ould look at."

"But I thought there was regular food, according to a scale,"
Reuben said.

"Ay, there's that," the sailor replied, "and the government
officers see that the quantity's right; but, Lor' bless you! They
don't trouble as to quality, and some of the owners buys up
condemned stores, and such like; anything, thinks they, is good
enough for a convict ship--biscuits as is dropping to pieces, salt
junk as 'as been twenty years in cask, and which was mostly horse
to begin with. No wonder as they grumbles and growls. A convict is
a man, you see, though he be a convict; and it ain't in human
nature to eat such muck as that, without growling."

"What tonnage is the vessel?" Reuben asked.

"'Leven hundred and fifty ton, and as fine and roomy a ship as
there is in the trade, and well officered. I have made three
v'yages with the captain and first mate, and the second mate was
with us on the last v'yage."

"How many hands are there, altogether?"

"Twenty-five, counting you as one, and not a-counting the two
stewards."

"We are going to take some passengers, I see," Reuben said. "I have
been at work, putting up pegs and shelves for them."

"Yes, there's eight or ten passengers, I hears," the sailor said.
"Passengers don't mostly like going by convict ships, but then the
fares are lower than by other vessels, and that tempts a few.
Besides, the Paramatta is known to be a fast ship, and the skipper
has a good name; so we shall have a better class of passengers, I
expect, than usually voyages with convict ships; and besides the
passengers there will be the officer of the convict guard, and a
surgeon, so we shall be pretty full aft."

"And what will my duties be, when we are at sea?"

"It just depends on the captain," the sailor said. "You will be put
in a watch, and work with the others, except that they may not send
you aloft. That depends on the terms that you shipped."

"I shipped as carpenter, and to make myself generally useful, and
to obey orders. I shall be happy to do anything I can; hard work is
better than doing nothing, any day."

"That's the sort, my lad," the sailor said heartily. "Now I am sail
maker, but, bless your heart! Except putting a patch on a sail, now
and then, there's nothing to do that way; and when not so wanted I
am one of the ordinary crew. Still, if you works your passage, it
ain't to be expected as they will drive you the same as a man as is
paid. He's a fair man, is the skip