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MR MIDSHIPMAN EASY

By FREDERICK MARRYAT (1792-1848)

CHAPTER I

Which the reader will find very easy toread.

Mr Nicodemus Easy was a gentlemanwho lived down in Hampshire; he wasa married man, and in very easycircumstances. Most couples find itvery easy to have a family, but notalways quite so easy to maintain them.Mr Easy was not at all uneasy on thelatter score, as he had no children; buthe was anxious to have them, as mostpeople covet what they cannot obtain.After ten years, Mr Easy gave it up as abad job. Philosophy is said to console aman under disappointment, althoughShakespeare asserts that it is no remedyfor toothache; so Mr Easy turnedphilosopher, the very best profession aman can take up, when he is fit for

nothing else; he must be a veryincapable person indeed who cannottalk nonsense. For some time, Mr Easycould not decide upon whatdescription his nonsense should consistof; at last he fixed upon the rights ofman, equality, and all that; how everyperson was born to inherit his share ofthe earth, a right at present onlyadmitted to a certain length; that is,about six feet, for we all inherit ourgraves and are allowed to takepossession without dispute. But no onewould listen to Mr Easy's philosophy.The women would not acknowledgethe rights of men, whom they declaredalways to be in the wrong; and, as thegentlemen who visited Mr Easy were all

men of property, they could notperceive the advantages of sharing withthose who had none. However, theyallowed him to discuss the question,while they discussed his port wine. Thewine was good, if the arguments werenot, and we must take things as we findthem in this world.

While Mr Easy talked philosophy, MrsEasy played patience, and they were avery happy couple, riding side by sideon their hobbies, and never interferingwith each other. Mr Easy knew his wifecould not understand him, andtherefore did not expect her to listenvery attentively; and Mrs Easy did notcare how much her husband talked,

provided she was not put out in hergame. Mutual forbearance will alwaysensure domestic felicity.

There was another cause for theiragreeing so well. Upon any disputedquestion Mr Easy invariably gave it upto Mrs Easy, telling her that she shouldhave her own way and this pleased hiswife; but, as Mr Easy always took care,when it came to the point, to have hisway, he was pleased as well. It is truethat Mrs Easy had long found out thatshe did not have her own way long; butshe was of an easy disposition, and as,in nine cases out of ten, it was of verylittle consequence how things weredone, she was quite satisfied with his

submission during the heat of theargument. Mr Easy had admitted thatshe was right, and if like all men hewould do wrong, why, what could apoor woman do With a lady of such aquiet disposition, it is easy to imaginethat the domestic felicity of Mr Easywas not easily disturbed. But, as peoplehave observed before, there is amutability in human affairs. It was atthe finale of the eleventh year of theirmarriage that Mrs Easy at firstcomplained that she could not enjoyher breakfast. Mrs Easy had her ownsuspicions, everybody else considered itpast doubt, all except Mr Easy; he little"thought, good easy man, that hisgreatness was ripening"; he had decided

that to have an heir was no Easy task,and it never came into his calculations,that there could be a change in hiswife's figure. You might have added toit, subtracted from it, divided it, ormultiplied it, but as it was a zero, theresult would be always the same. MrsEasy also was not quite sure shebelieved it might be the case, there wasno saying; it might be a mistake, likethat of Mrs Trunnion's in the novel,and, therefore, she said nothing to herhusband about the matter. At last MrEasy opened his eyes, and when, uponinterrogating his wife, he found out theastounding truth, he opened his eyesstill wider, and then he snapped hisfingers and danced, like a bear upon

hot plates, with delight, thereby provingthat different causes may producesimilar effects in two instances at oneand the same time. The bear dancesfrom pain, Mr Easy from pleasure; andagain, when we are indifferent, or donot care for anything, we snap ourfingers at it, and when we areoverjoyed, and obtain what we mostcare for, we also snap our fingers. Twomonths after Mr Easy snapped hisfingers, Mrs Easy felt no inclination tosnap hers, either from indifference orpleasure, The fact was, that Mrs Easy'stime was come, to undergo whatShakespeare pronounces the pleasingpunishment that women bears but MrsEasy, like the rest of her sex, declared

"that all men were liars," and mostparticularly poets.

But while Mrs Easy was suffering, MrEasy was in ecstasies. He laughed atpain, as all philosophers do when it issuffered by other people, and not bythemselves.

In due course of time, Mrs Easypresented her husband with a fine boy,whom we present to the public as ourhero.

CHAPTER II

In which Mrs Easy, as usual, has herown way.

It was the fourth day after Mrs Easy'sconfinement that Mr Easy, who wassitting by her bedside in an easy chair,commenced as follows: "I have beenthinking, my dear Mrs Easy, about thename I shall give this child."

"Name, Mr Easy! why, what nameshould you give it but your own "

"Not so, my dear," replied Mr Easy;"they call all names proper names, but Ithink that mine is not. It is the veryworst name in the calendar."

"Why, what's the matter with it, MrEasy "

"The matter affects me as well as theboy. Nicodemus is a long name to writeat full length, and Nick is vulgar.Besides, as there will be two Nicks, theywill naturally call my boy young Nick,and of course I shall be styled oldNick, which will be diabolical."

"Well, Mr Easy, at all events then let mechoose the name."

"That you shall, my dear, and it waswith this view that I have mentionedthe subject so early."

"I think, Mr Easy, I will call the boyafter my poor father his name shall beRobert."

