ntly, as though his
potations of whiskey were still in full effect upon him. "If you come
from that way, have you seen anything of my four men that deserted the
schooner?"

"I wasn't lookin' for 'em; didn't know ye'd lost some men," replied
Christy, staring with his mouth half open at the orator. "Was one on
'em the mate?"

"Yes!" exclaimed the captain eagerly.

"Well, I hain't seen nothin' on em," added Christy in a mumbling tone.

"I'll bet you have!" protested the skipper of the West Wind. "How'd you
know one on 'em was the mate if you didn't see 'em?"

"I didn't know one on 'em was the mate; I only axed yer so's ter know."

"I reckon you know sunthin about my men," persisted the captain; and by
this time the attention of all the party had been directed to him.

"I don't know nothin' about yer men, and I hain't been interduced to
'em. If you want to ship a new crew, I'm ready to jine with yer."

"One man ain't enough," added the skipper.

"Some o' these men'll jine too, I reckon," suggested Christy, who
had proceeded in this manner in order to attract the attention of the
disconsolate master of the West Wind.

"I don't reckon they can ship, 'cause most on 'em belongs to the
Tallahatchie, and they can't leave."

"That's so," shouted several of the group, including some of the crew of
the Bellevite.

"What's the Talla-what-you-call-her?" demanded Christy.

"She's the steamer you can see when the fog lifts," answered Captain
Sullendine. "The Tallahatchie is her name. Are you a sailor, my lively
lad?"

"I reckon I know the bobstay from the mainmast."

"You know sumthin about my mate and men, my jolly tar, and I'll give you
five dollars apiece for any news on 'em that will help me to ketch 'em;
and I'll ship you into the bargain, for I want more hands," the captain
proceeded in a more business-like manner, though at the expense of his
oratory.

Just at this moment three short and sharp whistles sounded from off the
shore, and about half of the skipper's audience turned upon their heels
and walked down to the water, where they embarked in a boat. They were
evidently members of the ship's company of the Tallahatchie, on shore on
leave, and the whistles were the signal for their return. The remainder
of the group, with two or three exceptions, were the seamen of the
blockader.

"Where'd you come from, my hearty?" demanded the captain of the
schooner, turning to Christy again.

"I was tooken in a block