The reader may wish to know the subject of the long conversation between Jemmy Ducks and his wife.  It involved the following question.  Moggy had become very useful to Nancy Corbett, and Nancy, whose services were required at the cave, and could not well be dispensed with, had long been anxious to find some one, who, with the same general knowledge of parties, and the same discrimination, could be employed in her stead.  In Moggy she had found the person required, but Moggy would not consent without her husband was of the same party, and here lay the difficulty.  Nancy had had a reply, which was satisfactory, from Sir Robert Barclay, so far as this.  He required one or two more men, and they must be trustworthy, and able to perform the duty in the boats.  Jemmy was not very great at pulling, for his arms were too short as well as his legs, but he was a capital steersman.  All this had been explained to Nancy, who at last consented to Jemmy being added to the crew of the smuggler, and Moggy had gone off to the cutter to persuade Jemmy to desert, and to join the smugglers.

Now, as to joining the smugglers, Jemmy had not the least objection:  he was tired of the cutter, and being separated from his wife had been to him a source of great discontent; but, as Jemmy very truly observed, “If I desert from the vessel, and am ever seen again, I am certain to be known, and taken up; therefore I will not desert, I will wait till I am paid off, unless you can procure my discharge by means of your friends.”  Such had been the result of the colloquy, when interrupted by the arrival of Vanslyperken, and the case thus stood, when, on the next morning, at daylight, the cutter weighed, and steered her course for the Texel.

Chapter XXIV

In which Mr Vanslyperken has nothing but trouble from the beginning to the end.

So soon as the cutter had sailed, Moggy hastened to the pretended widow to report the answer of her husband.  Nancy considered that there was much sound judgment in what Jemmy had said, and immediately repaired to the house of the Jew, Lazarus, to whom she communicated her wishes.  At that time, there were many people high in office who secretly favoured King James, and the links of communication between such humble individuals as we are treating of, with those in power, although distant, were perfect.

In a few days, an order came down for the discharge of James Salisbury from the cutter Yungfrau, and the letter the same day was put into the hands of the delighted Moggy.

Mr Vanslyperken made his short passage to the Zuyder Zee, and anchored as usual; and when he had anchored, he proceeded to go on shore.  Previously, however, to his stepping into the boat, the ship’s company came aft, with Jemmy at their head, to know whether they might have leave on shore, as they were not very well pleased at their liberty having been stopped at Portsmouth.