f the brig. "I've got a good cook
too, for I like decent eating and drinking. He can't make what you call
side dishes and French kickshaws. But he can make turtle-soup when we
catch a turtle, and I'll back him against any cook in the British Navy
to make a good cup of coffee."

"That will do," said Brace.

"Frizzle a rasher o' bacon."

"So will that."

"And make bread cakes."

"Why, Brace, we shall be in clover," said Sir Humphrey, laughing.

"But he has his faults, sir," said the captain solemnly.

"All cooks have," said Sir Humphrey, smiling. "What is his worst?"

"His plum-duff isn't fit to give a pig."

"Is it like the one of which the passenger complained?" said Brace,
laughing.

"Eh? I dunno," said the skipper, staring. "I don't know that I ever
heard of that one. What sort of a pudding was that?"

"It must have been worse than your cook's, for the passenger said he did
not mind putting up with flies for currants, but when it came to
cockroaches for raisins he felt bound to strike."

The skipper screwed his face up till there were so many wrinkles that
there did not seem to be room for another.

"No," he said, "my cook's plum-duff was never so bad as that, squire;
but there's no knowing what may happen. If it ever does get so bad you
and me'll drop him overboard. Now then, gentlemen, like to see the
men's quarters?"

"Oh, no, captain," said Sir Humphrey; "we're quite satisfied."

"You take the rest from the sample you've seen?"

"Certainly," replied Sir Humphrey.

"Then the next thing is to get your traps on board, sir--later on, as I
said."

"Exactly. We'll go back ashore, and you can look at them, and then I
suppose we may leave it to you."

"Yes, gentlemen; I'll give orders to my first mate, and he'll have 'em
brought aboard and stored in a compartment below that I've got
partitioned off with bulkheads. There's a hatch in the deck, and a way
in as well from the cabins, so that you can get to the stores when you
like."

"What about the ammunition?"

"There's a place below communicating with the compartment by a trap,
sir. Come and see."

The captain led the way into the dark store-like place, which proved to
be eminently satisfactory, cut off as it was from the brig's hold. Soon
afterwards the brothers went ashore, congratulating themselves upon how
capitally matters had turned out; and the first face they saw upon
landing was that of the American, who was seated under