714- NIGHTS IN THE GALLKY. 



and he began to bustle about, calling all hands aft to muster on the 

 quarter-deck ; aft they came, six men and a boy. * What is this all 

 you've got, 4 old 'gentleman ?' ' Every one, I assure you, Sir; only just 

 enough to work her home, I hope you won't take any away, Sir.' 

 ' Why, perhaps not/ says Watts, I'll consider about it ; and while 

 I'm thinking about it, Short/ says he, to my father, ' do you take 

 four men with you and go down in the hold, and see if this good gen- 

 tleman hasn't made a mistake in the number of his ship's company. 

 Perhaps some men you know, my old friend/ said he, turning to 

 the skipper, ' might have been down in the hold when you called 

 them up to muster, and didn't hear you ; go and see, Short/ he says. 

 My father was just going with four men to search, when the skipper, 

 who saw it was no use, that he was found, and couldn't hide his men any 

 longer, said, * you are a very young man, Sir, but I suspect you are 

 an old man-of-war's man, for I see you are up to all our manoeuvres. 

 I'll save you the trouble of searching the ship, and I hope you'll let 

 us off easily for my telling you there are six more men stowed away 

 in my cabin ; I'll go and call them up / so away he went, and brought 

 up six fine fellows. ' Oh, oh !' says Watts, ' I see you are a cunning 

 feller, you kept the six best men for yourself. Well, well/ said he, 

 t you were quite right to try it; every body for himself and God for 

 us all, is the general maxim ; so in pursuance of that same maxim 

 that you have taught me, I shall take these six men with me, and 

 leave you the other six.' The skipper growled a little at this, you 

 may be sure, but Watts wasn't to be done. ' Come jump into the 

 boat, my lads/ says he ; 'I'll treat you well you may depend upon it, 

 give you lots of fighting, lots of grog, and lots of ^prize-money.' 

 Away they went and soon got on board the schooner, hauled to the 

 wind, to back and fill about there, and look for more merchant ships 

 to complete their complement ; just after they had made sail, coiled 

 the ropes down, and were standing watching the brig, who was going 

 fast away from them, the new men began talking on the gangway 

 ' Damn it/ said they, ' I'm almost glad I've left the brig, the skipper 

 was a d d beast and has stopt my grog twice for nothing ; I'm a 

 great mind to go aft and tell our skipper of something he'd like to 

 know.' ' So am I/ said another, ' he treated me badly enough.' 

 ' What the devil are you going to tell/ says my father, < that your 

 skipper stopped your grog ; if that's all you've got to tell, you may as 

 well keep it to yourselves, for our skipper won't care a d n about 

 that.' 'No, no, that's not it, something he'd like to know ; shall we 

 tell him, Jack ?' said he, turning to one of his old shipmates. ' Ay, 

 lad, why not, d n our old skipper, say I; lets go aft at once or it 

 will be too late, the brig is making off fast; and look at the old rogue, 

 he's setting royals and crowding all sail to get out of the way.' 

 ' Well, come along then.' So aft they all went to Watts, who was 

 walking the quarter-deck. ' Well, what do you all want, my men?' 

 said he. ' Why, please Sir/ says one of the fellows, taking off his hat, 

 'that brig has got a French pass, it's concealed in the sole of the 

 captain's ' ' A French pass/ says he ; 'hurrah then, she's a prize; 

 quick lads, turn the hands up; wear ship smartly,my lads; fire a gun for 

 her to heave to ;' they did, and were soon alongside. ' Now, Short,' 



