ubject, but that Mr Short would not speak;" and then entertained
his superior with a long account of mutinous expressions on the lower
deck, and threats of doing him (Mr Vanslyperken) a mischief. This
conversation was interrupted by a messenger coming on board with the
despatches, and an order to sail at daylight, and return immediately
without waiting for any answers.

The reader may wish to know the subject of the long conversation between
Jemmy Ducks and his wife. It involved the following question. Moggy
had become very useful to Nancy Corbett, and Nancy, whose services were
required at the cave, and could not well be dispensed with, had long
been anxious to find some one, who, with the same general knowledge of
parties, and the same discrimination, could be employed in her stead.
In Moggy she had found the person required, but Moggy would not consent
without her husband was of the same party, and here lay the difficulty.
Nancy had had a reply, which was satisfactory, from Sir Robert Barclay,
so far as this. He required one or two more men, and they must be
trustworthy, and able to perform the duty in the boats. Jemmy was not
very great at pulling, for his arms were too short as well as his legs,
but he was a capital steersman. All this had been explained to Nancy,
who at last consented to Jemmy being added to the crew of the smuggler,
and Moggy had gone off to the cutter to persuade Jemmy to desert and to
join the smugglers.

Now, as to joining the smugglers Jemmy had not the least objection: he
was tired of the cutter, and being separated from his wife had been to
him a source of great discontent; but, as Jemmy very truly observed, "if
I desert from the vessel, and am ever seen again, I am certain to be
known, and taken up; therefore I will not desert, I will wait till I am
paid off, unless you can procure my discharge by means of your friends."
Such had been the result of the colloquy, when interrupted by the
arrival of Vanslyperken, and the case thus stood, when, on the next
morning, at daylight, the cutter weighed, and steered her course for the
Texel.

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.

IN WHICH MR. VANSLYPERKEN HAS NOTHING BUT TROUBLE FROM THE BEGINNING TO
THE END.

So soon as the cutter had sailed, Moggy hastened to the pretended widow
to report the answer of her husband. Nancy considered that there was
much sound judgment in what Jemmy had said, and immediately repaired to
the house of the Jew, Lazarus,