uld have been less
willing to ship as a crew than these. Yet, when I spoke to them, they
answered me respectfully, and there was scarcely more than the merest
tinge of that defiant independence of manner that their appearance had
prepared me to expect. They told me, as they had told Forbes, that they
had been working for something like seven months at the gold-fields, and
had met with so little success that they were now almost penniless, a
result which they attributed to their lack of experience as miners. One
of the party remarked grimly that the life of a miner was even worse
than that of a sailor; inasmuch as that, with an equal amount of
exposure and harder work, it was no unusual thing for them to be reduced
to starvation rations. Seven months' experience of this kind, they
said, had satisfied them that they were never intended for gold-miners;
and they had accordingly left the fields in a body, and tramped to
Sydney, determined to revert to their original occupation of seamen, and
agreeing to ship together for home in the first craft that took their
fancy.

"But," said I, "I am not going directly to England. I am bound to the
Pacific for a cargo of sandal-wood, and thence to China, before seeking
a freight to England."

"Oh, well," said the fellow who had constituted himself the spokesman of
the party, "that won't make any great difference. The voyage 'll be so
much the longer, and we shall have the more money to take up at the end
of it. The chief thing with us is to find a comfortable ship and a good
skipper, and we're of opinion that if we ship with you, we shall have
both. Ain't that so, mates?"

"Ay, ay, judge; that's so, my bully. Them's our sentiments. Right you
are, as usual."

In these and similar terse sentences, the men confirmed the remarks of
their companion.

The question of wages was then raised, in respect of which I found their
demands far more moderate than I had dared to hope; namely, five pounds
ten per month for the seamen and the man who undertook to perform the
duties of steward, and six pounds ten per month for the cook; each man
to receive an Advance of _two_ months' wages upon signing articles. To
this I agreed without demur, and then, anxious to strike while the iron
appeared to be hot, I suggested that they should sign articles
forthwith. A short consultation among themselves followed this
proposal, at the end of which they declared themselves quite willing,
but stip