m game, if you're going, skipper!" he said, staring at the
doctor.

"And you, Scudds?"

"Same as Abram," growled Abinadab--Binny we called him, for short.

"This is lucky, doctor!" I said; "for our two friends here will soon
get a good crew together. Plenty of men will be glad to join the vessel
they sail in!"

"Don't you believe him, sir!" said Abram, polishing away at his cheek.
"It's acause the skipper there, Capen Cookson's going, as they'd come!"

"Ah! Well, never mind about that," said the doctor, smiling. "So long
as I've a good crew going with me, I don't care what induces them."

"But you ain't a-going, sir?" says Abram, looking harder than ever at
our owner.

"Indeed, but I am, my man!" replied the doctor. "Why not?"

"Oh, nothing, sir!" says Abram, looking as confused as a great girl,
while he stared harder than ever at the doctor.

"Now, what on earth are you thinking about?" said the doctor, making an
effort to cross his legs, but failing, on account of the tight fit in
the chair.

"Well, sir," says Abram Bostock, slowly, "meaning no offence, I was
a-wishing I were as fat as you are!"

"Oh, lor'!" groaned Scudds. And his one eye rolled tremendously.

"My good friend," exclaimed the doctor, starting up a little way, but
subsiding again, for he had raised the chair with him, as if he had been
a hermit-crab and it was his shell,--"my good friend, I'd give five
thousand pounds to be as thin as you!"

"Hor--hor--hor--hor!" roared Scudds, bursting into a tremendous laugh.
"I say, skipper, what a wunner he'd be if we took to the boats!"

"Hush!" I exclaimed.

"What does he mean?" cried the doctor; "that I should sink the boat?"

"No," growled Scudds. "Long pork!"

"Long pork!" said the doctor.

And Abram clapped his hands over his mouth, to stay his laughter.

"Yes," growled Scudds, grinning, and showing a wonderfully white set of
teeth; "long pork--long pig--human! Don't you see? You'd keep a boat's
crew for a fortnit, if they were hard up and starvin'. Hor--hor--hor--
hor!"

"My good man," cried the doctor, shuddering, "that's a very good joke,
no doubt, and very funny, only don't make it about me again; try it on
somebody else! Such a dreadfully anthropophagistic idea!"

"Which?" growled Scudds.

"Well, then, cannibal idea," said the doctor, shuddering again.

"Lor', sir, I meant no harm," said Scudds holding out his great, heavy
paw, which the doctor shook. "I've often