enters earnestly and kindly into the affairs of
others, and totally repudiates self. From early manhood he had roughed
life in the very roughest and wildest scenes of the wilderness, and was
now returning to those scenes after a short visit to his native land.
The doctor was a nondescript; a compound of gravity, fun, seriousness,
and humbug--the latter predominating. He had been everywhere (at least,
so he said), had seen everything, knew everybody, and played the fiddle.
It cannot be said, I fear, that he played it well; but, amid the
various vicissitudes of his chequered life, the doctor had frequently
found himself in company where his violin was almost idolised and
himself deified; especially when the place chanced to be the American
backwoods, where violins are scarce, the auditors semi-barbarous
Highlanders, and the music Scotch reels. Mr Wiseacre was nothing! He
never spoke except when compelled to do so; never read, and never cared
for anything or anybody; wore very long hair, which almost hid his face,
owing to a habit which he had of holding his head always down: and
apparently lived but to eat, drink, and sleep. Sometimes, though very
rarely, he became so far facetious as to indulge in a wink and a low
giggle; but beyond this he seldom soared. The two mates were simply
_mates_. Those who know the population of the sea will understand the
description sufficiently; those who don't, will never, I fear, be made
to understand by description. They worked the ship, hove the log,
changed the watch, turned out and tumbled in, with the callous
indifference and stern regularity of clock work; inhabited tarpaulin
dreadnoughts and sou'-westers; came down to meals with modest
diffidence, and walked the deck with bantam-cock-like assurance.
Nevertheless, they were warm-hearted fellows, both of them, although the
heat didn't often come to the surface. The first mate was a _broad_
Scotchman, in every sense of the term; the second was a burly little
Englishman.

"How's the wind, Collins?" said the captain, as the second mate sat down
at the dinner-table, and brushed the spray from his face with the back
of his brown hand.

"Changed a point to the s'uthard o' sou'-west, sir," he answered, "and
looks as if it would blow hard."

"Humph!" ejaculated the captain, while he proceeded to help the fish.
"I hope it'll only keep quiet till we get into blue water, and then it
may blow like blazes for all I care,--Take some tr