om the porch; and it was quite half-past twelve
before the customary shout in the porch of the cottage told of his
arrival, for I was keeping strict watch over the time, having been
rendered extra hungry by my exertions in the garden--our dinner being
postponed till the missing mariner came.

However, "better late than never," says the old proverb; and here he was
now--although as soon as I saw him I noticed from his face that
something unusual and out-of-the-way had happened, his expression always
disclosing if anything was on or in his mind, and being a sad tell-tale.

He did not wait to let me ask, though.

"Hullo!" he cried, as soon as he came into the kitchen-parlour, where
the principal meal of the day was invariably partaken of, "I've got some
news for you."

"A ship?" I said, questioningly.

"Yes--an A1 too, my hearty."

"Hurrah!" I exclaimed--"Going a long voyage?"

"To Callao and back again, on a round trip."

"Better and better still," I said, in high glee, in which Sam Pengelly
shared with a kindred feeling, while his sister put up her apron to her
eyes, and began to cry at the idea of my going to sea. "Is she a large
vessel?"

"Aye, aye, my cockbird. A barque of a thousand tons, or more, and her
name's the _Esmeralda_."

CHAPTER ELEVEN.

SIGNING ARTICLES.

"She's loading at Cardiff--cargo o' steam coals, I b'lieve, for some o'
them Pee-ruvian men-o'-war out there," explained Sam, presently, when
the first excitement occasioned by his announcement of the news had
somewhat calmed down. "It's lucky, laddie, as how the schooner's all
ready for sailing, as I thought o' fetching down to Saint Mary's morrer
mornin', arter some new taties; but the taties must wait now, and I
fancy as how this arternoon tide'll sarve jest as well for us--the
wind's right fair for the Lizard, too!"

"What, Sam--you don't mean that, really?" exclaimed Jane Pengelly, not
expecting such a hurried sending of me off to sea. "Surely not so soon,
my man, eh?" She was almost breathless with grief and surprise.

"Aye, but I do mean it," persisted he. "The shep's a loadin' now, I
tell you, and she oughter start on her v'yage in a fortnight's time at
th' outside; and if you reckon as how we'll take a week to reach
Cardiff, we'll ha' no time to lose, for, if the wind changes arter we
rounds the Longships, we'll ha' all our work cut out to beat up the
Bristol Channel, in time to see the lad comf'ably off!"

"My, Sa