pieces stuffed and baked, the second mate being
a great glutton always, and fond of good living. Yes, it was wonderful
for one pig to have no less than twelve legs!

I will tell you how this was.

Tom Jerrold let me into the secret. It seems that the apparent suicidal
tendencies of the pigs who jumped into the sea in that mysterious way
was caused by the fore-topgallant stu'n'sail halliards being dexterously
fastened round them by a couple of the hands previously in sling
fashion; and when the poor brutes were jerked overboard by the aid of
these, they were allowed to tow under the keel of the ship until their
squeals were hushed for ever, and then drawn inboard again and cut up in
the forecastle. When they were carved properly into pork, the men
thought them none the less delicious because they had come to their
death by water instead of by the ordinary butcher's knife; and, as I had
the opportunity of testing this opinion in a savoury little pig's fry
which Ching Wang presented me with the same evening for supper, I cannot
but acknowledge that I agreed thoroughly with the judgment of the hands
in the matter of "spiflicated pork," as Tom Jerrold called it.

"Dick, Dick, what do you think of it all?" said I, chirping to the
starling, who was whistling wide awake when I turned out next morning at
"eight bells" after dreaming of the poor murdered pigs, on my way to the
galley to get some hot coffee. "What do you think of it all--eh, Dick?"

"Tip us your flipper!" hoarsely croaked the bright-eyed little bird with
the voice of Tim Rooney, only seeming to be a very long way off. He
also seemed to have the nose of Captain Gillespie, which we all said his
long beak strongly resembled. "Tip us your flipper!"

That was all I could get out of him; but I thought that, really, a wrong
had been righted, and the captain's marmalade imposition on us and on
the hands forward been amply avenged.

Poor "Old Jock's" live stock of late appeared to be in a very bad way;
for, not only was he deprived of his favourite pigs so unfortunately,
but since we had begun to run more to southward after leaving the Line,
his supply of eggs from the collection of hens he had in the coops on
the poop daily dwindled down to nothing, although they had previously
been good layers.

Somehow or other the fowls seemed to have the pip, while the three
cocks, one a splendid silver and gold fellow, who lorded over the harem
of Dorkings and Brahmas,