and shake it well, it
generally turns out pretty fair grog. At all events its always better
than nothing. Well, to go on--but suppose we fill up again and take a
fresh departure, as this is a tolerably long yarn, and I must wet the
threads, or they may chance to break."

Our pannikins, which had been empty, were all replenished, and then old
Tom proceeded.

"It was a long while before we could pick up the liberty men, who were
reeling about every corner of the town, and quite dark before I came on
board. The first lieutenant was on deck, and had no occasion to ask me
why I waited so long, when he found they were all lying in the stern
sheets. `Where the devil could they have picked up the liquor?' said
he, and then he ordered the master-at-arms to keep them under the
half-deck till they were sober. The next morning the purser comes off,
and makes his complaint on the quarter-deck as how somebody had stolen
his liquor. The first lieutenant reports to the captain, and the
captain orders up all the men who came off tipsy.

"`Which of you took the liquor?' said he. They all swore that they had
no hand in it. `Then how did you get tipsy? Come now, Mr Short,
answer me; you came off beastly drunk--who gave you the liquor?'

"`A black fellow, sir,' replied Short; which was true enough, as the
mugs were filled by the black carpenter, and handed by him.

"Well, they all swore the same, and then the captain got into a rage,
and ordered them all to be put down on the report. The next day the
hands were turned up for punishment, and the captain said, `Now, my
lads, if you won't tell who stole the purser's grog, I will flog you all
round. I only want to flog those who committed the theft, for it is too
much to expect of seamen that they would refuse a glass of grog when
offered to them.'

"Now, Short and the others had a parley together, and they had agreed
how to act. They knew that the captain could not bear flogging, and was
a very kind-hearted man. So Bill Short steps out, and says, touching
his forelock to the captain, `If you please, sir, if all must be flogged
if nobody will peach, I think it better to tell the truth at once. It
was I who took the liquor.'

"`Very well, then,' said the captain; `strip, sir.' So Bill Short pulls
off his shirt, and is seized up. `Boatswain's mate,' said the captain,
`give him a dozen.'

"`Beg your honour's pardon,' said Jack Holmes, stepping out of the row
of men brough