at hard biscuit,
salt pig, salt horse, when you can go shore, and live like gentleman?
Dat very foolish! Why not be your own master? By all power! suppose I
had money, catch me board ship. Little sea very good, Massa Easy--open
one eyes; but tink of the lightning t'other night: poor massa boatswain,
he shut um eyes for ebber!"

"Very true, Mesty."

"Me hope you tink of this, sar, and when you go on shore, you take Mesty
wid you: he sarve you well, Massa Easy, long as he live, by de holy St.
Patrick. And den, Massa Easy, you marry wife--hab pickaninny--lib like
gentleman. You tink of this, Massa Easy."

The mention of the word marriage turned the thoughts of our hero to his
Agnes, and he made no reply. Mesty walked away, leaving our hero in
deep thought.

This conversation had more effect upon Jack than would have been
imagined, and he very often found he was putting to himself the question
of Mesty--"Why do you stay at sea?" He had not entered the service with
any particular view, except to find equality; and he could not but
acknowledge to himself that, as Mesty observed, he had come to the wrong
place. He had never even thought of staying to serve his time, nor had
he looked forward to promotion, and one day commanding a ship. He had
only cared for the present, without indulging in a future anticipation
of any reward, except in a union with Agnes. Mesty's observations
occasioned Jack to reflect upon the future for the first time in his
life; and he was always perplexed when he put the question of Mesty, and
tried to answer to himself as to what were his intentions in remaining
in the service.

Nevertheless, Jack did his duty very much to the satisfaction of Mr
Pottyfar; and after a tedious passage, from baffling and light winds,
the _Aurora_ arrived at Malta. Our hero had had some conversation with
his friend Gascoigne, in which he canvassed his future plans; all of
which, however, ended in one settled point, which was that he was to
marry Agnes. As for the rest, Gascoigne was of opinion that Jack ought
to follow up the service, and become a captain, but there was plenty of
time to think about that, as he observed, now all they had to consider
was how to get on shore; for the refitting of the ship was an excuse for
detaining them on board, which they knew Mr Pottyfar would avail
himself of. Jack dined in the gun-room on the day of their arrival, and
he resolved that he would ask that very evening.