hat it was all up with him.
He muttered, 'Mercy! mercy!' But poor mercy would he have met with, if I
hadn't run up just in time, and fetched the fellow a slash with my
cutlass, which made him drop the tommyhawk like a hot potato. He left
the lad, and turned round upon me, gnashing his teeth like nothing at
all with very rage, and, before I had time to wink my eye, he snatches a
loaded pistol out of my belt, and smashes my leg to shivers. Down I
dropped; but before he could finish what he had begun so cleverly, a
pistol flashed close to his head, and he staggered, and fell, never to
rise no more. When I came to my senses again, I found myself in the
sick-bay, on board my own ship. The surgeon was forced to cut off my leg
to save my life; and when we arrived at Port Royal, I was sent ashore to
the hospital, and afterwards got my discharge."

"An' what o' the--what d'ye ca' them--rats?" said old Janet.

"Oh, they were taken into Port Royal, and tried for piracy; there was
lots of evidence against them, the bloodthirsty rascals, and they were
all hanged, except three or four. And so there's an end of my yarn,
father; and a precious long one, I daresay, you think it is; and here am
I come home a poor useless cripple, to moor myself for life, if so be
you'll let me come to an anchor under your lee."

"Ay, my boy," replied the old man, clapping him kindly on the shoulder,
"as long's there's a plack to the fore in the purse, or a gowpenfu' o'
meal in the kist, ye'se aye be welcome to a share."

"True-blue for ever!" shouted Tom; "but, father, it's not come to that
yet; I'm not going to anchor without paying the harbour dues. Here,"
continued he, tossing a well-filled purse to the old man; "I haven't
been so long afloat for nothing; there's a good whack of prize-money
there, and I'll come in for a pension by and by, if I've luck."

"Keep it yersel, Tam," replied Willie; "I'm no gaun to touch a bawbee
o't. Gude be thankit! I hae aneugh an' to spare."

Finding his father firm in his refusal, Tom at last said--

"Well, well, keep it for me, if you won't keep it for yourself. It won't
keep company with me long; for, somehow, whenever I cast off the
standing part of a guinea, it devilish soon unreeves itself in quarter
less no time. Stow it away in your own lockers, and serve it out to me
now and then, when I wants baccy."

As this seemed a very rational kind of arrangement, the old man
consented to become his son's banker.