"And I'm Rugsby," said the other.
"Well, good morning, Ruffin and Rugsby," said Slinger, laughing; "you are a great deal better fellows than you look — Good bye—good bye," they said; "and thank you for the compliment."
The three having breakfasted, and perambulated the town for an hour or two, bethought them to go on board the " Big Ann," and say good bye to the captain and officers, as she sailed in a few days. Weevel had all his luggage taken to the boat in which they had made arrangements to go down to the bay. They pulled alongside the vessel and hailed her, but received no answer. Hugh clambered up the side by a rope which hung over, and not seeing any person astir, he knocked at the mate's cabin door, who appeared partly shaved.
"Ah my boys! how are you?" said Mr. Moriarty, in his hearty way.—"Come down to say good bye, eh?"
"Yes" said Hugh, "Slinger and I have; but we have brought you a passenger for England. Poor Mr. Weevel has seen enough of the colony to make him quite disgusted with it: but I thought you had left the ship to take care of herself — we could'nt see a soul moving."
"Why where are my men, then?" said the mate evidently startled:—"Turn out there, forred!—turn out you lazy skulks you!" This command met with no response. The mate went to the forecastle—returned in a minute, and exclaimed, " Every mother's son of 'em gone by jingo—bolted with their kits, and here we are without a single foremast man left, and none to be got here for love or money." It was too true, all the men had deserted in the night, leaving only the black cook behind them. They had taken with them their clothes in one of the ship's boats, and probably were by this time some miles in the country and engaged at exorbitant wages.
