"That does not matter a bit, my dear fellow," he laughed. "As I have already told you, we are in no hurry whatever; and, to tell you the truth, Lady Emily seems to enjoy so much better health when at sea than she does when on shore, that I should welcome any excuse plausible enough to keep her on shipboard for two or three months longer. So, if you should succeed in picking up a crew, let me know at once." It really seemed as though the reappearance of the Desmonds upon the scene had brought good fortune to me; for when I reached the ship and went on board, Forbes met me at the gangway with quite an unwonted expression of delight upon his face, and said-- "I am glad you have come on board so early, sir; for I have actually had a gang of eleven men alongside, who say they are looking for berths." "Eleven men! _looking for berths_!" I ejaculated, scarcely crediting my ears. "Where are they?" "They went off up-town again, unfortunately, when I told them you were not on board," replied Forbes. "But I have the address of the boarding-house at which they are staying, and I told them I would let them know when you could see them." "My dear fellow," I exclaimed, "be off at once, and say that I shall be on board for the remainder of the day, and can see them at any time. Or, stay--perhaps I had better look in upon them myself; I can manage to drop in upon them in a casual sort of way, that will have less appearance of eagerness and anxiety than would sending especially for them. What did they look like?" "Well," admitted Forbes, "they _looked_ as rowdy a set of ruffians as I ever wish to set eyes on; but their manners and mode of speaking were those of fairly decent, respectable men. They said that they had been at the gold-fields for the last seven months, and had scarcely made enough to keep themselves; they were consequently tired of their shore life, and had determined to go to sea again if they could meet with a ship and officers to their liking. They were mightily taken with the barque--as of course any man who knew a ship from a washing-tub would be--swore she was the sweetest-looking craft in the harbour; and, when I mentioned your name, said they had heard of you and wouldn't wish to go to sea under a better man. Altogether, if they are only in earnest as to their desire to go to sea again, I do not think you should find much difficulty in securing them, sir."