rection, to what we did;
exactly like Paddy's pig when he's taking it to market, and he has to
whisper in its ear that he's going to Cork, when he really wants to meet
the dealer at Bandon!

"This peculiarity of the brig, of course, very naturally set the men
against her; as, although what is usually called a `dry ship'--that is,
the hands could sleep comfortably in the forecastle, instead of being
drenched through day and night, by the seas she took in over the bows,
as is the case in some clippers I've sailed in--she was so dreadfully
hard to steer that a man's trick at the wheel was like going on the
treadmill! And yet, that very peculiarity and contrariness that made us
cuss and swear too, only induced Captain Jiggins to say occasionally
when she was most outrageous wide in her yawing, `Pretty dear!' or some
such trash--this very peculiarity, I say, saved all our lives from the
most dreadful fate, and brought us home safe to England after
encountering one of the most deadly perils of the deep. Curious, isn't
it? But I'll tell you all about it. Here goes for the yarn.

"We had done the voyage out in pretty fair time from London to Port
Philip; for, most of the way, the wind was fair and almost dead aft from
the meridian of the Cape of Good Hope, down in the `roaring forties,'
till we got to the Heads. Consequently, the brig couldn't help herself
but go straight onward, when the trades were shoving her along and while
nobody wanted her to tack, or beat up, or otherwise perform any of those
delicate little points of seamanship which a true sailor likes to see
his ship go through, almost against his own interest, sometimes, as far
as hard work is concerned in reefing and furling and taking in sail, or
piling on the canvas and `letting her rip.' So long as nothing of this
sort was wanted from her the brig was as easy-going as you could wish
and all probably that Cap'en Jiggins thought her; but, you had only just
to try to get her to sail up in the wind's eye or run with the breeze a
bit ahead of the beam, and you'd soon have seen for yourself how
cantankerous she could be!

"No, it was all plain sailing to Port Philip Heads; and even after we
had unloaded our home cargo, and went round, first to Sydney, and
afterwards to the Fiji Islands--I shan't forget Suva Suva Bay in a
hurry, I can tell you. So far, everything went serene; for, no matter
where we wanted to go--and you see, the skipper wasn't tied to any
esp