the clear green water, to
catch eager perch, or watching the hardworking sailors dragging huge
casks of molasses out of dark and grimy holds, and rolling them up the
wharf to be stored in the vast cool warehouses, or running risks of
being pickled themselves, as they followed the fish-curers in their work
of preparing the salt herring or mackerel for their journey to the hot
West Indies. There never was any lack of employment, for eyes, or hands,
or feet, on that busy wharf, and the boys felt very proud when they were
permitted to join the workers sometimes and do their little best, which
was all the more enjoyable because they could stop whenever they liked,
and hadn't to work all day as the others did.

Nor were these the only attractions. The principal business done at this
wharf was with the West Indies, and no vessel thought of coming back
from that region of fruits without a goodly store of oranges, bananas,
and pine-apples, some of which, if the boys were not too troublesome,
and the captain had made a good voyage, were sure to find their way into
very appreciative mouths. Bert's frank, bright manner, and plucky
spirit, made him a great favourite with the captains, and many a time
was he sent home with a big juicy pine, or an armful of great golden
oranges.

One day, when Bert and Frank went down to the wharf, they found a
strange-looking vessel made fast to the piles that filled them with
curiosity. She was a barquentine, and was sparred, and rigged, and
painted in a rather unusual way, the explanation of it all being that
she was a Spanish vessel, of an old-fashioned type. Quite in keeping
with the appearance of the vessel was the appearance of the crew. They
were nearly all Lascars, and with their tawny skins, flashing eyes, jet
black hair, and gold-ringed ears, seemed to fit very well the
description of the pirates, whose dreadful deeds, as graphically
described in sundry books, had given the boys many a delicious thrill of
horror. This resemblance caused them to look upon the foreigners with
some little fear at first, but their curiosity soon overcame all
considerations of prudence, and after hanging about for a while, they
bashfully accepted the invitation extended them by a swarthy sailor,
whose words were unintelligible, but whose meaning was unmistakable.

On board the _Santa Maria_--for that was the vessel's name--they found
much to interest them, and the sailors treated them very kindly, in
spite o