s pistols, and fire them right and left in the
air, so that we cut and run a deal faster than we came. Of course the
report soon got about that Captain Goss was an old pirate, or at the
best an old bucaneer; and the Barking folks used to tell how many
crews he had made walk the plank, and how there was blood-marks on his
hands, which he used to try to cover with tar. But no one dared to say
a word of this to him; and as he was a prime sailor, and even kind
after his fashion, when he had taken first a reg'lar quantity of his
five-water grog, he never wanted hands. At sea, he was often wild
enough with liquor; but he no sooner put his hand on the tiller, than
he seemed all right: and the _Lively Nan_ walked through it like
smoke. I'm jiggered, mates, if that old fellow couldn't sail a ship
asleep or awake, drunk or sober, dead or alive.

Well, then, such was my old captain, Bobby Goss; and now I'll tell you
what happened to him. One evening, in the autumn-time, and just when
we were beginning to look out for the equinoctials, the _Lively Nan_
was lying with her anchor a-peak--for we didn't mean to stay long--in
Yarmouth Roads. There were three men on board, and one boy with
myself; they called him Lawrence. I forget his other name, for I aint
seen him for many a year. Well, the men had all turned in for'ards,
and we two were left to wait for the captain, who had gone ashore; and
after he came back, to take our spells at an anchor-watch till
daylight, when we were to trip, and be off to the Dogger. The weather
was near a dead calm, and warm for the time of year. The _Lively Nan_
was lying with her gaff hoisted half-way and the peak settled down, so
that we mightn't lose any time in setting the sail in the morning; and
Lawrence and I were lying in the fo'castle, with our pipes in our
mouths, watching the shore, to see if the captain was coming off, and
seeing the sun go down over the sand-hills and the steeples and the
wind-mills of Yarmouth. There weren't many vessels in the Roads; but
the Yarmouth galleys, that go dodging about among the sands, were
stretching in for the beach with the last puff of the evening breeze;
and the herring-boats could be seen going off to their ground like
specks out upon the sea. Then presently it got dark, and the
town-lights of Yarmouth came sparkling out, the harbour-light the
biggest, and away to the south'ard, the Lowstofft Light-house. But,
after all, there aint much amusement in watchin