obin sallied forth together, while Slagg and Stumps went their separate
ways, having appointed to meet again in the evening for supper.

We will follow the fortunes of Mr John Shanks. That rather vacant and
somewhat degenerate youth, having his precious bag slung from his
shoulders, and his left arm round it for further security, sauntered
forth, and began to view the town. His viewing it consisted chiefly in
looking long and steadily at the shop windows of the principal streets.
There was a slight touch of cunning, however, in his expression, for he
had rid himself, cleverly as he imagined, of his comrades, and meant to
dispose of some of the contents of his bag to the best advantage,
without letting them know the result.

In the prosecution of his deep-laid plans, Stumps attracted the
attention of a gentleman with exceedingly black eyes and hair, a hook
nose, and rather seedy garments. This gentleman followed Stumps with
great care for a considerable time, watched him attentively, seemed to
make up his mind about him, and finally ran violently against him.

"Oh! I do beg your pardon, sir. I am so sorry," he said in a slightly
foreign accent, with an expression of earnest distress on his not
over-clean countenance, "so very, very, sorry; it was a piece of orange
peel. I almost fell; but for your kind assistance I should have been
down and, perhaps, broke my legs. Thank you, sir; I do hope I have not
hurt you against the wall. Allow me to dust your sleeve."

"Oh! you've done _me_ no damage, old gen'l'man," said Stumps, rather
flattered by the man's attention and urbanity. "I'm all right; I ain't
so easy hurt. You needn't take on so."

"But I cannot help take on so," returned the seedy man, with an
irresistibly bland smile, "it is so good of you to make light of it, yet
I might almost say you saved my life, for a fall to an elderly man is
always very dangerous. Will you not allow me to give my benefactor a
drink? See, here is a shop."

Stumps chanced to be very hot and thirsty at the time; indeed he had
been meditating some such indulgence, and fell into the trap at once.
Accepting the offer with a "well, I don't mind if I do," he entered the
drinking saloon and sat down, while his new friend called for brandy and
water.

"You have come from a long voyage, I see," said the seedy man, pulling
out a small case and offering Stumps a cigar.

"How d'ee know that?" asked Stumps bluntly.

"Because I see it