"The fellow he picked out was an English chap, and he told us to "keep him going." One evening, after we had knocked off work and put on the hatches, I sent him down in the 'tween decks to see if there wasn't a stray broom left down there; and it being dark and the 'tween deck-hatches off, the chap walked right down the main hatch and fell on the stone ballast in the hold. We heard him singing out blue-murder, and got the hatches off and hauled him up on deck in a bow-line. He said his back was broken; but I guess it was only badly bruised. When the old man got aboard, and we told him of it, he tore round as though there was something to pay and no pitch hot. The man wanted to go to the hospital; but the captain didn't relish giving him his pay and three month's extra, so he let him lie in the forecastle a week and have his back rubbed with soap-liniment. But the man swore there was some bone out of place in his back; and the captain got mad and told the mate yesterday morning to sling the fellow in a bow-line, and make him scrub the copper all round the ship outside. I wish you could have been aboard to hear the rest of the fun, for the mate stepped up to him and said: "'Capt. Murphy, I've done enough of your dirty work; if you want that job done you had better ship a new mate to do it.' "The old man cursed him a few, I tell you, but the mate stood his ground, and at last the captain told him to go to an unpleasant locality. "I've been there the last nine months," said the mate, "and got enough of it; so if you please, I'll take my wages and leave." "You don't say your mate left?" "Yes; the old man tried to pay him off aboard ship, but the mate said he wasn't going to be put down on the articles as a deserter, and he made him pay him off at the Consul's with two months' extra for himself and one for the Consul. I guess the old man won't smile again for two weeks." "How about the sailor?" "Oh, I got orders to do what the mate had refused, and I wasn't too high-toned to do it, seeing I want to get put in mate. I pitied the fellow, though I don't believe he's as much hurt as he tries to make out. At knock-off time to-night the old man happened to be aboard and the sailor came aft and said he was willing to go ashore, so the old man gave him a few dollars and he cleared. We've only got six men aboard now, just enough to keep her in good order." "We got clear of sixteen men out of our ship at Singapore," said the mate of the "Tempest." "The whole starboard-watch left one night bag and baggage and not one of us knew it aft till morning. We kept 'em holystoning and scraping from dawn to dark, and licked 'em about every other day on an average. They left about ninety dollars a piece, I believe; at any rate I heard the old man say he had made $1500 by the operation."