they can do nothing. This vessel
has not a large cargo in her, but it is valuable. She has some thousand
yards of lace, a few hundred pounds of tea, a few bales of silk, and
about forty ankers of brandy--just as much as they can land in one boat.
All they ask is a heavy gale or a thick fog, and they trust to
themselves for success.

There is nobody on board except a boy; the crew are all up at the
cabaret, settling their little accounts of every description--for they
smuggle both ways, and every man has his own private venture. There
they are all, fifteen of them, and fine-looking fellows, too, sitting at
that long table. They are very merry, but quite sober, as they are to
sail to-night.

The captain of the vessel (whose name, by-the-bye, is the
_Happy-go-lucky_,--the captain christened her himself) is that
fine-looking young man, with dark whiskers meeting under his throat.
His name is Jack Pickersgill. You perceive at once that he is much
above a common sailor in appearance. His manners are good, he is
remarkably handsome, very clean, and rather a dandy in his dress.
Observe how very politely he takes off his hat to that Frenchman, with
whom he had just settled accounts; he beats Johnny Crapeau at his own
weapons. And then there is an air of command, a feeling of conscious
superiority, about Jack; see how he treats the landlord, _de haut en
bas_, at the same time that he is very civil. The fact is, that Jack is
of a very good, old family, and received a very excellent education; but
he was an orphan, his friends were poor, and could do but little for
him: he went out to India as a cadet, ran away, and served in a schooner
which smuggled opium into China, and then came home. He took a liking
to the employment, and is now laying up a very pretty little sum: not
that he intends to stop: no, as soon as he has enough to fit out a
vessel for himself, he intends to start again for India, and with two
cargoes of opium he will return, he trusts, with a handsome fortune, and
re-assume his family name. Such are Jack's intentions; and, as he
eventually means to reappear as a gentleman, he preserves his
gentlemanly habits: he neither drinks, nor chews, nor smokes. He keeps
his hands clean, wears rings, and sports a gold snuff-box;
notwithstanding which, Jack is one of the boldest and best of sailors,
and the men know it. He is full of fun, and as keen as a razor. Jack
has a very heavy venture this time--all the lac