some "dam fool society".

There were, said Ah Sam, in addition to the captain and his wife,
originally twenty-five passengers, but half of them had left the ship at
various ports.

"And now," he concluded, pointing a long yellow forefinger at the
rest of the saints, "the rest of them will be coming to see you
presently--the tam teives--to see wha' they can cadge from you."

"You don't like them, Ah Sam?" observed our skipper, with a twinkle in
his eye.

Ah Sam's reply could not be put upon paper. For a Chinaman he could
swear in English most fluently. Then he bade us good-bye for the
present, said he would do all he could to help me get some "recruits,"
and invited us to dinner with him in the evening. He was a good-natured,
hospitable fellow, and we accepted the invitation with pleasure.

A few minutes after he had gone on shore the brigantine's boat came
alongside, and her captain and three of his passengers stepped on board.
He introduced himself as Captain Lynch Richards, and his friends as
Brothers So-and-So of the "Islands Brothers' Association of Christians
". They were a dull, melancholy looking lot, Richards alone showing some
mental and physical activity. Declining spirituous refreshments, they
all had tea and something to eat. Then they asked me if I would let them
have some provisions, and accept trade goods in payment.

As they had no money--except about one hundred dollars between them--I
let them have what provisions we could spare, and then accepted their
invitation to visit the _Julia_.

I went with them in their own boat--two of the saints pulling--and as
they flopped the blades of their oars into the water and I studied their
appearance, I could not but agree with Dick Warren's description--"as
dirty as Indian fakirs," for not only were their garments dirty, but
their faces looked as if they had not come into contact with soap and
water for a twelvemonth. Richards, the skipper, was a comparatively
young man, and seemed to have given some little attention to his attire,
for he was wearing a decent suit of navy blue with a clean collar and
tie.

Getting alongside we clambered on deck--there was no side ladder--and I
was taken into the cabin where Richards introduced me to his wife. She
was a pretty, fragile-looking young woman of about five and twenty years
of age, and looked so worn out and unhappy that my heart was filled with
pity. During the brief conversation we held I asked her if she an