brought lawsuits against all the rest, and every will had a firm of

lawyers on the quarterdeck as long as your arm. They tell me it was

one of the biggest turns-to that ever was seen, bar Tichborne; the Lord

Chamberlain himself was floored, and so was the Lord Chancellor; and all

that time the Dream lay rotting up by Glebe Point. Well, it's done now;

they've picked out a widow and a will; tossed up for it, as like as not;

and the Dream's for sale. She'll go cheap; she's had a long turn-to at

rotting."

"What size is she?"

"Well, big enough. We don't want her bigger. A hundred and ninety, going

two hundred," replied the captain. "She's fully big for us three; it

would be all the better if we had another hand, though it's a pity too,

when you can pick up natives for half nothing. Then we must have a cook.

I can fix raw sailor-men, but there's no going to sea with a new-chum

cook. I can lay hands on the man we want for that: a Highway boy, an

old shipmate of mine, of the name of Amalu. Cooks first rate, and it's

always better to have a native; he aint fly, you can turn him to as you

please, and he don't know enough to stand out for his rights."

From the moment that Captain Wicks joined in the conversation, Carthew

recovered interest and confidence; the man (whatever he might have done)

was plainly good-natured, and plainly capable; if he thought well of the

enterprise, offered to contribute money, brought experience, and could

thus solve at a word the problem of the trade, Carthew was content to

go ahead. As for Hadden, his cup was full; he and Bostock forgave each

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