“You haven’t a cousin in New York, have you?” I asked, and I proceeded to explain, that having done my business, I had been drawn back to the harbour by all the attractions shipping has for me, and had there been accosted by the mate of a coasting-vessel bound for New York with salt fish, who was in want of hands both to load and man her.  The Water-Lily had been pointed out to me from a distance, and we might go and see her to-morrow morning if we liked.  With the prospect of living for at least a month on our slender stocking, the idea of immediate employment was very welcome, to say nothing of the attraction of further adventures.  Alister began to cheer up, and Dennis to sober down.  We wrote home, and posted our letters, after which we secured a decent sleeping-room and a good meal of broiled salmon, saffron-coloured cakes, and hot coffee, for a very reasonable sum; but, moderate as it was, it confirmed us in the conviction that we could not afford to eat the bread of idleness.

Next day we were early at the wharf.  The Water-Lily was by no means so white as she was named, and the smell of the salt fish was abominable.  But we knew we could not pick and choose when we wanted employment, and wanted to be together; and to this latter point we had nailed our colours.  With Alister and me the mate came to terms at once, but for a time he made difficulties about Dennis.  We “stowaways” had had so much dirty work to do in all weathers for the past fortnight, that we looked sailor-like enough, I dare say; and as it had honestly been our endeavour to learn all we could, and shirk nothing, and as the captain’s paper spoke well of us, I think the mate got a very good bargain—­for we were green enough to take lower wages than the customary rate on the strength of a long string of special reasons which he made us swallow.  This probably helped towards his giving in about Dennis.  The matter about Dennis was that he looked too much of the fine gentleman still, though his homespun suit had seen salt water, and was far from innocent of tar and grease, for he had turned his hand to plenty of rough work during the voyage, partly out of good-nature, and partly to learn all he could get the sailors to teach him.  However, his coaxing tongue clinched the bargain at last; indeed the mate seemed a good deal struck by the idea that he would find it “mighty convenient” to have a man on board who was a good scholar and could help him to keep the log.  So we signed articles, and went to our duty.

The Water-Lily was loaded, and we sailed in her, and we got to New York.  But of all the ill-found tubs that ever put to sea, I should think she might have taken the first prize.  We were overhauling her rotten rigging, taking off, putting on, and mending chafing gear every bit of our time, Sunday included.  The carpenter used horrible language, but for his vexation I could have forgiven him if he had expressed it more decently, for he never had a moment’s rest by day; and though a ship’s carpenter is exempt from watches and allowed to sleep at night as a rule, I doubt if he had two nights’ rest between Halifax and New York.