e only. At last he paused before a
fine ship, the _Mississippi_; a printed placard on the wharf beside her
mentioned that the well-known and favourite clipper would sail for New
Orleans on that day. He walked on board and went up to the captain, who
was talking to the first mate, while the latter was superintending the
getting of cargo on board.

"Do you want a hand, sir?"

"Well, that depends," the captain said; "I am still two or three hands
short, but they have promised to send me them this morning. Are you a
sailor?"

"No, sir; but I can row and sail an open boat, and am ready to make
myself useful. I want to work my passage out."

"You look an active young fellow," the captain said, "but I don't care
about taking a landsman only for the voyage out; I should have to ship
another hand in your place at New Orleans, and probably have to pay more
wages there than I could get one for here. Still, likely enough, they
may send me down at the last moment two or three hands who know no more
about it than you do, and may not be half so willing to learn as I
should judge you to be. What do you say, Ephraim; shall we take him?"

"He looks a likely sort," the mate said.

"Very well then, it's agreed; you can take off your coat and fall to
work at once; I will send down word to the office that I have shipped
you." Frank stripped off his coat and waistcoat, and stowed them, with
his portmanteau, out of the way, and then set to work with a will, the
whiteness of his shirt, and his general appearance, exciting some
jeering comments among the other men at work; but the activity and
strength which he showed soon astonished and silenced them.

By one o'clock the last bale of cargo was stowed, and the hatches put
on. The landsmen who had been employed went on shore, and Frank went
forward to the forecastle, with the men, to dinner.

"Not the sort of grub you have been accustomed to, lad," one of the men
said.

"I have eaten worse," Frank said carelessly, "and don't care if I never
eat better. How long do you suppose we shall be before we get to New
Orleans?"

"It all depends upon the wind," the sailor answered, "may be a month,
may be three. Are you going to leave us there?"

"Yes," Frank said, "I am only working my passage out."

"It's a roughish place is New Orleans," the sailor said; "the sort of
place where you want to have a knife or pistol ready at hand. Lor', I
have seen some rum doings there; it's a word and a blo