from the yardarm sheave holes, and I also took notice of the disfigurement of a stump-foretop-gallant-mast. 

'Dirty as a Portugee,' said Abraham; 'yet she's Jarman all the same.' 

'I never took kindly to the Jarmans, myself,' said Jacob; 'they're a shoving people, but they arn't clean. Give me the Dutch. What's to beat their cheeses? There's nothing made in England in the cheese line as aquils them Dutch cannon-balls, all pink outside and all cream hin.' 

'Do you mean by a Hamburger a Hamburg ship?' asked Helga. 

'Yes, lady, that's right,' answered Abraham. 

'Then she's bound to Hamburg,' said the girl. 

'Ask yourself the question,' answered Abraham--which is the Deal boatmen's way of saying yes. 

She looked at me. 

'It will be all the same,' said I, interpreting the glance; 'England is but over the way from Hamburg. Let us be homeward-bound, in any case. We have made southing enough, Helga.' 

'Tommy!' sung out Abraham, 'give that there Jack another flourish, will ye?' 

The man did so, with many strange contortions of his powerful frame, and then put down the pole and returned to the stove. 

'There don't seem much life aboard of her,' said Jacob, eying the barque. 'I can only count wan head ower the fo'k'sle rail.' 

'Down hellum, Jacob!' bawled Abraham, and as he said the words he let go the fore-halliards, and down came the sail. 

The lugger, with nothing showing but her little mizzen, lost way, and rose and fell quietly beam-on to the barque, whose head was directly at us, as though she must cut us down. When she was within a few cables' length of us she slightly shifted her helm and drew out. A man sprang onto her forecastle rail and yelled at us, brandishing his arms in a motioning way, as though in abuse of us for getting into the road. We strained our ears. 

'What do 'ee say?' growled Abraham, looking at Helga. 

'I do not understand him,' she answered. 

'Barque ahoy!' roared Abraham. 

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