"Very well, my dear, if you wish it, itshall be Robert. You shall have yourown way. But I think, my dear, upon alittle consideration, you willacknowledge that there is a decidedobjection."

"An objection Mr Easy "

"Yes, my dear; Robert may be very well,but you must reflect upon theconsequences; he is certain to be calledBob."

"Well, my dear, and suppose they docall him Bob "

"I cannot bear even the supposition,my dear. You forget the county inwhich we are residing, the downscovered with sheep."

"Why, Mr Easy, what can sheep have todo with a Christian name "

"There it is; women never look toconsequences. My dear, they have agreat deal to do with the name of Bob.I will appeal to any farmer in thecounty, if ninety-nine shepherds' dogsout of one hundred are not called Bob.Now observe, your child is out of

doors somewhere in the fields orplantations; you want and you call him.Instead of your child, what do you findWhy, a dozen curs at least, who comerunning up to you, all answering to thename of Bob, and wagging theirstumps of tails. You see, Mrs Easy, it isa dilemma not to be got over. You levelyour only son to the brute creation bygiving him a Christian name which,from its peculiar brevity, has beenmonopolised by all the dogs in thecounty. Any other name you please, mydear, but in this one instance you mustallow me to lay my positive veto."

"Well, then, let me see but I'll think ofit, Mr Easy; my head aches very much

just now."

"I will think for you, my dear. What doyou say to John "

"O no, Mr Easy, such a commonname."

"A proof of its popularity, my dear. Itis scriptural we have the Apostle andthe Baptist we have a dozen Popes whowere all Johns. It is royal we have plentyof kings who were Johns andmoreover, it is short, and soundshonest and manly."

"Yes, very true, my dear; but they willcall him Jack." "Well, we have had

several celebrated characters who wereJacks. There was let me see Jack theGiant Killer, and Jack of the BeanStock and Jack Jack "

"Jack Spratt," replied Mrs Easy. "AndJack Cade, Mrs Easy, the great rebel andThree-fingered Jack, Mrs Easy, thecelebrated negro and, above all, JackFalstaff, ma'am, Jack Falstaff honestJack Falstaff witty Jack Falstaff "

"I thought, Mr Easy, that I was to bepermitted to choose the name."

"Well, so you shall, my dear; I give it upto you. Do just as you please; butdepend upon it that John is the right

name. Is it not now, my dear "

"It's the way you always treat me, MrEasy; you say that you give it up, andthat I shall have my own way, but Inever do have it. I am sure that thechild will be christened John."

"Nay, my dear, it shall be just what youplease. Now I recollect it, there wereseveral Greek emperors who wereJohns; but decide for yourself, mydear."

"No, no," replied Mrs Easy, who was ill,and unable to contend any longer, "Igive it up, Mr Easy. I know how it willbe, as it always is: you give me my own

way as people give pieces of gold tochildren, it's their own money, but theymust not spend it. Pray call him John."

"There, my dear, did not I tell you youwould be of my opinion uponreflection I knew you would. I havegiven you your own way, and you tellme to call him John; so now we're bothof the same mind, and that point issettled."

"I should like to go to sleep, Mr Easy; Ifeel far from well."

"You shall always do just as you like,my dear," replied the husband, "andhave your own way in everything. It is

the greatest pleasure I have when I yieldto your wishes. I will walk in thegarden. Good-bye, my dear."

Mrs Easy made no reply, and thephilosopher quitted the room. As mayeasily be imagined, on the followingday the boy was christened John.

CHAPTER III

In which our hero has to wait the issueof an argument.

The reader may observe that, in general,all my first chapters are very short, and

increase in length as the work advances.I mention this as a proof of mymodesty and diffidence. At first, I amlike a young bird just out of itsmother's nest, pluming my little feathersand taking short flights. By degrees Iobtain more confidence, and wing mycourse over hill and dale.

It is very difficult to throw any interestinto a chapter on childhood. There isthe same uniformity in all children untilthey develop. We cannot, therefore, saymuch relative to Jack Easy's earliestdays; he sucked and threw up his milkwhile the nurse blessed it for a prettydear, slept, and sucked again. Hecrowed in the morning like a cock,

screamed when he was washed, staredat the candle, and made wry faces withthe wind. Six months passed in theseinnocent amusements, and then he wasput into shorts. But I ought here tohave remarked, that Mrs Easy did notfind herself equal to nursing her owninfant, and it was necessary to look outfor a substitute.

Now a common-place person wouldhave been satisfied with therecommendation of the medical man,who looks but to the one thingneedful, which is a sufficient andwholesome supply of nourishment forthe child; but Mr Easy was aphilosopher, and had latterly taken to

craniology, and he descanted verylearnedly with the Doctor upon theeffect of his only son obtaining hisnutriment from an unknown source."Who knows," observed Mr Easy, "butthat my son may not imbibe with hismilk the very worst passions of humannature."

"I have examined her," replied theDoctor, "and can safely recommendher."

"That examination is only preliminaryto one more important," replied MrEasy. "I must examine her."

"Examine who, Mr Easy " exclaimed his

wife, who had lain down again on thebed.

"The nurse, my dear."

"Examine what, Mr Easy " continuedthe lady.

"Her head, my dear," replied thehusband. "I must ascertain what herpropensities are."

"I think you had better leave her alone,Mr Easy. She comes this evening, and Ishall question her pretty severely.Doctor Middleton, what do you knowof this young person "

"I know, madam, that she is veryhealthy and strong, or I should nothave selected her."

