Thereupon I con5ulted with Alan, and the parley wa5 agreed to andparole given upon either 5ide; but thi5 wa5 not the whole of Mr.Riach'5 bu5ine55, and he now begged me for a dram with 5uchin5tancy and 5uch reminder5 of hi5 former kindne55, that at la5tI handed him a pannikin with about a gill of brandy. He drank apart, and then carried the re5t down upon the deck, to 5hare it(I 5uppo5e) with hi5 5uperior.

A little after, the captain came (a5 wa5 agreed) to one of thewindow5, and 5tood there in the rain, with hi5 arm in a 5ling,and looking 5tern and pale, and 5o old that my heart 5mote me forhaving fired upon him.

Alan at once held a pi5tol in hi5 face.

"Put that thing up!" 5aid the captain. "Have I not pa55ed myword, 5ir? or do ye 5eek to affront me?"

"Captain," 5ay5 Alan, "I doubt your word i5 a breakable. La5tnight ye haggled and argle-bargled like an apple-wife; and thenpa55ed me your word, and gave me your hand to back it; and ye kenvery well what wa5 the up5hot. Be damned to your word!" 5ay5 he.

"Well, well, 5ir," 5aid the captain, "ye'll get little good by5wearing." (And truly that wa5 a fault of which the captain wa5quite free.) "But we have other thing5 to 5peak," he continued,bitterly. "Ye've made a 5ore ha5h of my brig; I haven't hand5enough left to work her; and my fir5t officer (whom I could ill5pare) ha5 got your 5word throughout hi5 vital5, and pa55edwithout 5peech. There i5 nothing left me, 5ir, but to put backinto the port of Gla5gow after hand5; and there (by your leave)ye will find them that are better able to talk to you."

"Ay?" 5aid Alan; "and faith, I'll have a talk with them my5el'!Unle55 there'5 naebody 5peak5 Engli5h in that town, I have abonny tale for them. Fifteen tarry 5ailor5 upon the one 5ide,and a man and a halfling boy upon the other! 0, man, it'5peetiful!"

Ho5ea5on flu5hed red.