Consequently, so to speak, the American had a clear course, and he sat in the deck chair he had borrowed, smoking cigar after cigar, as if, like a steamer, he could not get on with the simplest thing without sending up vapour into the hot air. But he did not sit in silence, for his tongue ran on, and he found something to say to the second mate, who was superintending the getting on board of what he called the passengers' "traps," and something else to every man of the busy crew, who, in consequence of a hint given by Captain Banes to his first officer, carefully took everything on board themselves, without invoking any of the black or coolie labour to be obtained upon the wharf. "He's a rum one, my lads," said the second mate to the men. "Let him talk: it pleases him, and it don't do you any harm." "All right, sir," said one of the sailors: "I don't mind. He's pretty free with the terbacker." "What?" said the mate, putting his hand in his pocket and fingering one of half a dozen cigars lying loose therein: "has he given you some?" "Yes, sir, a lot: says it's real Virginny." "Humph!" ejaculated the mate. "Must be pretty well off.--Mind those chests, my lad. Those are ammunition." The men went on unloading a rough truck piled up with chests, portmanteaux, and cases of various kinds, before attacking a second truck-load, while the American sat lolling back in his chair, smoking away, his eyes twinkling as he scanned each package in turn and watched for every opportunity to have a word with the busy mate, never letting a chance go by. "Why, lufftenant," he said, "why don't you smoke and make your miserable life happy?" "Because I'm at work," said the mate bluffly. "My skipper don't stand smoking when we're busy." "Don't he now? Bit of a tyrant, I suppose," said the American. "Humph!" ejaculated the mate gruffly. "I like him, though," said the American: "seems to know the ropes." "Oh, yes, he knows the ropes," said the mate. "Easy there with that chest." "Easy it is, sir." "Now, I wonder what's in that case," said the American. "It's marked with two X's and a cross and SpG and OG. Now, what would that be, lufftenant?" "Dunno," replied the mate. "Rareohs for meddlers, I should say, sir." "Should you now?" said the American drily. "I shouldn't. Yes, I like your skipper, and I should have liked to have a voyage with him." "Pity you didn't, sir," said the mate. "Yes, that's jest how I feel; but I was too late. They're taking a deal of luggage with 'em, ain't they?" "Yes," said the mate, as the men had the empty truck wheeled out of the way and attacked the next. "A pretty tidy lot, and it's heavy too." "Seems to be," said the American. "Fine lot o' gun tackle, ammunition, and suchlike. Wish I'd been going too." "Wish you had, sir," said the mate, fingering the presentation cigars, and then to himself: "What a whopping fib! I wouldn't sail in the same craft with such a nuisance."