g, and was evidently very old; it was folded small
and tight, and was beginning to break with age at the creases. On the
outside, it was blank; but there might have been writing inside.

"Got it in the Caribbean off a runaway sailor, fer a set of false
whiskers and a tattoo needle. Will it do to pay fer the cargo with?"

"Yes, sir; thank you," said Freddie, holding the paper in his hand
without unfolding it.

"Then all I got to say is, before I weighs anchor,--take good keer o'
that there bit o' paper. Aloft and alow, don't ye never let go; round
the yard take a bight and hold on to it tight; let the harricane blow
till yer fingers is blue, but wotever you do, don't ye never let go. And
skipper, mind wot I'm a-tellin' you; if you ever needs Lemuel Mizzen,
A.B., fer to give him his orders, all you got to do is to smoke a couple
o' whiffs of the Chinaman's 'baccy, and Lemuel Mizzen, A.B., he'll be on
deck before the smoke's cleared away. That's clear?"

"Yes, sir," said Freddie, with eyes wide open.

"And now as I see there's no orders to give, I'm off to my tight little
bark called The Sieve, and when I'm aboard I'll close all the shutters,
and lock up the parrot that sneezes and stutters, and wake all the
skippers, and put on my slippers, and get into bed while the mates
overhead are swabbing the decks and heaving the lead and baling the
bilge-water up with their dippers; and when they have gotten the vessel
to going, and settled all down to their knitting and sewing, and the
twenty-third mate, who is always so late, has learned what is meant by a
third and last warning, I'll turn up the gas, take a look at the glass,
and read me the Life of Old Chew until morning!----And so, sir,"
continued Mr. Mizzen, walking towards the street door, "I must give you
a view of my little stern-light, and bid you, dear sir, a very good
night."

So saying, he turned squarely towards Freddie, with one hand on the
door-knob, and with the other hand touched his cap respectfully. Freddie
saw that his trousers were very wide at the ankles and very tight at the
hips, and that he rolled a little when he walked. Having touched his cap
respectfully, he opened the door and went out, and disappeared in the
darkness outside.

Freddie stood looking after him with his mouth wide open.

CHAPTER VII

THE HANDS OF THE CLOCK COME TOGETHER

It was some minutes before Freddie recovered from his astonishment.
Certainly this was a strange