he waur o'."

After the sailor had done his devoirs at the supper-table, the whole
party drew round the fire, and the old man, lighting his "cutty," said--

"Noo, Tam, tell us a' aboot what ye've been doin, an' hoo ye cam to lose
yer leg."

"It's a terrible long yarn, father, and I'm afeared ye'll be glad to
sing out Avast! before I've spun it out; besides, you'll not understand
my sea lingo."

"Nae fear o' that," replied he; "ye ken I was ance a bit o' a sailor
mysel. We could see the Solway frae the hoose I hired at when I was a
callan."

"But, eh, Tam, my man," said old Janet, "ye talk English as weel's the
grand folk doon by."

"Ay, ay, mother; leave me alone for that. My messmates used to say as
how I ought to have been a Methodist preacher, seein I knowed so well
how to tip them the dictionary."

"Hear till him!" said the delighted mother, holding up her hands in
admiration.

"But, howsomdever, they haven't made me proud on't, you see, with all
their blarney. But I must carry on, or my yarn'll reach from this to the
end of next week. It's now six years since I got a berth on board one o'
them Newcastle colliers, and a jolly time we had on't; for, though we'd
lashing to do, and no want of wet jackets, there was always a full
bread-bag, and swipes and grub at no allowance. They're the craft to
teach a man his duty! Well, I'd been in that trade about a year, when I
goes ashore one day with the mate at Wapping; and, while we were sitting
comfortably swigging our grog, the landlord comes rushing in, and, says
he, 'My lads, you must brush; there's the pressgang a-coming.' Hearing
that, the mate and I bolted out of the door, and ran for it; but they
twigged us, and gave chase. They nabbed the mate in less nor no time;
but I cracked on a press o' sail, and was dropping them astern fast,
when, as I was looking back at them over my shoulder, I ran stem on to
an old fishwife. My eyes, what a crash! I sends her and her sprats
a-swimming in the gutter, and I falls as flat as a flounder on the
pavement, spouting out blood from my nose, like a whale. Well, to cut a
long yarn short, we were taken on board the tender, and afterwards
drafted into the Fire-eater frigate, which was stationed on the north
coast of Ireland. I was very well off on board the frigate. 'Sharp' was
the word, to be sure, and the cat often wagged her tail; but then, as
long as a man was smart and willing, he'd never no 'casion to be
afeared: there