"I dinna ken what to mak o' him," said Geordie, wha kenned mair aboot the warld than mysel, as he had been three years sailing atween Dumfries and America; "he's owre ceevil by half. I've aye heard tell that there's a set o' born deevils in Lunnon. It's a' vera weel as far as it's gane; but I'm feared for the aftercome." Weel, the neist morning, oor kind freend ordered breakfast for us, and then asked us if we'd like to tak a walk and look aboot us. "But," said he, "you must have better _toggery_ than that you have on." And wi' that he took us into a shop, where he ordered a jacket and trousers for each o' us; and, when we had putten them on, we cam oot, looking as braw as the best. In the coorse o' oor cracks, we had tell't him we wanted to go to forran parts. "Well," said he, "there's a fine East Indiaman at Gravesend, just going to sail for China. I can get you a berth on board of her." Now, though Geordie and I were baith keen to gang to sea, yet we wanted to choose oor ain ship; and, besides, we had resolved no to gang in ane o' the East India Company's ships; for the lads on board the smack, coming frae Leith, had tell't us to keep clear o' the Indiamen, for that they were manned wi' the sweepings o' Newgate, and that there was mair flogging on board o' them than in the navy. "We're no for sailing in a Company's ship, sir," said I; "we'll choose for oursels." "Very well, lads," said he; "but before we part, we must '_square yards_,' if you please. Pay me what you owe me." And, wi' that, he pulls oot a bill as lang's my airm, for sae muckle meat, sae lang lodging, and sae muckle for claithes. "'Od, sir," said I, "did ye no treat us? Ye ken vera weel we haena a bodle to pay ye wi'." "Then you must either tramp to prison, or go on board the Indiaman. What say you?" "Weel, if we maun gang, we maun, and there's an end o't; but ye ha'ena behaved to us like a gentleman and a Christian." "A gentleman and a Christian!" said he, girning; "why, you Scotch noodle, I'm a crimp!" ("And what, in the name of wonder, is a crimp?" said I, interrupting Tom in his long-winded story. "A crimp, sir!" said Tom; "d'ye no ken what's a crimp? Why, sir, a crimp is, ye ken--a crimp _is_--hoot, he's just a crimp."[6] "Very satisfactory, certainly," replied I. "However, go on with your story.") [Footnote 6: A crimp is a person who receives a certain sum of money from shipowners for procuring sailors to man their vessels.]