o you, I dare say," said the other.

Mr. Thomson shook his arm off, and clinging to the mainmast, leaned his
cheek against it and closed his eyes. He opened them again at the sound
of voices, and drew himself up as he saw the second officer coming along
with a stern-visaged man of about fifty.

"Are you the master of this vessel?" inquired the doctor, stepping to
his friend's side.

"What the blazes has that got to do with you?" demanded the skipper.
"Look here, my lads; don't you play any of your little games on me,
because they won't do. You're both of you as drunk as owls."

"Defamation of character," said the solicitor, feebly, to his friend.

"Allow me," said the doctor, with his best manner, "to inquire what all
this means. I am Dr. Frank Carson, of Melbourne; this gentleman is my
friend Mr. Thomson, of the same place, solicitor."

"What?" roared the skipper, the veins in his forehead standing out.
"Doctor! Solicitor! Why, you damned rascals, you shipped with me as
cook and A. B."

"There's some mistake," said the doctor. "I'm afraid I shall have to ask
you to take us back. I hope you haven't come far."

"Take those scarecrows away," cried the skipper, hoarsely; "take them
away before I do them a mischief. I'll have the law of somebody for
shipping two useless lubbers as seamen. Look to me like pickpockets."

"You shall answer for this," said Carson, foaming; "we're professional
men, and we're not going to be abused by a bargee."

"Let him talk," said Mr. Thomson, hurriedly drawing his friend away from
the irate skipper. "Let him talk."

"I'll put you both in quod when we get to Hong-kong," said the skipper.
"Meantime, no work, no food; d'ye hear? Start and cook the breakfast,
Mr. Doctor; and you. Mr. Lawyer, turn to and ask the boy to teach you an
A. B's duties."

He walked back to the cabin; and the new cook was slowly pushed toward
the galley by the second officer, the new A. B., under the same gentle
guidance, being conducted back to the forecastle.

Fortunately for the new seamen the weather continued fine, but the heat
of the galley was declared by the new cook to be insupportable. From the
other hands they learned that they had been shipped with several others
by a resourceful boarding-house master. The other hands, being men of
plain speech, also said that they were brought aboard in a state of
beastly and enviable intoxication, and chaffed crudely when the doctor
attributed