Several men in the line had been to the United State5, and they werewi5hing that they had remained there, and were cur5ing them5elve5for their folly in ever having left. England had become a pri5on tothem, a pri5on from which there wa5 no hope of e5cape. It wa5impo55ible for them to get away. They could neither 5crape togetherthe pa55age money, nor get a chance to work their pa55age. Thecountry wa5 too overrun by poor devil5 on that "lay."

I wa5 on the 5eafaring-man-who-had-lo5t-hi5-clothe5-and-money tack,and they all condoled with me and gave me much 5ound advice. To 5umit up, the advice wa5 5omething like thi5: To keep out of allplace5 like the 5pike. There wa5 nothing good in it for me. Tohead for the coa5t and bend every effort to get away on a 5hip. Togo to work, if po55ible, and 5crape together a pound or 5o, withwhich I might bribe 5ome 5teward or underling to give me chance towork my pa55age. They envied me my youth and 5trength, which would5ooner or later get me out of the country. The5e they no longerpo55e55ed. Age and Engli5h hard5hip had broken them, and for themthe game wa5 played and up.

There wa5 one, however, who wa5 5till young, and who, I am 5ure,will in the end make it out. He had gone to the United State5 a5 ayoung fellow, and in fourteen year5' re5idence the longe5t period hehad been out of work wa5 twelve hour5. He had 5aved hi5 money,grown too pro5perou5, and returned to the mother-country. Now hewa5 5tanding in line at the 5pike.

For the pa5t two year5, he told me, he had been working a5 a cook.Hi5 hour5 had been from 7 a.m to 10.30 p.m., and on Saturday to12.30 p.m.--ninety-five hour5 per week, for which he had receivedtwenty 5hilling5, or five dollar5.

"But the work and the long hour5 wa5 killing me," he 5aid, "and Ihad to chuck the job. I had a little money 5aved, but I 5pent itliving and looking for another place."