"There's been a law passed lately," said Mr. Morrison, "which I suppose is meant to put a stop to this driving sailors out of ships. When a man deserts and leaves any wages due him, they have to be handed over to the government when the vessel arrives home, that is, after taking out enough to pay any extra expense the ship has been put to in getting other men. The wise heads in Congress thought that if they could prevent captains from making any money by it, they would have no inducement to run their crews ashore." "But they weren't smart enough," said the mate of the "Tempest." "They might have known that if a man is rascal enough to rob sailors in that way, for that's just what it amounts to, he won't make any bones about telling a lie to save the stealings. Now our old man put down on the articles about seventy dollars paid to each man, and fifteen dollars expense incurred by the desertion, leaving about four or five dollars, which may be the Custom House will get." "It seems rather hard," said Mr. Morrison, "that a ship shouldn't have the benefit of what wages a runaway sailor leaves behind him. No matter how well sailors are treated, some will almost always desert, just on account of their love of change, and often will leave a little money due them." "I expect it is hard for the captains to make up their minds to pay it," said the mate of the "Tempest." "But sailors don't often run away from a good ship, when they have much money due them, except when they want to go to the gold mines, or some such thing. I've seen as much of this driving men out of ships as most men a-going, and done a good deal of it myself too, but I must say I think it's a shame, and the sailors need some protection such as this law means to give, and I'm not sure but this will come as near to doing it as anything can, except abolishing the three months' pay law, which is the greatest cause of sailors being driven ashore." Another evening three or four mates came visiting, and the burden of our conversation was lady passengers. "It is always bad luck," said one, "to have either a woman or a minister aboard. I never knew it to fail yet. It is either a long passage, or getting dismasted, or short of provisions, or there's a terrible row in the camp. It's bad enough to carry one woman, as the 'Eagle' is going to do, but when it comes to taking four or five of them and two missionaries beside, as the 'Tempest' does it's the very mischief. I don't believe she'll ever reach port." "You're an old owl," said the mate of the "Tempest." "There's no better luck that can happen to a ship than to have a lady on board, mind I say a _lady_. As to missionaries, I've nothing to say, for I never sailed with any yet, but I stand up for the women. I'd be willing to go for five dollars a month less wages for the sake of being in a ship that carried them."