would soon find out that ye’re only a jack-tar before the mast, and would chate ye at no allowance; but if ye could spake no language under the sun but the gibberish pecooliar to the unbeknown provinces o’ Siberia, ye could escape detection as far as yer voice is consarned; and by lettin’ yer beard grow as long as possible, and dressin’ yersilf properly, ye might pass, and be as dignified as the great Mogul.’

“‘Musha!’ said I, ’but if I don’t spake me own tongue I’ll have to be dumb altogither.’

“‘No fear,’ says he; ’I’ll tache ye enough Portuguese in a month or two to begin with, an’ ye’ll pick it up aisy after that.’  And sure enough I began, tooth and nail, and, by hard workin’, got on faster than I expected; for I can spake as much o’ the lingo now as tides me over needcessities, and I understand most o’ what’s said to me.  Anyhow, I ginerally see what they’re drivin’ at.”

“So, then, you’re actually in charge of the mine?” said Martin, in surprise.

“Jist so, boy; but I’m tired of it already; it’s by no means so pleasant as I expected it would be; so I’m thinkin’ o’ lavin’ it, and takin’ to the say again.  I’m longin’ dreadful to see the salt wather wance more.”

“But what will the owner say, Barney:  won’t he have cause to complain of your breaking your engagement?”

“Niver a bit, boy.  He tould me, before we parted, that if I wanted to quit I was to hand over the consarn to the interpreter, who is an honest fellow, I belave; so I’m jist goin’ to pocket a di’mond or two, and ask lave to take them home wid me.  I’ll be off in a week, if all goes well.  An’ now, Martin, fill yer glass; ye’ll find the wine is not bad, after wan or two glasses; an’ I’ll tell ye about my adventures since I saw ye last.”

“But you have not explained about your name,” said Martin.

“Och! the fact is, that when I corned here I fortunately fell in with the owner first, and we spoke almost intirely in Irish, so nobody understood where I corned from; and the interpreter hear’d the master call me by my name; so he wint off and said to the people that a great Barono Flanagoni had come, and was up at the house wid the master.  But we corrected him afterward, and gave him to understand that I was the Baron Fagoni.  I had some trouble with the people at first, after the owner left; but I pounded wan or two o’ the biggest o’ them, to such a extint that their own friends hardly knew them; an’ iver since they’ve been mighty civil.”

Having carefully filled the black pipe, and involved himself in his own favourite atmosphere, the Baron Fagoni then proceeded to relate his adventures, and dilated upon them to such an extent that five or six pipes were filled and finished ere the story came to a close.  Martin also related his adventures; to which his companion listened with such breathless attention and earnestness that his pipe was constantly going-out; and the two friends did not retire to rest till near daybreak.