something in rice-paper.

"You likee bit piecee flesh meat?"

"What is it?" I said, looking hard at the rather tempting brown meat
with its white fat.

"Velly nice," he said. "Got pep' salt. Velly good."

"Yes," I said; "but is it good? I mean something I should like to eat?"

"Yes; loast lit' piggee; velly nice."

He was quite right--it was; and after I had finished I went forward to
see if I could get something to drink. Jecks was inspecting the big
earthen vessel with a tin baler, and I appealed to him.

"How is the water?" I said.

"Well, sir, yer can't say quite well thankye, 'cause it arn't right
colour yet, and it's got a sort o' fishing-boat flavour in it, as puts
yer in mind o' Yarmouth market at herring time, but it ain't so
pea-soupy as it were, and it might be worse. Try a tot, sir?"

"Yes," I said; "I'm so thirsty, I must have a drop."

He dipped the baler in carefully, and brought it out dripping.

"Has anybody else drunk any?" I said.

"Oh yes, sir, all on us; and I says to you as I says to them, you shut
your eyes, sir, and think you've been eating bloaters, or codfish, or
fried sole. Then tip it down quick, and you'll says it's lovely."

"Ugh!" I ejaculated, as I looked down into the baler, "why, it looks
like a dose of rhubarb."

"Well, it do, sir, a little; but you're a spyling of it a deal by
looking at it first. You shut your eyes, sir, as I said; me and my
mates thought as it's good strong water with a deal o' what some people
calls nootriment in it."

"None for me, thank you," I said, handing back the tin.

"Bring me some water, Mr Herrick, when you've done," said Mr Brooke
from where he sat holding the tiller.

"Yes, sir," I said; and, holding the baler to my lips, I took a hearty,
hasty draught, for it was cool and refreshing to my dry mouth and
throat, and, that done, I refilled the baler and took it aft.

"Humph! rather muddy, Herrick," said Mr Brooke, smiling; "but one can't
carry a filter about at a time like this."

He tossed off the water without hesitation, gave one of the men the tin
to take back, and then altered the course of the boat a little, so as to
hug the shore.

"We must not let the pirates suspect that we are following," he said.

"What are we going to do, Mr Brooke?" I said.

"You should never question your commanding-officer about his strategy,"
he replied, with a smile; and I was about to apologise, but he went on,
"There's only one thi