down. They closed, two trunks
were grappled, let go, deposited, and before the next wave swung them
alongside again, Spivin and Zulu were glaring up--ready for more--while
Joe and Gunter were gazing down--ready to deliver.

When the boat was loaded the painter was cast off and she dropped
astern. The oars were shipped, and they made for the steamer. From the
low deck of the smack they could be seen, now pictured against the sky
on a wave's crest, and then lost to view altogether for a few seconds in
the watery valley beyond.

By that time quite a crowd of little boats had reached the steamer, and
were holding on to her, while their respective smacks lay-to close by,
or sailed slowly round the carrier, so that recognitions, salutations,
and friendly chaff were going on all round--the confusion of masts, and
sails, and voices ever increasing as the outlying portions of the fleet
came scudding in to the rendezvous.

"There goes the _Boy Jim_," said Luke Trevor, pointing towards a smart
craft that was going swiftly past them.

"Who's the _Boy Jim_?" growled Gunter, whose temper, at no time a good
one, had been much damaged by the blows he had received in the fall of
the previous night.

"He's nobody--it's the name o' that smack," answered Luke.

"An' her master, John Johnston, is one o' my best friends," said Billy,
raising his fist on high in salutation. "What cheer, John! what cheer,
my hearty!"

The master of the _Boy Jim_ was seen to raise his hand in reply to the
salutation, and his voice came strong and cheerily over the sea, but he
was too far off to be heard distinctly, so Billy raised his hand again
by way of saying, "All right, my boy!"

At the same time a hail was heard at the other side of the vessel. The
crew turned round and crossed the deck.

"It's our namesake--or nearly so--the _Morning Star_," said Trevor to
Gunter, for the latter being a new hand knew little of the names of
either smacks or masters.

"Is her skipper a friend o' yours too?" asked Gunter of Billy.

"Yes, Bowers _is_ a friend o' mine--an' a first-rate fellow too; which
is more than you will ever be," retorted Billy, again stretching up the
ready arm and hand. "What cheer, Joseph, what cheer!"

"What cheer! Billy--why, I didn't know you, you've grow'd so much,"
shouted the master of the _Morning Star_, whose middle-sized, but broad
and powerful frame was surmounted by a massive countenance, with good
humour in the twink