Edward Barry / South Sea Pearler

rly gale had been blowing, rattling and shaking the windows of the houses in the higher and more exposed portions of the t

l rigs and sizes, from the lordly Black Ball liner of a thousand tons to the small fore and aft coasting schooner of less than fifty. Among them all there was but one steamer, a handsome brig-rigged, black-painted and black-funnelled craft of fifteen hundred tons, flying the house flag of the Peninsular and Oriental Company

ge was looking, pipe in mouth, at the mail boat and the sailing vessels lying in the stream. There were four in all-the steamer, an American whaling barque, a small brig

rned away and walked along the wharf till he reached the side of a warehouse, the lee of which wa

arry, my boy, the funds won't run it. But that brig is my fancy. She's all ready for sea-all her boats up with the gripes lashed, and the Custom House fellow doing his dog-trot unde

pipe and began to smoke placidly, scanning with a seama

f stringers, fishing, had been driven away by the inclemency of the weather, or were gathered in small parties in the bars of the numerous public-houses near by. Now and then a seaman would be seen either returning

drew near to the man who was sitting down he gave him a quick but apparently careless glance-a wharf policeman has a natural distrust of a man who keeps hanging about the stores and warehouses, doing nothing, or standing

he official, as he leant against the wal

r, "and it's getting dirtier sti

until midnight, and this beat here is none t

y as soon as I can; but I'm waiting here to see if I can ge

terman here, and none of her boats will come ashore-I can tell you that much for certain. The captain

ing gone wr

r it. The captain and mate are holy terrors-regular brutes, I'm told. Six of the hands swam asho

ant a ship pretty

t, young fellow, take my advic

to get a ship-that is, the sort of ship I want. I've bee

s captain coming down the wharf before it gets dark. He's a little, dark-

oliceman's good-natured nod and watched him s

t once recognized as the captain of the brig-the four who followed at his heels were common seamen by their dress, and ruffians of the first wat

he wall, Barry stood in the centre of th

ter of the brig gave him a swift, searching glance from head to feet

it for me." His voice was clear and sharp, but not unpleasant. The four men shuf

than such things as those," and he nodded contemptuously at the figures of the four seam

fore the mast," wa

or second mate

; bo

t sh

a, brig, o

ed to the Isla

tty

hip as mate o

sorry figure on such a smart-looking brig as yours when I haven't even a donkey's breakfast[1] to bring aboard if I sh

anner-as he looked at Barry's bronzed face and tall, square-built figure. H

ve now is seriously ill and cannot live more than

"I told you, sir, that I have no

ant right off if I adva

hree if you have a

e from a needle to an anchor aboard; but at the same time, although you can get what you want in the way of cloth

es

late. But I rely on you to be here on this wharf not later than midnight. My mate, whose place you will take, is very ill, my crew are a troublesome

o not want all this," and he gave back one of the bank notes. "I

, sir; keep it-we sail early on Monday morning,

no doubt I can find use for it."

sant smile as he buttoned up his overcoat. "Ha, there is my boat, and I must take

ut towards the waiting boat, and left his new chief off

nautical expression for a