crews of
vessels, fitted out at Liverpool, assisting slavers on the coast of
Africa in carrying out their nefarious trade, some committing all sorts
of atrocities.

Should the "Emu" prove to be one of these, even if I were not hove
overboard, I might be sold as a slave in the Spanish possessions,
perhaps to labour in the mines among the hapless Indians, who are thus
employed by their cruel taskmasters. "Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis
folly to be wise," and I should have been much less anxious had I not
heard so much about such things. I remembered especially a yarn old
Riddle told me one day about a messmate of his, Toney Lawson. I may as
well try to give the yarn in his own words, though that may be a hard
matter, and I can scarcely hope to do full justice to his narrative.

"Toney, d'ye see, was once on a time knocking about Plymouth, after he
had been paid off from the ship he last sailed in, when who should he
meet but Joe Gubbins, who had served with him for many years gone by.
Joe had always been a wild slip of a fellow when he was a youngster.

"Said Joe to Toney, `What are you doing in these 'ere parts, old Ship?'

"Toney told him how he had been paid off and had pretty well emptied his
pockets of shiners, and was thinking that before long he must join
another craft.

"`That's just what I was a thinking of too, so just step in here, mate,
and we'll have a talk about the matter over a glass or two,' and he
pointed to the door of a public-house which stood temptingly open to
entice passers-by.

"Toney was not one of those chaps to get drunk on every occasion, but he
had no objection to good liquor when it came in his way. So, intending
to pay for what he had, he went in with Joe. Joe boasted of a craft he
had served aboard--a privateer, he called her. She had taken no end of
prizes, and had made every one on board her as rich as Jews, only
somehow or other they didn't keep their money as well as Jews did, `and
that's the reason why my pockets ain't lined as well as they were a few
weeks ago,' observed Joe. Toney, who was a steady sort of a man, didn't
quite like the account Joe gave of the `Viper's' cruise Joe was talking
about.

"`Why, to my mind, she's no better than a bloodthirsty pirate,' he said.

"Joe laughed. `You're too particular, mate,' said he. `'Tain't no
worse than many another crew afloat.'

"However, he didn't press the point any longer, but emptying his glass,
called upon Toney