re," he said, when he had done; "want to write too?"

I shook my head.

"Better," he said. "Mayn't have another chance to write home for
mouths."

"I have no home," I said sadly, "and no one to whom I could write."

He clapped me on the shoulder, and looked down at me searchingly as I
thought.

"Never mind, lad; you are going to make a home and friends too. Some
day you may have more friends to write to than you want."

I walked away to the window, to stand looking out at the shipping,
wondering how long Esau would be, and what the article was that had
taken his fancy, till all of a sudden the idea came to me that it must
be a revolver.

"Do you know what your young mate has gone to buy?" said Mr Gunson just
then, but I avowed my ignorance. "I hope he will not be very long,
because we may as well be getting on board and settling down. Our
chests are all right. The captain told me that they were right down in
the hold, and well above the chance of getting any bilge water upon
them."

He went to the window I had just left.

"Looks like fine weather," he said, "with perhaps a little wind. You
must try and be a better sailor this time."

The last look round was given, the bill paid, and as we waited, I
congratulated myself upon the fact that we were going to escape without
another encounter with the loafers, for I felt sure they had been
watching for us, so as to pick a quarrel. But the time glided on, and
Esau did not return.

Gunson got up and went to the door twice, coming back each time with a
very severe look on his countenance, as I saw at a glance, for I avoided
his eyes, feeling, as I did, unwilling to meet some angry outburst, and
hoping every moment to have an end put to a very unpleasant state of
affairs.

Over and over again I started at some impatient movement on the part of
Gunson; but he did not speak, contenting himself with walking
impatiently up and down like some animal in a cage.

"Have you no idea what Dean has gone to buy?" he said at last.

"Not the least, unless he has fancied that he would like a revolver."

"Absurd!" cried Gunson; and there was another pause, during which I
listened to every passing step, hoping against hope that it might be
Esau.

My position was growing more and more painful, and at last I could bear
it no longer.

"What is it? What are you going to do?" said Gunson, as I suddenly
jumped up.

"Look for Esau," I said.

"Sit still, boy. What do y