"But is her character good "

"Really, madam, I know little about hercharacter; but you can make anyinquiries you please. But at the sametime I ought to observe, that if you aretoo particular in that point, you willhave some difficulty in providingyourself."

"Well, I shall see," replied Mrs Easy."And I shall feel," rejoined thehusband.

This parleying was interrupted by thearrival of the very person in question,who was announced by the housemaid,and was ushered in. She was ahandsome, florid, healthy-looking girl,awkward and naive in her manner, andapparently not over wise; there wasmore of the dove than of the serpentin her composition.

Mr Easy, who was very anxious to makehis own discoveries, was the first whospoke. "Young woman, come this way, Iwish to examine your head."

"Oh! dear me, sir, it's quite clean, Iassure you,". cried the girl, dropping acurtsey.

Doctor Middleton, who sat betweenthe bed and Mr Easy's chair, rubbed hishands and laughed.

In the meantime, Mr Easy had untiedthe string and taken off the cap of theyoung woman, and was very busyputting his fingers through her hair,during which the face of the youngwoman expressed fear andastonishment.

"I am glad to perceive that you have alarge portion of benevolence."

"Yes," replied the young woman,dropping a curtsey.

"And veneration also."

"Thanky, sir."

"And the organ of modesty is stronglydeveloped."

"Yes, sir," replied the girl with a smile.

"That's quite a new organ," thought DrMiddleton.

"Philoprogenitiveness very powerful."

"If you please, sir, I don't know whatthat is," answered Sarah, with a curtsey.

"Nevertheless you have given us apractical, illustration. Mrs Easy, I amsatisfied. Have you any questions to askBut it is quite unnecessary."

"To be sure I have, Mr Easy. Pray,young woman, what is your name "

"Sarah, if you please, ma'am."

"How long have you been married "

"Married, ma'am "

"Yes, married."

"If you please, ma'am, I had amisfortune, ma'am," replied the girl,

casting down her eyes.

"What, have you not been married "

"No, ma'am, not yet."

"Good heavens! Dr Middleton, whatcan you mean by bringing this personhere " exclaimed Mrs Easy. "Not amarried woman, and she has a child!"

"If you please, ma'am," interrupted theyoung woman, dropping a curtsey, "itwas a very little one."

"A very little one!" exclaimed Mrs Easy.

"Yes, ma'am, very small, indeed, and

died soon after it was born."

"Oh, Dr Middleton! what could youmean, Dr Middleton "

"My dear madam," exclaimed theDoctor, rising from his chair, "this isthe only person that I could find suitedto the wants of your child, and if youdo not take her I cannot answer for itslife. It is true, that a married womanmight be procured; but marriedwomen, who have a proper feeling, willnot desert their own children; and asMr Easy asserts, and you appear toimagine, the temper and disposition ofyour child may be affected by thenourishment it receives, I think it more

likely to be injured by the milk of amarried woman who will desert herown child for the sake of gain. Themisfortune which has happened to thisyoung woman is not always a proof ofa bad heart, but of strong attachment,and the overweening confidence ofsimplicity."

"You are correct, Doctor," replied MrEasy, "and her head proves that she is amodest young woman, with strongreligious feeling, kindness ofdisposition, and every other requisite."

"The head may prove it all for what Iknow, Mr Easy, but her conduct tellsanother tale."

"She is well fitted for the situation,ma'am," continued the Doctor.

"And if you please, ma'am," rejoinedSarah, "it was such a little one."

"Shall I try the baby, ma'am " said themonthly nurse, who had listened insilence. "It is fretting so, poor thing,and has its dear little fist right down itsthroat."

Dr Middleton gave the signal of assent,and in a few seconds Master John Easywas fixed to Sarah as tight as a leech.

"Lord love it, how hungry it is! there,

there, stop it a moment, it's choking,poor thing!"

Mrs Easy, who was lying on her bed,rose up, and went to the child. Her firstfeeling was that of envy, that anothershould have such a pleasure which wasdenied to herself; the next, that ofdelight, at the satisfaction expressed bythe infant. In a few minutes the childfell back in a deep sleep. Mrs Easy wassatisfied; maternal feelings conqueredall others, and Sarah was duly installed.

To make short work of it, we have saidthat Jack Easy in six months was inshorts. He soon afterwards began tocrawl and show his legs; indeed, so

indecorously, that it was evident that hehad imbibed no modesty with Sarah'smilk, neither did he appear to havegained veneration or benevolence, forhe snatched at everything, squeezed thekitten to death, scratched his mother,and pulled his father by the hair;notwithstanding all which, both hisfather and mother and the wholehousehold declared him to be the finestand sweetest child in the universe. Butif we were to narrate all the wonderfulevents of Jack's childhood from thetime of his birth up to the age of sevenyears, as chronicled by Sarah, whocontinued his dry nurse after he hadbeen weaned, it would take at leastthree volumes folio. Jack was brought

up in the way that every only childusually is that is, he was allowed to havehis own way.

CHAPTER IV

In which the doctor prescribes going toschool as a remedy for a cut finger.

