shouted out aloud to the object of his
attention; "Hallo, you Lascar! leave that 'ere cask alone; d'ye hear!"

The man, a short, thick-set, black-haired, and yellow-visaged native--
who had been apparently endeavouring to unloosen the lashings of the
tarpaulin cover of one of six large hogsheads like water-casks that were
placed along the gangway of the ship and securely fastened between the
ports--started at the sound of Bill's voice; and, seeing that his eye
was fixed on him, pretended slily for a moment to be intently gazing out
seawards, and then slunk stealthily along the deck more aft to the bitts
of the mainmast, where a group of his tawny fellow-countrymen were
gathered together away from the rest of the crew--squatting on their
haunches, and gabbling away at a great rate.

"Blow them yaller imps!" said the boatswain to his companion as the
native retreated out of earshot. "I don't like 'em, for they're a
treach'rous lot, and would knife you as soon as look. Why, as you know,
Jem, they won't obey no orders, even from the cap'en, 'cept through
their own serang, or chief--ourang-outang I think'd be a better name for
him, the ugly beast! And if you was to strike one with a rope's end--if
only in lark, mind you, to make him move quicker--why, you'd be a dead
man 'fore morning, safe as houses! I shouldn't like, mate, for you and
me to be the only white men aboard with that 'ere rascal lot of Lascars
on the high seas, my hearty! We're short-handed as it is, with only
four men in each watch, barrin' Snowball the cook and the officers,
which makes us twelve white men in all, besides little Jack Harper--for
I count Snowball as one of us, although he is a niggur; and there are
twenty of them Lascars altogether and their chief. Howsomedevers, Jem,
I've spoke to the cap'en, beggin' his pardin for the liberty, an' he
told me as how he was a lookin' out and not unmindful; so, bo, it's all
right, you see."

"And you think, Bill, the skipper's goin' to bring off some more hands
like us?"

"I don't think nothin' about it, Jem Backstay. When the cap'en tells me
it's all right, I knows it's all right; and that's enough for me! Heave
an eye out to starboard, mate; ain't that a light on shore, like a
signal or something?"

"Ay, ay!" replied the other, drawing himself up to all the height of his
six feet, and stretching out his brawny arms lazily as he peered over
the bows through the hazy light, for the sun had just set