then more swiftly, down the river, south
and west, on her way towards England--homeward-bound, as it is joyously
phrased.

A regular staunch clipper is she--the good ship _Hankow Lin_; one of the
best of the old-fashioned tea-traders that as yet spurned the modern
innovation of the Suez Canal, and despised, in the majesty of their
spreading canvas, the despicable agency of steam! A sound, teak-built,
staunch, ship-rigged vessel of 1200 tons register, and classed A1 at
Lloyd's for an indefinite number of years.

Captain Morton--a bluff old sea-dog, with a jovial red face, and crisp,
wiry grey hair, and mutton-chop whiskers that projected on either side
as if electrified--was standing on the poop to windward, with the first
mate, Mr Scuppers, and the passenger, "Mr Meredith," looking up aloft
at the nimble topmen, who were adding acre to acre to the sail-surface
of the ship, and pluming her snowy pinions with a pull here and a shake
there. Mr Sprott, the second mate, was to leeward of the helmsman; the
boatswain on the forecastle, monarch of all he surveyed in that
department; and little Jack Harper, the middy--a special favourite both
with the officers and sailors--looking on amidships at the gang of
Malays, who were hauling away at halliards, and slackening sheets, and
curling ropes, in a more slipshod and leisurely way than regular jack
tars are wont.

Jack Harper called out to the serang Kifong to make him rouse up his
men, but he was nowhere to be seen. Presently, he perceived him bending
over the side amidships, partly concealed by the shrouds, and apparently
talking to some one overboard. Wondering what was up, Jack cautiously
approached him without being observed, and peered over the side too.
His face brightened up with excitement as he heard the sounds of men's
voices speaking in Chinese rapidly, and then he listened with rapt
attention for a minute. Only for a minute, however, as the serang,
turning rapidly round, saw him, and, calling out something which he
could not catch, a sampan, or native boat, quickly sheered off from the
vessel, and, impelled by two rowers, darted off shore wards; the serang,
with a look of unconsciousness at Jack, sauntering back to his gang, as
if he were only doing the most natural thing in the world.

The captain perceived the sampan the moment it left the ship's side, and
hailed Jack.

"Hullo! What was that boat doing alongside?"

"Can't say, sir," said Jack, touching