ain't a-going to run away."

"Ye vood, ye liar, presshus shoon if ye 'ad arf a shance, I bet, s'help
me!" shouted out the other man, who, from his speech, was evidently a
Hebrew and a creditor. "Ye're von tarn sheet, dat's vot ye vas, a
bloomin' corpse swindler, vot sheets de living, s'help me, and rops ze
dead! I shpit upon ye, I does!"

"Come, come, you fellows there, I can't allow such language on board
this ship," sang out from the poop Lieutenant Jellaby, the officer of
the watch, when matters had come to this pass. "Ship's corporal, bring
those men here!"

In obedience to this command, the two disputants were both brought aft,
Poll Nash following also, being an interested party, to get back her
clothes or the money from "Downy."

The latter was at once recognised by Lieutenant Jellaby, a jolly fellow,
in whose watch I was. He went by his Christian name of "Joe" amongst us
all, being very good-natured and always full of fun and chaff.

"Hullo!" he exclaimed. "You're the gravedigger, ain't you?"

"Yes, sir," replied "Downy" sedately, as his original profession
probably inculcated. "That were my humble calling, sir."

"Why did you give it up, eh?"

"Trade got slack, sir."

"How was that?"

"Porchmouth's too healthy a place, sir," answered the man, as grave as a
judge. "People won't die there fast enough, sir, for my trade; so I had
to turn it up, 'cause I couldn't make a decent living out of 'em."

"By burying them, I suppose?"

"Yes, sir," answered the man, seriously. "That is, when I were lucky
enough to get a job."

"Well, that's a rum start, a fellow complaining of not being able to
make a living out of the dead!" said Joe Jellaby to me, smiling; and
then, turning again to the man he continued, "now, tell me what all this
row is about?"

Here the Jew, who introduced himself as the keeper of a lodging-house in
Portsea, put in his word.

"Dis shcoundrel vas owe me five blooming pounds," he cried out
excitedly. "I vash keep him ven he vash shtarving; and now, ven he got
money, he von't shettle. He's a shvindler and a tief, s'help me; and I
shvear I'll have the law on him!"

"Why don't you pay this man if you owe him anything?" said the
lieutenant, sharply, to "Downy."

"You've received your advance money from the paymaster, have you not?"

"Yes, sir; but I'd better tell you the whole story, sir," said the
ex-gravedigger. "I acknowledge owing Mister Isaacs some money, though
he's pi