r, holding on by _all
fours_, as he climbed up without his shoes.

When the master of the sloop had satisfied himself as to the contents of
the casks, which he did by taking about half a tumbler of each, Newton
proposed that the trunk should be opened. "Yes," replied Thompson, who
had drawn off a mug of the spirits, with which he was about to descend
to the cabin, "open it, if you like, my boy. You have made a _bon
prize_ to-day, and your share shall be the trunk; so you may keep it,
and the things that are stowed away in it, for your trouble: but don't
forget to secure the casks till we can stow them away below. We can't
break bulk now; but the sooner they are down the better; or we shall
have some quill-driving rascal on board, with his _flotsam_ and
_jetsam_, for the _Lord knows who_;" and Thompson, to use his own
expression, went down again "to lay his soul in soak."

Reader, do you know the meaning of _flotsam_ and _jetsam_? None but a
lawyer can, for it is old law language. Now, there is a slight
difference between language in general and law language. The first was
invented to enable us to explain our own meaning, and comprehend the
ideas of others; whereas, the second was invented with the view that we
should not be able to understand a word about it. In former times, when
all law, except _club_ law, was in its infancy, and practitioners not so
erudite, or so thriving as at present, it was thought advisable to
render it unintelligible by inventing a sort of _lingo_, compounded of
bad French, grafted upon worse Latin, forming a mongrel and
incomprehensible race of words, with French heads and Latin tails, which
answered the purpose intended--that of mystification.--Flotsam and
jetsam are of this breed. Flot, derived from the French _flottant_,
floating; and jet, from the verb _jeter_, to _throw up_; both used in
seignoral rights, granted by kings to favourites, empowering them to
take possession of the property of any man who might happen to be
unfortunate, which was in those times tantamount to being guilty. I
dare say, if one could see the deed thus empowering them to confiscate
the goods and chattels of others for their own use, according to the
wording of the learned clerks in those days, it would run thus:--"Omnium
quod flotsam et jetsam, et every thing else-um, quod findetes;" in plain
English, "every thing floating or thrown up, and every thing else you
may pick up." Now the admiral of the coast