aid I wouldn't take you."

"Yes, father."

"And now I'm obliged to: for I can't put back."

"Going to take me to China?" cried Mark.

"Yes, unless I put in at Lisbon, and send you home from there, and
that's not worth while."

"Father!"

"What! are you so much better as that? Here, what are you going to do?"

"Get up directly, father, and see the coast of Spain."

CHAPTER EIGHT.

HOW CAPTAIN JACK CAME ON DECK.

"Yes, my lad, you've had a narrow squeak for it," said the first-mate,
shaking hands. "You're in for it now."

He patted Mark's shoulder as he stood gazing over the port bulwark at a
dim blue line.

"I couldn't get to you more, Mark, my lad," said the second-mate, "but
you'll be all right now. We've had a rough time."

"And to think of you coming all the way with us after all!" said the
boatswain in a pleasant growl. "Here, I'm going to make a sailor o'
you."

Mark was alone soon after, when Billy Widgeon came up smiling to say a
few friendly words, and directly after a thin pale sailor came edging
along the bulwarks to say feebly:

"I see you've been very bad too, sir. I thought once we should have
been all drowned."

Mark had an instinctive dislike to this man, he could not tell why, and
as he felt this he was at the same time angry with himself, for it
seemed unjust.

The man noted it, and sighed as he went away, and even this sigh
troubled its hearer, for he could not make out whether it was genuine or
uttered to excite sympathy.

There was some excuse, for Mr David Jimpny's personal appearance was
not much improved by the composite sailor suit he wore. His trousers
were an old pair of the captain's, and his jacket had been routed out by
the boatswain, both officers being about as opposite in physique to the
stowaway as could well be imagined. In fact, as Mark Strong saw him
going forward he could not help thinking that the poor fellow looked
better in his shore-going rags.

Then his manner of coming on board had not been of a kind to produce a
favourable impression.

"I can't help it," said Mark aloud. "I don't want to jump upon the poor
fellow, but how can we take to him when even one's dog looks at him
suspiciously."

"I shouldn't set up my dog as a model to go by if I were you," said a
voice at his elbow; and turning suddenly, with his face flushing, Mark
found that the second-mate was at his elbow.

"I didn't know that I was thinking aloud," said Mark.

"But y