we arrived at the office, the worthy magistrate was on the point of
retiring. The clatter of the chaise driving rapidly up to the door, and
the exaggerated report of the post-boy, heralded us in with some
_eclat_. The magistrate, when he had heard it was a case of murder,
very well disguised his regret at the postponement of his dinner.

Mr Pigtop insisted upon supporting me, although I could walk very
well--quite as well as himself, considering his potations: and insisted
also upon speaking. He was one of the old school of seamen, and could
not speak out of his profession. Accordingly he was first sworn. We
will give the commencement of his deposition verbatim, as he is one of a
class that is fast disappearing from the face of the waters.

"If you please, your worship, I and my two concerts that are lying-to in
my wake, after having taken in our wood and water at Woolwich, we braced
up sharp, bound for London."

"What do you mean by your wood and water?" said the magistrate.

"Our bub and grub--Here's a magistrate for you! (aside to me)--your
worship, down to our bearings. So, as Bill here said, as how we were
working Tom Cox's traverse--your worship knows what that means, well
enough."

"Indeed, sir, I don't."

"It's the course the lawyers will take when they make sail for heaven.
I can see, in the twinkling of a purser's dip, that your worship is no
lawyer."

"This, sir, is the first time anyone has had the impertinence to tell me
so."

"Well, well, no offence, I hope, your worship?--there is no accounting
for taste, as the monkey said when he saw the cat pitch into the tar
barrel;" and then the worthy witness embarked into a very irrelevant
digression about land-sharks. The magistrate, however, was patient and
sensible, and at length overcame the great difficulty arising from his
never having been to sea, and Pigtop never having been to law.

His deposition having been translated into the vulgar tongue, out of
nautical mysticisms, was duly sworn to; yet not without an interruption
when the magistrate heard that it was supposed that I had the
pistol-ball still somewhere in my body--he wishing me to be examined by
a surgeon immediately. Mr Pigtop was opposed to this, lest I should
die upon the spot; but I gave the magistrate more satisfaction by
telling him I had good reason to suppose that the ball had not
penetrated deeply.

I was the last examined; and I almost electrified Pigtop when I deposed