had been the guests of big-hearted English
women. As soon as they had passed outside the gate, Jimmy remarked that
"there was none of the jellyfish shake of the flipper about them folk."

The two friends walked down the principal street together, and had it
not been the prevailing opinion that sailors of that time did not
meditate either coherently or incoherently, they might by their manner
have been thought to be in deep soliloquy, whereas their silence was
merely momentary. Any one hard by could have heard a spontaneous "Well,
by George, we are in luck! What an experience!" And then in a sharp,
jerky utterance: "Why, there's Jack Rush ahead of us. Won't he get a
surprise when we tell him where we have been and how it all came
about?"

When they came up to Mr Rush he was found to be more than
half-seas-over, and commenced grinding out odds and ends of profanity
about the shabby trick that had been played on the port watch on the
occasion when the captain's grog was purloined and some people had to
be sent to bed.

"Shut up about that," responded the conscience-pricked James, in a
sudden gust of rage.

"All very well for you to say 'shut up,' but why the syntax didn't you
save some of the stuff for our watch: that's what I want to know?" said
the injured mariner, with an intoxicated air of Christian virtue.
Jimmy's friend, anticipating trouble, came to the rescue by judiciously
calling his attention from his grievance and asking where their
shipmates were, as he wanted to stand drinks and relate to him and them
the singular experience and good fortune of Jimmy and himself.
Whereupon Mr Rush became effusively obliging, and guaranteed to have
them in the midst of their friends in a few minutes. No further
reference was made to the escapade that was remembered with such
aversion, and they were soon reunited to the whole of their comrades,
who received them with the joy of reclaimed brethren. They had entered
upon the initial stages of a vigorous spree, and were cheerfully ready
to listen to Jimmy's romantic story. They were not even envious of him,
but they did resolve amid a chorus of merriment to emulate him in the
art of sampling ladies' dresses, and in the exuberance of uncontrolled
mischief some of them went forthwith on the expedition. Needless to
say the experiment was not an unqualified success. They found that
their rude pleasures were neither understood nor appreciated by the
ladies of Bristol, and I have r