ld have stood till they crumbled
in a sailor-town shop window, but 50 deg. S. is a world away from
Broomielaw Corner, and we were glad enough to be served, even if old
Niven, the steward, did pass off old stock on us.

"Naw! Ye'll no' get ye'r pick! Yell jist tak' whit 's gien' ye ... or
nane ava'!"

Wee Laughlin was a large buyer. He--of us all--had come to sea 'same
's he was goin' t' church!' A pier-head jump! So far, he had borrowed
and borrowed, but even good-natured Dutch John was learning English,
and would say, "Jou come to _mein haus, und_ stay mit me," or "_Was
fuer_ jou nod trink less _und_ buy somet'ings," at each wily approach.

On the day when 'slops' were served out, the Pride of Rue-en' Street
was first at the cabin door. As he was fitted and stepped along
forward with his purchases, the bo'sun saw him, and called: "Hello!
Oilskins an' sea-boots an' new shirts, eh? I see ye're outward bound,
young feller!" Laughlin leered and winked cunning-like.

"What d'ye mean by outward bound," asked Munro. "We're all outward
bound, an't we?"

"Of course; of course," said Hicks. "All outward bound! But w'en I
says it that wye, I mean as Lawklin is a-spendin' of 'is 'dibs,' ...
meanin' t' desert w'en we gets out! If 'e don't 'op it as soon as we
anchors in 'Frisco Bay, ye kin call me a ruddy Dutchman!"

"Desert? But that's serious?"

"Ho no! Not there it ain't! Desertin' 's as easy as rollin' off a
log, ... out there! D'ye think th' queer-fella' is goin' t' pay them
prices for 'is kit, if 'e wos goin' t' stop by her in 'Frisco? Not
much 'e ain't! An' ye kin tike it as a few more is goin' t' 'op it, or
ye wouldn't see so many of 'em aft 'ere for their bloomin' 'sundries'!"

"_Wel, wel_, now! These prices is not pad, indeed," said Welsh John,
who had joined us. "I haf paid more than three shillin' for a knife
pefore!"

"_Heh! Heh!_" The bo'sun laughed. "When a 'Taffy' that's a-buyin'
says that, ye may say it's right! ... But, blimy--the boot's on th'
other foot w'en it's 'Taffy' as is a-sellin'! _Heh! Heh!_ There wos
Old Man Lewis of th' _Vanguard_, o' Liverpool, that I signed in!
Blimy! 'e could tell ye wot 'sea price' is!"

"Good ol' 'sea price,'" said Martin. "Many an' 'appy 'ome, an' garden
wit' a flagstaff, is built o' 'sea price'!"

"Right, ol' son! Right," continued the bo'sun. "Old Man Lewis owned a
row of 'em, ... down in Fishguard.... I sailed in th' _Vanguard_ out
o