there be any difficulty in getting men?" asked Fritz.

"No, I reckon not, mister," replied the skipper, with a huge guffaw at
his ignorance. "Why, the crimpers would send 'em to me in shoals, fur
Job Brown is as well-known in Providence as Queen Victoria is in
England, God bless her fur a good woman, too! The diff'culty lies in
pickin' out the good ones thet air worth their salt from the green
hands, as ain't up to a kid of lobscouse fur all the work they ken do
aboard a shep!"

"Well, I hope you'll get the men you want," said Fritz cordially.

"Nary a doubt 'bout thet," answered the other, slewing round and
trotting across the wharf to a line of warehouses and merchants' offices
on the other side. "I'm just a-goin' to my agents now; an' I ken tell
you, fur a fact, thet Job Brown is never licked, no, sir, not when he
makes up his mind to anythin'!"

In the evening of the same day he astonished Fritz somewhat.

"Who d'ye think wished fur to sign articles with me to-day fur the
v'y'ge?" said he, after he mentioned that he had shipped his crew and
that the _Pilot's Bride_ would haul out into the stream the next
morning, preparatory to starting off altogether on the following day.

"I'm sure I can't say," replied Fritz.

"Who but our old friend Nat Slater!" said the skipper with a broad grin.
"I guess Nathaniel Washington hez come down in the world ag'in, fur all
his tall talkin' about what he wer goin' to do to help you, hey?"

"Have you taken him on?" asked Fritz, somewhat dubious about the
pleasure which the society of the whilom "deck hand" of the steamboat
would afford him when the two of them should be cooped together on board
the same vessel for any length of time, especially after the way in
which that individual had behaved to him.

"Yes, I let him jine," answered the skipper. "I couldn't do else,
considerin' the poor cuss wer so down on his luck as to ask me; 'sides,
mister, I knewed him afore he went to the bad; an' if he du come with
me, it'll do him good in one way. He'll never get none o' thet infarnal
drink till he comes back ag'in to Providence, fur I never allows a drop
o' pizen in any craft I sails from the time we leaves port till we casts
anchor ag'in!"

"I'm glad to hear that," said Fritz. "There's mischief enough done with
it on land without taking it to sea."

"Right you air, mister," rejoined the other; "but, mind you, I don't ask
my men to do what I don't do myself. This old hoss