"Have you no idea of putting the boyto school, Mr Easy " said DrMiddleton, who had been summonedby a groom with his horse in a foam toattend immediately at Forest Hill, thename of Mr Easy's mansion, and who,upon his arrival, had found that Master

Easy had cut his thumb. One wouldhave thought that he had cut his headoff by the agitation pervading thewhole household Mr Easy walking upand down very uneasy, Mrs Easy withgreat difficulty prevented from syncope,and all the maids bustling and passinground Mrs Easy's chair. Everybodyappeared excited except Master JackEasy himself, who, with a rag round hisfinger, and his pinafore spotted withblood, was playing at bob-cherry, andcared nothing about the matter.

"Well, what's the matter, my little man "said Dr Middleton, on entering,addressing himself to Jack, as the mostsensible of the whole party.

"Oh, Dr Middleton," interrupted MrsEasy, "he has cut his hand; I'm sure thata nerve is divided, and then the lock-jaw "

The Doctor made no reply, butexamined the finger: Jack Easycontinued to play bob-cherry with hisright hand.

"Have you such a thing as a piece ofsticking-plaster in the house, madam "observed the Doctor, after examination.

"O yes: run, Mary, run, Sarah!" In a fewseconds the maids appeared, Sarahbringing the sticking-plaster, and Mary

following with the scissors.

"Make yourself quite easy, madam,"said Dr Middleton, after he put on theplaster, "I will answer for no evilconsequences."

"Had I not better take him upstairs, andlet him lie down a little " replied MrsEasy, slipping a guinea into theDoctor's hand.

"It is not absolutely requisite, madam,"said the Doctor; "but at all events hewill be kept out of more mischief."

"Come, my dear, you hear what DrMiddleton says."

"Yes, I heard," replied Jack; "but Ishan't go."

"My dear Johnny come, love now do,my dear Johnny."

Johnny played bob-cherry, and madeno answer.

"Come, Master Johnny," said Sarah.

"Go away, Sarah," said Johnny, with abackhander.

"Oh! fie, Master Johnny," said Mary.

"Johnny, my love," said Mrs Easy in a

coaxing tone, "come now will you go "

"I'll go in the garden and get somemore cherries," replied Master Johnny.

"Come, then, love, we will go into thegarden."

Master Johnny jumped off his chair,and took his mamma by the hand.

"What a dear, good, obedient child itis!" exclaimed Mrs Easy; "you may leadhim with a thread."

"Yes, to pick cherries," thought DrMiddleton. Mrs Easy, and Johnny, andSarah, and Mary, went into the garden,

leaving Dr Middleton alone with MrEasy, who had been silent during thisscene. Now Dr Middleton was a clever,sensible man, who had no wish toimpose upon anyone. As for his takinga guinea for putting on a piece ofsticking-plaster, his conscience was veryeasy on that score. His time was equallyvaluable, whether he were employed forsomething or nothing; and, moreover,he attended the poor gratis. Constantlyin the house, he had seen much of MrJohn Easy, and perceived that he was acourageous, decided boy, of a naturallygood disposition; but from theidiosyncrasy of the father, and thedoting folly of the mother, in a sureway of being spoiled.

As soon, therefore, as the lady was outof hearing, he took a chair, and madethe query at the commencement of thechapter, which we shall now repeat."Have you no idea of putting the boyto school, Mr Easy "

Mr Easy crossed his legs, and claspedhis hands together over his knees, as healways did when he was about tocommence an argument. "The greatobjection that I have to sending a boyto school, Dr Middleton, is, that Iconceive that the discipline enforced is,not only contrary to the rights of man,but also in opposition to all soundsense and common judgment. Not

content with punishment, which is initself erroneous, and an infringementof social justice, they even degrade theminds of the boys still more byapplying punishment to the mostdegraded part, adding contumely totyranny. Of course, it is intended that aboy who is sent to school should gainby precept and example; but is he tolearn benevolence by the angry lookand the flourish of the vindictive birch,or forbearance, by the cruelty of theushers, or patience, when the mastersover him are out of all patience, ormodesty, when his nether parts areexposed to general examination Is henot daily reading a lesson at variancewith that equality which we all possess,

but of which we are unjustly deprivedWhy should there be a distinctionbetween the flogger and the floggeeAre they not both fashioned alike afterGod's image, endowed with the samereason, having an equal right to whatthe world offers, and which wasintended by Providence to be equallydistributed Is it not that the sacredinheritance of all, which hastyrannously and impiously beenravished from the many for the benefitof the few, and which ravishment, fromlong custom of iniquity andinculcation of false precepts, has toolong been basely submitted to Is it notthe duty of a father to preserve his onlyson from imbibing these dangerous

and debasing errors, which will renderhim only one of a vile herd who arecontent to suffer, provided that theylive And yet are not these very errorsinculcated at school, and impressedupon their mind inversely by the birchDo not they there receive their firstlesson in slavery with the first lesson inA B C; and are not their minds therebyprostrated, so as never to rise again, butever to bow to despotism, to cringe torank, to think and act by the preceptsof others, and to tacitly disavow thatsacred equality which is our birthrightNo, sir, without they can teach withoutresorting to such a fundamental erroras flogging, my boy shall never go toschool."

And Mr Easy threw himself back in hischair, imagining like all philosophers,that he had said something very clever.

Dr Middleton knew his man, andtherefore patiently waited until he hadexhausted his oratory.

"I will grant," said the Doctor at last,"that all you say may have great truth init; but, Mr Easy, do you not think thatby not permitting a boy to be educated,you allow him to remain more open tothat very error of which you speak It isonly education which will conquerprejudice, and enable a man to breakthrough the trammels of custom. Now,

allowing that the birch is used, yet it isat a period when the young mind is soelastic as to soon become indifferent;and after he has attained the usualrudiments of education, you will thenfind him prepared to receive thoselessons which you can yourself instil."

