ine at five, and putting on his hat, left the cottage in company with
the strange sailor.

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX.

CAPTAIN DUNNING ASTONISHES THE STRANGER--SURPRISING NEWS, AND DESPERATE
RESOLVES.

Still keeping his hands in his pockets and the free-and-easy expression
on his countenance, the sailor swaggered through the streets of the town
with Captain Dunning at his side, until he arrived at a very dirty
little street, near the harbour, the chief characteristics of which were
noise, compound smells, and little shops with sea-stores hung out in
front. At the farther end of this street the sailor paused before a
small public-house.

"Here we are," said he; "this is the place w'ere I puts up w'en I'm
ashore--w'ich ain't often--that's a fact. After you, sir."

The captain hesitated.

"You ain't afraid, air you?" asked the sailor, in an incredulous tone.

"No, I'm not, my man; but I have an objection to enter a public-house,
unless I cannot help it. Have you had a glass this morning?"

The sailor looked puzzled, as if he did not see very clearly what the
question had to do with the captain's difficulty.

"Well, for the matter o' that, I've had three glasses this mornin'."

"Then I suppose you have no objection to try a glass of my favourite
tipple, have you?"

The man smiled, and wiping his mouth with the cuff of his jacket, as if
he expected the captain was, then and there, about to hand him a glass
of the tipple referred to, said--

"No objection wotsomediver."

"Then follow me; I'll take you to the place where _I_ put up sometimes
when I'm ashore. It's not far off."

Five minutes sufficed to transport them from the dirty little street
near the harbour to the back-parlour of the identical coffee-house in
which the captain was first introduced to the reader. Here, having
whispered something to the waiter, he proceeded to question his
companion on the mysterious business for which he had brought him there.

"Couldn't we have the tipple first?" suggested the sailor.

"It will be here directly. Have you breakfasted?"

"'Xceptin' the three glasses I told ye of--no."

Well, now, what have you to tell me about the _Termagant_? You have
already said that you are one of her crew, and that you were in the boat
that day when we had a row about the whale. What more can you tell me?

The sailor sat down on a chair, stretched out his legs quite straight,
and very wide apart, and thrust his hands, if pos