ike to live as much as man. Dey love freedom. Soar high, high up in
de sky, den swoop down, and fly along de foaming waves. Ah, if I had
wings like dem, I no peel potatoes and boil soup for ship's company!"

He looked up, as he spoke, towards the magnificent birds which ever and
anon appeared high above the ship's bulwarks, as they darted forward as
if to show at how far greater a rate they could dart through the air
than she could glide over the ocean.

"Ah, you once slave, Potto Jumbo! Fancy you flying with white wings!
Ha, ha, ha!"

This remark was made by a dark-skinned native of the East, who was
standing at the time near the caboose. He was the serang of the
Lascars, of whom we had a dozen on board. Ali Tomba was his name. He
and Potto Jumbo could not abide each other, so it seemed. His dark
countenance, with high cheek-bones and fierce eyes, was far from
prepossessing, though his figure was well-formed; his shoulders broad,
with a small waist, and muscular arms and legs, denoting great strength
and activity. His hands and feet were wonderfully small, considering
the work to which they had been put from his earliest days. He and his
men wore their Eastern dress, consisting of shirt and jacket, and a sort
of kilt formed from a circular piece of plaid, a scarf worn over the
shoulders, which served as a covering in bad weather, or could be
wrapped round the arm for a shield in battle. A red cotton
handkerchief, generally well stiffened, was their usual head-dress.
They were remarkably active fellows aloft, and few things which an
English sailor could do they would not venture to undertake. However,
neither Ali nor his men were favourites on board. They obeyed the
superior officers readily enough, but I observed that when Mr Tarbox
directed them to do anything, they did it in a sulky way. Why this was
I could not make out.--Ali stood by, bantering the cook about his
remark. Potto Jumbo had taken a liking to me. He had been on board the
ship in her former voyage, and I believe knew my history. He himself
was deserted--without friends in the world--and this gave him a fellow
feeling, as he considered that his case was similar to mine. I had an
idea, indeed, that there was more in Potto Jumbo than appeared. Though
he had a warm and quick temper, he was evidently kind-hearted I judged
it by the way he treated the animals on board. Merlin, especially, was
a favourite of his, and he took good care that