"I will teach him everything myself,"replied Mr Easy, folding his armsconsequentially and determinedly.

"I do not doubt your capability, MrEasy; but unfortunately you will alwayshave a difficulty which you never canget over. Excuse me, I know what youare capable of, and the boy wouldindeed be happy with such a preceptor,

but if I must speak plain you must beaware as well as I am, that the maternalfondness of Mrs Easy will always be abar to your intention. He is already sospoiled by her, that he will not obey;and without obedience you cannotinculcate."

"I grant, my dear sir, that there is adifficulty on that point; but maternalweakness must then be overcome bypaternal severity."

"May I ask how, Mr Easy for it appearsto me impossible."

"Impossible! By heavens, I'll make himobey, or I'll " Here Mr Easy stopped

before the word flog was fairly out ofhis mouth, "I'll know the reason why,Dr Middleton."

Dr Middleton checked his inclinationto laugh, and replied, "That you wouldhit upon some scheme, by which youwould obtain the necessary power overhim, I have no doubt; but what will bethe consequence The boy will considerhis mother as a protector, and you as atyrant. He will have an aversion to you,and with that aversion he will never payrespect and attention to your valuableprecepts when he arrives at an age tounderstand them. Now it appears to methat this difficulty which you haveraised may be got over. I know a very

worthy clergyman who does not use thebirch; but I will write, and put thedirect question to him; and then if yourboy is removed from the danger arisingfrom Mrs Easy's overindulgence, in ashort time he will be ready for yourmore important tuition."

"I think," replied Mr Easy, after a pause,"that what you say merits consideration.I acknowledge that in consequence ofMrs Easy's nonsensical indulgence, theboy is unruly, and will not obey me atpresent; and if your friend does notapply the rod, I will think seriously ofsending my son John to him to learnthe elements."

The Doctor had gained his point byflattering the philosopher. In a day hereturned with a letter from thepedagogue in answer to one supposedto be sent to him, in which the use ofthe birch was indignantly disclaimed,and Mr Easy announced to his wife,when they met that day at tea-time, hisintentions with regard to his son John.

"To school, Mr Easy what, send Johnnyto school! a mere infant to school!"

"Surely, my dear, you must be awarethat at nine years it is high time that helearnt to read."

"Why he almost reads already, Mr Easy;

surely I can teach him that. Does henot, Sarah "

"Lord bless him, yes, ma'am, he wassaying his letters yesterday."

"Oh, Mr Easy, what can have put this inyour head Johnny, dear, come here tellme now what's the letter A You weresinging it in the garden this morning."

"I want some sugar," replied Johnny,stretching his arm over the table to thesugar-basin, which was out of hisreach.

"Well, my love, you shall have a greatlump if you will tell me what's the letter

A."

"A was an archer, and shot at a frog,"replied Johnny in a surly tone.

"There now, Mr Easy; and he can gothrough the whole alphabet can't he,Sarah "

"That he can, the dear can't you, Johnnydear "

"No," replied Johnny.

"Yes, you can, my love; you knowwhat's the letter B. Now don't you "

"Yes," replied Johnny.

"There, Mr Easy, you see what the boyknows, and how obedient he is too.Come, Johnny dear, tell us what was B "

"No, I won't," replied Johnny, "I wantsome more sugar"; and Johnny, whohad climbed on a chair, spread himselfover the table to reach it.

"Mercy! Sarah, pull him off he'll upsetthe urn," screamed Mrs Easy. Sarahcaught hold of Johnny by the loins topull him back, but Johnny, resisting theinterference, turned round on his backas he lay on the table, and kicked Sarahin the face, just as she made anotherdesperate grasp at him. The rebound

from the kick, given as he lay on asmooth mahogany table, broughtJohnny's head in contact with the urn,which was upset in the oppositedirection, and, notwithstanding a rapidmovement on the part of Mr Easy, hereceived a sufficient portion of boilingliquid on his legs to scald him severely,and induce him to stamp and swear in avery unphilosophical way. In themeantime Sarah and Mrs Easy hadcaught up Johnny, and were bothholding him at the same time,exclaiming and lamenting. The pain ofthe scald, and the indifference showntowards him, were too much for MrEasy's temper to put up with. Hesnatched Johnny out of their arms, and,

quite forgetting his equality and rightsof man, belaboured him withoutmercy. Sarah flew into interfere, andreceived a blow which not only madeher see a thousand stars, but sent herreeling on the floor. Mrs Easy went offinto hysterics, and Johnny howled so asto be heard at a quarter of a mile.

How long Mr Easy would havecontinued it is impossible to say; butthe door opened, and Mr Easy lookedup while still administering thepunishment, and perceived DrMiddleton in mute astonishment. Hehad promised to come in to tea, andenforce Mr Easy's arguments, if it werenecessary; but it certainly appeared to

him, that in the argument which MrEasy was then enforcing, he requiredno assistance. However, at the entranceof Dr Middleton, Johnny was dropped,and lay roaring on the floor; Sarah, too,remained where she had been floored,Mrs Easy had rolled on the floor, theurn was also on the floor, and Mr Easy,although not floored, had not a leg tostand upon.

Never did a medical man look in moreopportunely. Mr Easy at first was notcertainly of that opinion, but his legsbecame so painful that he soon becamea convert.

