at low
prices, keep the North Sea fishermen away from the copers, and so have
spoiled their traffic in intoxicant drinks.

'You thought she was a mission ship, did you?' the skipper growled.
'Well, you made a fine mistake.'

'We know that now,' Charlie replied.

'Then why are you sticking here? Jump overboard, and swim back to the
_Sparrow-hawk_.'

'I should be drowned,' Ping Wang declared.

'Well, that wouldn't be much of a loss. There are too many Chinamen
already.'

'Look here, skipper,' Charlie interrupted, anxious to prevent a quarrel,
'I have a proposal to make. My friend and I left the _Sparrow-hawk_
because the skipper was a wretched little bully. I suggest that we stay
here, as passengers, until we meet a boat for Grimsby that will take us
aboard.'

'You will have to pay me before you leave the _Lily_.'

'I'll do so, willingly, unless your charges are unreasonable.'

'Will you pay in advance?'

'Certainly not; but I'll settle up with you every evening.'

'Then hand over sixpence for those two cups of tea.'

'Sixpence!' Charlie answered, 'Why, you are charging as if you had put
brandy in them. I'll give you threepence.'

Charlie took his belt from his pocket, and, as he undid the pouch
attached to it, in which he kept his money, the skipper caught sight of
three or four sovereigns.

'Well,' he said, as he pocketed the three pennies which Charlie gave
him, 'I ought to let Skipper Drummond know that you are aboard; but, as
I owe him a grudge, I won't. I haven't any spare bunks for you, so you
must sleep on the cushions here.'

Charlie and Ping Wang were far from considering that a hardship, for the
coper's saloon was a little palace compared with the _Sparrow-hawk's_
foc's'le.

'Well,' the skipper continued, 'I'm going to shut up for the night.'

He drew a sliding-door down over the bottles, and locked it, and left
them. As soon as he had gone they lay down and, finding the saloon
cushions fairly comfortable, were soon asleep. They awoke about seven
o'clock and, going on deck immediately, found that during the night the
_Sparrow-hawk_ had steamed away. The coper was, however, in the midst of
a busy scene; for the stream-trawlers belonging to the fleet which
Charlie and Ping Wang had seen on the previous day had closed in, and
were busy sending their boxes of fish aboard the steam-carrier that was
waiting to hurry off with them to Grimsby. The fish was conveyed from
the trawlers to the carrie