You're too good-natured to bear in mind all the hard things you say sometimes." "Perhaps I am, Mackay, perhaps I am," sniggered and snorted "Old Jock," thinking this a high compliment.

"Though, when I say a thing, I mean a thing, you know." Ching Wang, when he got ashore, did not forget his old friends and leave us altogether in the lurch; for he sent off a black cook, a native of Jamaica, one Tippoo by name, to take his place; and as a messenger from the brokers on shore came off at the same time with the ship's papers, nothing now delayed our departure from Shanghai.
Then was heard Tim Rooney's piercing whistle once more on board, and the welcome--thrice welcome cry: "All ha-a-nds make sail!" The topsails were soon loosed by one watch, while the other hove up the anchor in fine style to the chorus of "Down in the lowlands, oh!" "Up and down!" cried Matthews on the forecastle, taking poor Saunders' place here, for he was now doing duty as second mate, although he had not yet passed the Trinity House examination for the post.

"Anchor's up and down, sir!" "Then heave and paul!" answered Mr Mackay from the poop, calling out at the same time to the men standing by the halliards: "Sheet home and hoist away!" In another minute, the topsails were dropped and the yards hoisted, the jib run up and the spanker set; when, as our anchor cleared the ground, soon peeping over our bows and being catted and fished in the old fashion, the Silver Queen's canvas filled and she bade adieu to China with a graceful curtsy, making her way down the Yang-tse-kiang at a rate that showed she was as glad as those on board her to lose sight of its yellow waters at last! It was the 14th September when we sailed; and, although it was rather early in the year for it, the nor'-east monsoon had already begun to blow, fine and dry and cold, bowling us down through the Formosa Channel and into the China Sea beyond, "as if ould Nick war arter us," as Tim Rooney said.
In our progress past the same latitudes in which we had previously encountered such perils, we now met with nothing of interest; steering south by the Strait of Gaspar--to the other side of the island of Banca, instead of by our former route when coming up--we navigated Sunda the same day, getting out into the Indian Ocean at the beginning of October.
Shaping a course from here to pass about a hundred miles to the southward of Madagascar, our nor'-east wind changing to a nor'-westward in 15 degrees south latitude, which was all the more favourable for us, we were able to fetch the Cape of Good Hope in forty-three days from our start.

Our passage round the stormy headland was now comparatively easy, being aided by the strong current that comes down the African coast through the Mozambique, and so did not cost us any bother at all, as we had fine weather all the time until we turned into the Atlantic.
From the Cape to the Channel we made a splendid passage, sighting the Lizard on the 20th December and getting into dock on the afternoon of the 22nd of the month.

Strange to say, too, we were towed up from the Downs by our old friend the Arrow, just as we were towed down the river at starting on our eventful voyage.
Captain Gillespie gave me leave to go home the next day, telling me he would write when the ship would be ready again for another trip early in the following year; and so, bidding my mess-mates a cordial farewell, I was soon in a train on my way to Westham once more, with "Dick" the starling in a bran new wicker cage I had bought for him at Shanghai, as well as my sea-chest packed full of presents for the home-folk and everybody.
It was late in the afternoon of Christmas-eve when I reached the old well-known little station, which seemed to look ever so much smaller than when I left; and the very first person I saw whom I knew--none of my people coming to meet me, as they did not know when I would arrive, not expecting me indeed until the next morning--was Lawyer Sharpe, as ferrety-looking as ever! He gave me a hearty greeting, however, saying he was glad to see me back again, and to have "ocular demonstration," as he expressed it, that I had not been lost at sea as was reported; so, I recalled what father had said when I had turned up my nose at the legal profession, and thought Mr Sharpe no doubt was misjudged by a good many, and might not be altogether such a tricky customer as the Westham folks made out.
Leaving my traps at the station to be sent on by a porter, only taking Dick's cage with me, I was soon trotting along through the village, passing old Doctor Jollop on my way.