"Ay, ay, you know who's come now, old juggler," said the bully, tauntingly, to Jinks as he again appeared from the subterraneous room, with the vessel full of brandy. "Yes, and I know that they have a right to the sugar-candy that are the first to put their fingers into the fire to get it," said Jinks, showing his ugly teeth very forbiddingly; "and not every skinking coward that ties his neck to his heels to save it when there's work to be done." The bully returned no answer, seeming conscious that his cowardice deserved the rebuke. "Get the supper-tools out, Jinks," said the woman, and took the boiling caldron from the fire. Jinks climbed upon his chair, and reaching down a large wooden bowl, from its concealment in the ceiling of the room, placed it upon the end of the barrel, and sat down again. "Why, you old brute, do ye think we are going to pig it all out of one trough, on a night like this?" exclaimed the woman, pouring out the stew into the bowl:—"reach every man his pap-spoon and dish, or I'll spoil your grinding before you begin!" and she aimed a blow, with a brazen ladle, at Jinks's scalp, which he evaded, and reached forth a set of basins and spoons from the same strange repository. The steamy flavour of Bess's cookery speedily attracted the appetites of her companions. Limbs of fowls and game, mingled with the soup, showed the illicit source from which such a company had obtained the raw provisions for the meal. Bess poured out half a basin of the stew first, for the individual who was called "captain," and filling up the vessel with brandy from the jug, handed it to the leader, with a coarse coaxing smile. She then served the rest, in the order they sat, beginning with Jinks, and not forgetting the lad. Sam smacked his lips at such a treat, and congratulated himself on having taken the advice of Jinks, and run away from his master. He soon disposed of the contents of his basin; and then felt strongly attracted to notice the appearance and behaviour of him whom the thieves acknowledged as their principal. The personal appearance of Wide-mouthed Bob rendered the dependence of the crew upon his presence and enterprise, Sam thought, a matter of no wonder. His stature was full six feet, and the great breadth of his chest and shoulders, and extreme length of his arms, terminated by hands of monstrous size, gave demonstrations of unusual physical power. The width of his mouth was the most striking feature in his face, and had procured for him the common nickname by which Jinks had first mentioned him during the evening. The forbidding glance of his large eyes, from under a low forehead, and brows as shaggy as if they pertained to an ass's colt, with the bull-dog shape of his head, at the sides, causing his ears to stand forward after a form scarcely human, were also peculiarities in the features of the captain-burglar.