imself on the skylight settee.

"Aye, aye! Man, but ye're the grand talkers," he said.

The crowd renewed their clamour, making bids and offers one against the
other.

"Come down t' th' cabin, one of ye," said the Old Man, leading the way.
A purposeful West-countryman, brushing the crowd aside, followed close
at heel. The others stood around, discussing the prospect of business.

"Scotch barque, a'n't she?" said one. "Not much to be made o' them
Scotch Captens! Eh, Pengelly, 'ee knows? Wot about th' Capten o' th'
_Newtonend_, wot 'ee sarved last autumn?"

The man addressed looked angrily away, the others laughed: a sore point!

"Paid 'ee wi' tawps'l sheets, didn't 'e?" said another. "A fair wind,
an' him bound West! _Tchutt_! 'ee must 'a bin sleepin' sound when th'
wind come away, Pengelly, m' son!"

Pengelly swore softly.

"Don't 'ee mind un, Jan, m' boy?" added a third. "Mebbe th' Capten 'll
send 'ee 'Spanish notes' when 'e arrives out--Santa Rosalia, worn't it?"

A bustle at the companionway put a stop to the chaff, the purposeful
man having come on deck, glum of countenance.

"You'm struck a right 'hard case,' boys," he said. "Twenty per cent
ain't in it--an' I'm off. So long!"

One by one the tradesmen had their interview, and returned to deck to
talk together, with a half laugh, of Scotch 'Jews' and hard bargains.
Hard bargains being better than no business, the contracts were taken
up, the crowd dispersed, and we were soon in a position to order our
longshore togs and table luxuries--at prices that suggested that
someone was warming his boots at our fire.

With Jan Pengelly we bargained for foodstuffs. It was something of a
task to get comfortably aboard his 'bumboat,' heaving and tossing as
she was in the short sea. In the little cabin, securely battened and
tarpaulined against the drenching sprays that swept over the boat, he
kept his stock--a stock of everything that a homeward-bounder could
possibly require; but his silk scarves and velvet slippers,
silver-mounted pipes and sweet tobacco hats, held no attraction for us:
it was food we sought--something to satisfy the hunger of five months'
voyaging on scant rations--and at that we kept Jan busy, handing out
and taking a careful tally of our purchases.

On deck there was little work for us to do. Little could be done, for,
as the day wore on to a stormy setting, wind and sea increased, forcing
even the hardy boatmen to cast off and