g hard at Duff. "Well, Jemmy, I'll let you off your bet--but you
will see that I am right."

Signor Paolo Muhajiar took his leave, for he was not likely to get any
orders, at all events, to be paid, if he executed them; and the berth
was soon cleared of its rightful occupants--some to go on shore, others
to their duties, and the rest to see what was going forward in the
harbour.

The scene there was amusing. There were boats of all sorts and
descriptions alongside; but there is one peculiarity of which Valetta
may boast, to the disadvantage of nearly all other ports. The boats
intended for the conveyance of passengers are kept in good order, and
beautifully clean; and the boatmen belonging to them are also very
careful to dress neatly--their linen always looking as white as snow.
Some of the boats alongside had goats on board, and the aquatic
goat-herds were offering to milk them to supply milk for the officers'
tea. It is not a bad way to secure pure milk.

The three mids of the _Ione_--Jack Raby, Duff, and Togle--were on the
poop leaning over the quarter-rail, and amusing themselves by discussing
affairs in general, and watching the panorama round them, when a boat
with two thin, slight lads pulled out of the dockyard creek.

"He for dive, signor," sung out one of them, looking up at our mids.

"He says he'll bet you he'll dive to the bottom and be back again sooner
than you will, Togle. So overboard with you, and show him he's wrong,"
said Duff, trying to heave over his messmate.

"He says he'll bring up a shilling if you heave it overboard," answered
Togle, retaliating by seizing the first coin he could lay hands on out
of Master Jemmy's waistcoat pocket--it was fortunately only
half-a-crown. "There, Smaitch, it's too much for one of you though, so
both of you be after it."

And holding it up to show, before Duff could snatch at it, it was
glancing through the clear water of the harbour. Over went both the
lads after it, eager to appropriate so rich a prize, and it is to be
feared, had they had knives, they would have fought for it under the
waves, and have neither of them returned. Luckily Duff, as he could not
save his own coin, had managed to seize a shilling from Togle, which
served to attract the attention of the one who was furthest from the
great prize, and both of them came up to the surface an instant
afterwards, with the pieces of money in their hands.

"Me for dive, signor--me for dive,"