“My God! don’t talk of it, Shorts.  I cannot bear to think of it even now.  But how did you pick her up?”

“At the docks,” said John Shorts.  “She came to look for us, and I took on with her and got married.”

“You must have had a strong belief in her.”

“Yes; and so would you if you knew her as I do.  I’d trust my money, and my life, and everything with her.  D’ye see that waggon of mats and baskets?  That’s her department; started on her own ’ook.  My word, she’s a daisy.”

“Well, Shorty, I’m delighted to see you.  And now I must be going.  You seem quite happy.”

“Happy,” said the boatswain, “that’s not a name for it.  It’s ’eaven on earth this ’ere thing,” looking and pointing at his wife.  Breaking off quickly, he said, “’Ave ye ever heard from Chili, Jim?”

“Oh yes,” said he; “I had a letter only the other day from Dutchy.  The old owner died, and left all his money to his two daughters and Dutchy, who married the eldest.”

“That’s a bit thick, isn’t it, Jim—­for that fat Dutchman to go wandering about the Spanish Main doin’ all sorts of things, and then fall on his feet like this?”

“Well,” said Jim, “you have fallen on your feet, so you say; and I’m sure I have.”

“That’s right,” said Shorts.  “I wasn’t thinken’ that the wife was standin’ by.”

The lady quietly smiled, shook hands with her husband’s late chum, and walked off towards her caravan.  Captain Leigh endeavoured to draw Shorty to tell him about his wife, but the old sailor evaded all his questions.

“Well,” said Leigh, “this has been a joyful meeting to me, and if we never met again, God bless you!”

“The same to you, Jim,” said Shorts.  “Good-bye, old chap.”

The two men never did meet again.  James Leigh is now a prosperous merchant, and may be seen any day in a smart-cut “frocker” and silk hat, having his lunch at a bar, surrounded with kindred spirits, telling his wonderful tales—­some truthful, others well padded, but all interesting.

FOOTNOTES: 

[Footnote 3:  It may be said in passing that America at that period, and for some years later, supplied Great Britain and other nations with the finest and fastest ships afloat, large and small.  The Americans have always had a reputation of doing things on a large scale.  Unmistakably their vessels were bad to beat.  Their crews were well paid and well fed.  They had the best cooks and stewards in the world; but the inadequacy of their manning, and the cruel treatment of the poor wretches who composed the crew, was a national disgrace.  An American vessel with a mediocre crew aboard was nothing short of a hell afloat, and even with an average lot of men it was little better, unless they had the courage and the capacity to straighten the officers out, which was sometimes done with salutary effect.]