at his own weapons. And then
there is an air of command, a feeling of conscious superiority, about
Jack; see how he treats the landlord, _de haut en bas_, at the same time
that he is very civil. The fact is, that Jack is of a very good old
family, and received a very excellent education; but he was an orphan,
his friends were poor, and could do but little for him; he went out to
India as a cadet, ran away, and served in a schooner which smuggled
opium into China, and then came home. He took a liking to the
employment, and is now laying up a very pretty little sum: not that he
intends to stop: no, as soon as he has enough to fit out a vessel for
himself, he intends to start again for India, and with two cargoes of
opium he will return, he trusts, with a handsome fortune, and reassume
his family name. Such are Jack's intentions; and, as he eventually means
to reappear as a gentleman, he preserves his gentlemanly habits; he
neither drinks, nor chews, nor smokes. He keeps his hands clean, wears
rings, and sports a gold snuff-box; notwithstanding which, Jack is one
of the boldest and best of sailors, and the men know it. He is full of
fun, and as keen as a razor. Jack has a very heavy venture this
time--all the lace is his own speculation, and if he gets it in safe, he
will clear some thousands of pounds. A certain fashionable shop in
London has already agreed to take the whole off his hands.

That short, neatly-made young man is the second in command, and the
companion of the captain. He is clever, and always has a remedy to
propose when there is a difficulty, which is a great quality in a second
in command. His name is Corbett. He is always merry--half-sailor,
half-tradesman; knows the markets, runs up to London, and does business
as well as a chapman--lives for the day and laughs at to-morrow.

That little punchy old man, with long gray hair and fat face, with a
nose like a note of interrogation, is the next personage of importance.
He ought to be called the sailing-master, for, although he goes on shore
in France, off the English coast he never quits the vessel. When they
leave her with the goods, he remains on board; he is always to be found
off any part of the coast where he may be ordered; holding his position
in defiance of gales, and tides, and fogs: as for the revenue vessels,
they all know him well enough, but they cannot touch a vessel in
ballast, if she has no more men on board than allowed by her tonnage. He