Dr Middleton, as in duty bound, first

picked up Mrs Easy, and laid her on thesofa. Sarah rose, picked up Johnny, andcarried him, kicking and roaring, out ofthe room; in return for which attentionshe received sundry bites. The footman,who had announced the doctor, pickedup the urn, that being all that was in hisdepartment. Mr Easy threw himselfpanting in agony on the other sofa, andDr Middleton was excessivelyembarrassed how to act: he perceivedthat Mr Easy required his assistance,and that Mrs Easy could do without it;but how to leave a lady, who was halfreally and half pretendedly in hysterics,was difficult; for if he attempted toleave her, she kicked and flounced, andburst out the more. At last Dr

Middleton rang the bell, which broughtthe footman, who summoned all themaids, who carried Mrs Easy upstairs,and then the Doctor was able to attendto the only patient who really requiredhis assistance. Mr Easy explained theaffair in few words, broken intoejaculations from pain, as the Doctorremoved his stockings. From theapplications of Dr Middleton, Mr Easysoon obtained bodily relief; but whatannoyed him still more than his scaldedlegs, was the Doctor having been awitness to his infringement of theequality and rights of man. DrMiddleton perceived this, and he knewalso how to pour balm into thatwound.

"My dear Mr Easy, I am very sorry thatyou have had this accident, for whichyou are indebted to Mrs Easy's foolishindulgence of the boy; but I am glad toperceive that you have taken up thoseparental duties which are inculcated bythe Scriptures. Solomon says, 'that hewho spares the rod, spoils the child,'thereby implying that it is the duty of afather to correct his children, and in afather, the so doing does not interferewith the rights of man, or any naturalequality, for the son being a part orportion of the father, he is onlycorrecting his own self; and the proofof it is, that a father, in punishing hisown son, feels as much pain in so

doing as if he were himself punished.It is, therefore, nothing but self-discipline, which is strictly enjoined usby the Scriptures."

"That is exactly my opinion," repliedMr Easy, comforted at the Doctorhaving so logically got him out of thescrape. "But he shall go to school to-morrow, that I'm determined on."

"He will have to thank Mrs Easy forthat," replied the Doctor.

"Exactly," replied Mr Easy. "Doctor, mylegs are getting very hot again."

"Continue to bathe them with the

vinegar and water, Mr Easy, until I sendyou an embrocation, which will giveyou immediate relief. I will call to-morrow. By-the-bye, I am to see a littlepatient at Mr Bonnycastle's: if it is anyaccommodation, I will take your sonwith me."

"It will be a great accommodation,Doctor," replied Mr Easy.

"Then, my dear sir, I will just go up andsee how Mrs Easy is, and to-morrow Iwill call at ten. I can wait an hour.Good-night."

"Good-night, Doctor."

The doctor had his game to play withMrs Easy. He magnified her husband'saccident he magnified his wrath, andadvised her by no means to say oneword, until he was well and morepacified. The next day he repeated thisdose, and, in spite of the ejaculationsof Sarah, and the tears of Mrs Easy,who dared not venture to plead hercause, and the violent resistance ofMaster Johnny, who appeared to have apresentiment of what was to come, ourhero was put into Dr Middleton'schariot, and with the exception of oneplate of glass, which he kicked out ofthe window with his feet, and forwhich feat the Doctor, now that he hadhim all to himself, boxed his ears till he

was nearly blind, he was, without anyfurther eventful occurrence, carried bythe Doctor's footman into the parlourof Mr Bonnycastle.

CHAPTER V

Jack Easy is sent to a school at whichthere is no flogging.

Master Jack had been plumped down ina chair by the doctor's servant, who, ashe quitted him, first looked at his ownhands, from which the blood wasdrawn in several parts, and then atMaster Jack, with his teeth closed, and

lips compressed, as much as to say, "IfI only dared, would not I, that's all!"and then walked out of the room,repaired to the carriage at the frontdoor, when he showed his hands to thecoachman, who looked down from hisbox in great commiseration, at the sametime fully sharing his fellow-servant'sindignation. But we must repair to theparlour. Dr Middleton ran over anewspaper, while Johnny sat on thechair all of a heap, looking like a lumpof sulks, with his feet on the upperfront bar, and his knees almost up tohis nose. He was a promising pupil,Jack.

Mr Bonnycastle made his appearance a

tall, well-built, handsome, fair man,with a fine powdered head, dressed insolemn black and knee buckles; hislinen beautifully clean, and with apeculiar bland expression ofcountenance. When he smiled heshowed a row of teeth white as ivory,and his mild blue eye was the ne plusultra of beneficence. He was the beau-ideal of a preceptor, and it wasimpossible to see him and hear his mildpleasing voice, without wishing that allyour sons were under his protection.He was a ripe scholar, and a good one,and at the time we speak of, had thecare of upwards of one hundred boys.He was celebrated for turning them outwell, and many of his pupils were

rising fast in the senate, as well asdistinguishing themselves in the higherProfessions.

Dr Middleton, who was on intimateterms with Bonnycastle, rose as heentered the room, and they shookhands. Middleton then turned to whereJack sat, and pointing to him, said,"Look there."

Bonnycastle smiled. "I cannot say that Ihave had worse, but I have almost asbad. I will apply the Promethean torch,and soon vivify that rude mass. Come,sit down, Middleton."

