineas in the corner of his swab-some puts it round their necks, and some into their pockets; I never heard of such a thing till chaps run soft and watery-and so we come to this here place to change the air, and the breeding, and spin this yarn to your honour's honour, as hath a liberal twist in it; and then to take orders, and draw rations, and any rears of pay fallen due, after all dibs gone in your service; and for Bob to tip a stave in the Minister.'

'You have done wisely and well in coming here,' said Mr. Mordacks cheerfully; but we must have further particulars, my friend. You seem to have hit upon the clue I wanted, but it must be followed very cautiously. You know where to lay your hand upon this villain? You have had the sense not to scare him off?'

'Sarten, your honour. I could clap the irons on him, any hour you gives that signal.'

Capital! Take your son to see the sights; and both of you come to me at ten to-morrow morning. Stop, you may as well take this half-guinea. But when you get tipsy, tipple inwards.'

ship-shape as the battle of the Nile. There was Rickon Goold at anchor, with a spring upon his cable, having been converted; and he up and hailed that he would slip, at the very first bad word we used. My son hath such knowledge of good words, that he answered, "Amen, so be it."

'Well, your honour, we goes on decorous, as our old Quartermaster used to give the word; and we tried him first with the usual tipple, and several other hands dropped in. But my son and me never took a blessed drop, except from a gin-bottle full of cold water, till we see all the others with their scuppers well awash. Then Bob he findeth fault-Lor' how beautiful he done it!—with the scantling of the stuff; and he shouteth out, "Mother, I'm blest if I won't stand that old guinea bottle of best Jamaica, the one as you put by, with the cobwebs on it, for Lord Admiral! No Lord Admiral won't come now. Just you send away, and hoist it up."

'Rickon Goold pricked up his ugly ears at this; and Mother Tapsy did it bootiful. And, to cut a long yarn short, we spliced him, Captain, with never a thought of what would come of it; only to have our revenge, your honour. He showed himself that greedy of our patent rum, that he never let the bottle out of his own elbow, and the more he stowed away the more his derrick-chains was creaking; but if anybody reasoned, there he stood upon his rights, and defied every way of seeing different; until we was compelled to take and spread him down, in the little room with sea-weeds over it.

"With all this, Bob and me was as sober as two judges, though your honour would hardly believe it perhaps; but we left him in the dark, to come round upon the weeds; as a galley-raker ought to do. And now we began to have a little drop ourselves, after towing the prize into port, and recovering the honour of the British Navy; and we stood all round to every quarter of the compass, with the bottom of the locker still not come to shallow soundings. But sudden our harmony was spoiled by a scream, like a whistle from the very bottom of the sea.

'We all of us jumped up, as if a gun had broke its lashings; and the last day of judgment was the thoughts of many bodies; but Bob he down at once with his button-stump gun-metal, and takes the command of the whole of us. "Bear a hand, all on you," he saith, quite steadfast: "Rickon Goold is preaching to his own text to-night." And so 'a was, sure enough; so 'a was, your honour.

'We thought he must have died, although he managed to claw off of it, with confessing of his wickedness, and striking to his Maker. All of us was frightened so, there was no laugh among us, till we come to talk over it afterwards. There the thundering rascal lay in the middle of that there mangerie of sea-stuff, as Mother Precious is so proud of, that the village calleth it the "Widow's Weeds.” Blest if he didn't think that he were a'lying at the bottom of the sea, among the stars and cuttles, waiting for the day of judgment.

hand of the Lord hath sent me down to keep you company down here. I never would 'a done it, Captain, hard as you was on me, if only I had knowed how dark, and cold, and shivery it would be down here. I cut the big bunk out; I'll not lie; no lies is any good down here, with the fingers of the deep things pointing to me, and the black devil's wings coming over mebut a score of years agone it were, and never no one dreamed of it-oh, pull away, pull, for God's sake pull-the wet woman, and the three innocent babbies, crawling over me, like congers!"

"This was the shadows of our legs, your honour, from good mother Tapsy's candle; for she was in a dreadful way by this time about her reputation and her weeds, and come down with her tongue upon the lot of us. "Enter all them names upon the log," says I to Bob, for he writeth like a scholar. But Bob says, "Hold hard, Dad, now or never." And with that, down he goeth on the deck himself, and wriggleth up to Rickon through the weeds, with a hiss like a great sea-snake, and grippeth him. "Name of ship, you sinner!" cried Bob in his deep voice, like Old Nick a-hailing from a sepulchre. "Golconda,' of Calcutta," says the fellow, with a groan as seemed to come out of the whites of his eyes; and down goes his head again, enough to split a cathead. And that was the last of him we heard that night.

'Well, now, Captain, you scarcely would believe; but although my nob is so much older of the pair, and white where his is as black as any coal, Bob's it was as first throwed the painter up, for a-hitching of this drifty to the starn of your consarns. And it never come across him, till the locker was run out, and the two of us pulling longer faces than our legs is. Then Bob, by the mercy of the Lord, like Peter, found them guineas in the corner of his swab-some puts it round their necks, and some into their pockets; I never heard of such a thing till chaps run soft and watery-and so we come to this here place to change the air, and the breeding, and spin this yarn to your honour's honour, as hath a liberal twist in it; and then to take orders, and draw rations, and any rears of pay fallen due, after all dibs gone in your service; and for Bob to tip a stave in the Minister.'

'You have done wisely and well in coming here,' said Mr. Mordacks cheerfully; but we must have further particulars, my friend. You seem to have hit upon the clue I wanted, but it must be followed very cautiously. You know where to lay your hand upon this villain? You have had the sense not to scare him off?'

'Sarten, your honour. I could clap the irons on him, any hour you gives that signal.'

Capital! Take your son to see the sights; and both of you come to me at ten to-morrow morning. Stop, you may as well take this half-guinea. But when you get tipsy, tipple inwards.'