So on Mousehole Quay these three stepped ashore, and the first man to
shake hands with them was Capen Josiah Penny, of the _Perseverance_
trading ketch, then lying snug in Mousehole Harbour. Being a hearty man
he invited them down to his cabin to take a drop of rum. The Penzance
fellow, having only a short way to trudge, said "No, thank'ee," and
started for home with a small crowd after him. But Bosistow and Cornish
agreed 'twould be more neighbourly to accept, and, to tell the truth,
they didn't quite know how to behave with so many eyes upon them.
Cornish had on a soldier's red jacket with white facings, and a pair of
blue trousers out at the knees, while Bosistow's trousers were of white
cloth, and he carried a japanned knapsack at the back of his red shirt:
and with a white-painted straw hat apiece, you may guess they felt
themselves looking like two figures of fun.

So down they went to the _Perseverance's_ cabin, and Capen Penny mixed
them a stiff glass of rum and called them fine fellows, and mixed them
two more glasses while they talked; and when the time came to say
"so long," Billy was quite sure he didn't care for appearances one snap
of his fingers.

They linked arms on the quay, where they found a crowd waiting for them,
and many with questions to ask about absent friends, so that from
Mousehole to Penzance it was a regular procession. And then they had to
go to the hotel and tell the whole story over again, and answer a
thousand and one questions about Penzance boys imprisoned at Jivvy.
And all this meant more rum, of course.

It was seven in the evening, and day closing in, before they took the
road again. Billy had fallen into a boastful mood, and felt his heart
so warm towards Cornish that nothing would do but they must tramp it
together so far as Nancledrea, which was a goodish bit out of Cornish's
road to Ludgvan. By the time they reached Nancledrea Billy was shedding
tears and begging Cornish to come along to Ardevora. "I'll make a man
of 'ee there," he promised: "I will sure 'nough!" But Cornish weighed
the offer, and decided that his mother at Ludgvan would be going to bed
before long. So coming to a house with red blinds and lights within
they determined to have a drink before parting.

In the tap-room they found a dozen fellows or so drinking their beer and
smoking solemn, and an upstanding woman in a black gown attending on
them. "Hullo!" says one of the men looking up, "What's this