d off at eight bells for dinner, the
brig's spars and stays were entirely denuded of their canvas. The
Irishman had some little difficulty in persuading his satellites to go
to work again after dinner, there being a very evident tendency on the
part of all hands to take matters easily now, after their long spell at
sea; but he eventually got them out from the shadow of the bulwarks and
upon their feet again, when the boats were all lowered, the entire stock
of the brig's sails, new and old, struck into them, the spare booms
launched overboard and towed ashore; and the remainder of the day was
spent in erecting tents upon a small open patch of grass, upon the
mainland--if I may so call it--that happened to be immediately abreast
the brig. Miss Onslow and myself were thus left alone together on
board, nobody seeming to take either of us into consideration in the
making of their arrangements. There were arguments both in favour of
and against this arrangement; for instance, our cabins aboard the brig
were unpleasantly hot and stuffy in the parallels that we had now
reached, and I had no doubt that we should have found sleeping ashore in
a nice, airy tent very much more comfortable; but on the other hand, if
we were to be allowed to occupy the brig we should at least be by
ourselves, and the risk of nocturnal intrusion would be very much less;
I was therefore disposed to consider that, on the whole, matters were
more satisfactory as they were. Yet it went against the grain with me
that we should be so completely ignored, and our comfort and convenience
so completely neglected, by a crowd of graceless, unmannerly louts, and
I was casting about for some means whereby I could compel at least a
reasonable measure of consideration from them, when fortune unexpectedly
intervened to help me. It happened in this wise.

After conveying ashore the sails and spars, and erecting the tents, the
men came off to the brig again, and took ashore their chests and
belongings generally, together with an abundant supply of food, and a
still more abundant supply of liquor, with the natural result that a
regular drunken orgy occurred that night, of such a character as to
compel my gratitude that Miss Onslow was not an occupant of any portion
of that camp. As it was, I deemed it only prudent to maintain a watch
until the riot ashore had ceased, and the rioters had safely subsided
into a drunken slumber. But my companion and I had to prepare