ich, after winking
and blinking like an owl for several moments, I succeeded in dimly
making out through the dense cloud of suffocating smoke which pervaded
the place, and which appeared to emanate from a wood fire burning on the
pavement at the far end of the hall, and from some three or four flaring
oil lamps which were suspended from nails driven into the walls between
the joints of the masonry.

It was a minute or two before any of the noisy company appeared to
notice us. At length, however, one man, rising to his feet and shading
his eyes with his hand as he looked in our direction, ejaculated:

"Who have we here? More companions in misfortune?"

Then advancing with outstretched hand he exclaimed uproariously:

"What cheer, my hearties? Welcome to Equality Hall!"

Then, as he for the first time noticed our uniforms, he muttered:

"Why, dash my old frizzly wig if they ain't navy gents!" adding in a
much more respectful tone of voice: "Beg pardon, gentlemen, I'm sure,
for my familiarity. Didn't notice at first what you was. Come forward
into the range of the light and bring yourselves to an anchor. I'm
afraid you'll find these but poor quarters, gentlemen, after what you've
been used to aboard a man-o'-war. And you'll find us a noisy lot too;
but the fact is we're just trying to make the best of things here,
trying to be as happy as we can under the circumstances, as you may say.
Here, you unmannerly lubbers," he continued, addressing a group who
were sprawling at full length on a rough wooden bench, "rouse out of
that and make room for your betters."

The men scrambled to their feet and made way for us good-naturedly
enough; and we seated ourselves on the vacated bench, feeling--at least
I may answer for myself--forlorn enough in the great dingy, dirty,
comfortless hole into which we had been so unceremoniously thrust. Our
new friend seated himself alongside Mr Southcott, and, first informing
that gentleman that the company in which we found ourselves were the
crews of sundry British merchantmen which had been captured by the
Spaniards, and that he was the ex-chief mate of a tidy little Liverpool
barque called the _Sparkling Foam_, proceeded to inquire into the
circumstances which had led to our captivity. The account of the mutiny
was received by the party, most of whom had gathered round to listen to
it, with expressions of the most profound abhorrence and indignation,
which were only cut short by