"But," said the Doctor, as he resumed

his chair, "tell me, Bonnycastle, howyou will possibly manage to lick such acub into shape, when you do not resortto flogging "

"I have no opinion of flogging, andtherefore I do not resort to it. The factis, I was at Harrow myself, and wasrather a pickle. I was called up as oftenas most boys in the school, and Iperfectly recollect, that eventually Icared nothing for a flogging. I hadbecome case-hardened. It is the leasteffective part that you can touch a boyupon. It leaves nothing behind torefresh their memories."

"I should have thought otherwise."

"My dear Middleton, I can producemore effect by one caning than twentyfloggings. Observe, you flog upon apart the most quiescent; but you caneupon all parts, from the head to theheels. Now, when once the first sting ofthe birch is over, then a dull sensationcomes over the part, and the pain afterthat is nothing; whereas a good soundcaning leaves sores and bruises in everypart, and on all the parts which arerequired for muscular action. After aflogging, a boy may run out in thehours of recreation, and join hisplaymates as well as ever, but a goodcaning tells a very different tale; hecannot move one part of his body

without being reminded for days by thepain of the punishment he hasundergone, and he is very careful howhe is called up again."

"My dear sir, I really had an idea thatyou were excessively lenient," repliedMiddleton, laughing; "I am glad that Iam under a mistake."

"Look at that cub, Doctor, sitting theremore like a brute than a reasonablebeing; do you imagine that I could everlick it into shape without strongmeasures At the same time, allow me tosay, that I consider my system by far thebest. At the public schools, punishmentis no check; it is so trifling that it is

derided: with me punishment ispunishment in the true sense of theword, and the consequence is, that it ismuch more seldom resorted to."

"You are a terrorist, Bonnycastle."

"The two strongest impulses in ournature are fear and love. In theory,acting upon the latter is very beautiful;but in practice, I never found it toanswer and for the best of reasons, ourself-love is stronger than our love forothers. Now I never yet found fear tofail, for the very same reason that theother does, because with fear we actupon self-love, and nothing else."

"And yet we have many now whowould introduce a system of schoolingwithout correction; and who maintainthat the present system is degrading."

"There are a great many fools in thisworld, Doctor."

"That reminds me of this boy's father,"replied Dr Middleton; who thendetailed to the pedagogue theidiosyncrasy of Mr Easy, and all thecircumstances attending Jack being sentto his school.

"There is no time to be lost then,Doctor. I must conquer this younggentleman before his parents call to see

him. Depend upon it, in a week I willhave him obedient and well broke in."

Dr Middleton wished Jack good-bye,and told him to be a good boy. Jack didnot vouchsafe to answer. "Never mind,Doctor, he will be more polished nexttime you call here, depend upon it."And the Doctor departed.

Although Mr Bonnycastle was severe,he was very judicious. Mischief of allkinds was visited but by slenderpunishment, such as being kept in atplay hours, etc; and he seldominterfered with the boys for fighting,although he checked decidedoppression. The great "sine qua non"

with him was attention to their studies.He soon discovered the capabilities ofhis pupils, and he forced themaccordingly; but the idle boy, the birdwho "could sing and wouldn't sing,"received no mercy. The consequencewas, that he turned out the cleverestboys, and his conduct was so uniformand unvarying in its tenor, that if hewas feared when they were under hiscontrol, he was invariably liked bythose whom he had instructed, andthey continued his friends in after-life.

Mr Bonnycastle at once perceived thatit was no use coaxing our hero, and thatfear was the only attribute by which hecould be controlled. So, as soon as Dr

Middleton had quitted the room, headdressed him in a commanding tone,"Now, boy, what is your name "

Jack started; he looked up at his master,perceived his eye fixed upon him, and acountenance not to be played with. Jackwas no fool, and somehow or another,the discipline he had received from hisfather had given him some intimationof what was to come. All this puttogether induced Jack to condescend toanswer, with his forefinger between histeeth, "Johnny."

"And what is your other name, sir "

Jack, who appeared to repent his

condescension, did not at first answer,but he looked again in MrBonnycastle's face, and then round theroom: there was no one to help him,and he could not help himself, so hereplied "Easy."

"Do you know why you are sent toschool "

"Scalding father."

"No; you are sent to learn to read andwrite."

"But I won't read and write," repliedJack, sulkily.

"Yes, you will; and you are going toread your letters now directly."

Jack made no answer. Mr Bonnycastleopened a sort of bookcase, anddisplayed to John's astonished view aseries of canes, ranged up and downlike billiard cues, and continued, "Doyou know what those are for "

Jack eyed them wistfully; he had somefaint idea that he was sure to be betteracquainted with them, but he made noanswer.

"They are to teach little boys to readand write, and now I am going to teachyou. You'll soon learn. Look now

here," continued Mr Bonnycastle,opening a book with large type, andtaking a capital at the head of a chapter,about half an inch long. "Do you seethat letter "

"Yes," replied Johnny, turning his eyesaway, and picking his fingers.

"Well, that is the letter B. Do you see itlook at it, so that you may know itagain. That's the letter B. Now tell mewhat letter that is "

Jack now determined to resist, so hemade no answer.

"So you cannot tell; well, then, we will

try what one of these little fellows willdo," said Mr Bonnycastle, taking downa cane. "Observe, Johnny, that's theletter B. Now, what letter is that Answerme directly."

"I won't learn to read and write."

Whack came the cane on Johnny'sshoulders, who burst out into a roar ashe writhed with pain.

