He stopped in his circling walk and looked at the fellow he called Bobby; then, as if influenced by the same thought, they both cast their eyes over the schooner, first staring up at the broken topmast, then at the bowsprit, then running their gaze over the decks. “Have you sounded the well?” cried the little man to me. “No, I have not,” I answered. He flew to the pumps; his feet twinkled as he fled. I never witnessed such activity; it seemed impossible in a man who had been suffering from a fortnight of black hole. He pounced upon the sounding-rod, dropped the bar down the well, whipped it up, looked at it, uttered a gull-like cry, flung the iron down, and was with us in a jiffey. “Bobby,” he exclaimed, “nut dust aint in it with her.” “Don’t I know her for a corker?” responded Bobby. “Froth and pop when it blows, and a dead marine at heart.” “Bobby, what d’ye think?” said the raw-eyed little man, questioning his mate as though the suggestion had been made. The man looked round the sea, looked up aloft, and answered: “Agreeable.” “We’ll carry the schooner home, sir,” said the little fellow, addressing me. “You two?” “Say us four, sir. There’s a two-man power for each hand a-coming out of such a salvage job as this.” I observed some of my men gaze about them thirstily and enviously and a little gloomily. “Are you resolved?” said I, looking at the fellow, doubting my right to suffer them to embark on such an adventure after their long, weakening spell of imprisonment. “It’s two blocks, aint it, Bobby?” said the little man. “Ay,” answered Bobby, “nothing wanting but this: First, that this kind gentleman will help us to secure the bowsprit afore he takes away his men; and, next, that he gives the course to steer for the Henglish Channel.” I was again hailed impatiently by Greaves, on which I got upon the rail and told him that the two men wished to carry their schooner home. Should I permit them to do it, considering---- “Certainly,” he shouted; “they’ll pick up help as they go along.” I then called out that I would stay a little while longer, that I might secure the bowsprit and set them a course; and I then bade the little man with the fiery eyes go below and rummage the cabin that had been occupied by his captain for such charts as might be there. He was off like a hare, and returned in a few minutes with a small bag of charts, one of which represented the North Atlantic Ocean; and, while my people were busy with the bowsprit, I, with a pencil, marked upon the chart the track and courses for the red-eyed man and his mate to pursue. We then made sail on the schooner, shook hands with the two fellows, and entered the boat. As I was about to drop over the side I overheard one of my men, in a grumbling voice, say: “Is this here traverse of ourn going to consist of rummaging jobs, I wonder. Nothen but boarding so far, and what for?”