Mr Bonnycastle waited a few seconds."That's the letter B. Now tell me, sir,directly, what that letter is "

"I'll tell my mar." Whack! "O law! Olaw!"

"What letter is that "

Johnny, with his mouth open, panting,and the tears on his cheeks, answered,indignantly, "Stop till I tell Sarah."

Whack came the cane again, and a freshburst from Johnny.

"What letter's that "

"I won't tell," roared Johnny; "I won'ttell that I won't."

Whack, whack, whack, and a pause. "Itold you before, that's the letter B. Whatletter is that Tell me directly."

Johnny, by way of reply, made a snatchat the cane. Whack, he caught it,certainly, but not exactly as he wouldhave wished. Johnny then snatched upthe book, and dashed it to the cornerof the room. Whack, whack. Johnnyattempted to seize Mr Bonnycastle withhis teeth. Whack, whack, whack, whack;and Johnny fell on the carpet, androared with pain. Mr Bonnycastle thenleft him for a little while, to recoverhimself, and sat down.

At last Johnny's exclamations settleddown in deep sobs, and then MrBonnycastle said to him, "Now, Johnny,you perceive that you must do as you

are bid, or else you will have morebeating. Get up immediately. Do youhear, sir "

Somehow or another, Johnny, withoutintending it, stood upon his feet.

"That's a good boy; now you see, bygetting up as you were bid, You havenot been beaten. Now, Johnny, youmust go and bring the book fromwhere you threw it down. Do you hear,sir bring it directly!"

Johnny looked at Mr Bonnycastle andthe cane. With every intention to refuse,Johnny picked up the book and laid iton the table.

"That's a good boy; now we will findthe letter B. Here it is: now, Johnny, tellme what that letter is "

Johnny made no answer.

"Tell me directly, sir," said MrBonnycastle, raising his cane up in theair. The appeal was too powerful.Johnny eyed the cane; it moved, it wascoming. Breathlessly he shrieked out,"B!"

"Very well indeed, Johnny very well.Now your first lesson is over, and youshall go to bed. You have learned morethan you think for. To-morrow we will

begin again. Now we'll put the caneby."

Mr Bonnycastle rang the bell, anddesired Master Johnny to be put to bed,in a room by himself, and not to givehim any supper, as hunger would, thenext morning, much facilitate hisstudies. Pain and hunger alone willtame brutes, and the same remedy mustbe applied to conquer those passions inman which assimilate him with brutes.Johnny was conducted to bed, althoughit was but six o'clock. He was not onlyin pain, but his ideas were confused;and no wonder, after all his life havingbeen humoured and indulged neverpunished until the day before. After all

the caresses of his mother and Sarah,which he never knew the value of afterstuffing himself all day long, and beingtempted to eat till he turned away insatiety, to find himself without hismother, without Sarah, without suppercovered with wheals, and, what wasworse than all, without his own way.No wonder Johnny was confused; atthe same time that he was subdued;and, as Mr Bonnycastle had truly toldhim, he had learnt more than he hadany idea of. And what would Mrs Easyhave said, had she known all this andSarah, too And Mr Easy, with his rightsof man At the very time that Johnnywas having the devil driven out of him,they were consoling themselves with

the idea, that, at all events, there was nobirch used at Mr Bonnycastle's, quitelosing sight of the fact, that as there aremore ways of killing a dog besideshanging him, so are there more ways ofteaching than a posteriors. Happy intheir ignorance, they all went fast asleep,little dreaming that Johnny was alreadyso far advanced in knowledge, as tohave a tolerable comprehension of themystery of cane. As for Johnny, he hadcried himself to sleep, at least six hoursbefore them.

CHAPTER VI

In which Jack makes essay of hisfather's sublime philosophy, and arrivesvery near to truth at last.

The next morning Master Jack Easy wasnot only very sore, but very hungry, andas Mr Bonnycastle informed him thathe would not only have plenty of cane,but also no breakfast, if he did notlearn his letters, Johnny had wisdomenough to say the whole alphabet, forwhich he received a great deal of praise,the which, if he did not dulyappreciate, he at all events infinitelypreferred to beating. Mr Bonnycastleperceived that he had conquered theboy by one hour's well-timed severity.He therefore handed him over to the

ushers in the school, and as they wereequally empowered to administer theneedful impulse, Johnny very soonbecame a very tractable boy.

It may be imagined that the absence ofJohnny was severely felt at home, butsuch was not the case. In the first place,Dr Middleton had pointed out to MrsEasy that there was no flogging at theschool, and that the punishmentreceived by Johnny from his fatherwould very likely be repeated and in thenext, although Mrs Easy thought thatshe never could have survived theparting with her own son, she soonfound out that she was much happierwithout him. A spoilt child is always a

source of anxiety and worry, and afterJohnny's departure Mrs Easy found aquiet and repose much more suited toher disposition. Gradually she weanedherself from him, and, satisfied withseeing him occasionally, and hearing thereports of Dr Middleton, she, at last,was quite reconciled to his being atschool, and not coming back exceptduring the holidays. John Easy madegreat progress; he had good naturalabilities, and Mr Easy rubbed his handswhen he saw the Doctor, saying, "Yes,let them have him for a year or twolonger, and then I'll finish him myself."Each vacation he had attempted toinstil into Johnny's mind the equalrights of man. Johnny appeared to pay

but little attention to his father'sdiscourses, but evidently showed thatthey were not altogether thrown away,as he helped himself to everything hewanted, without asking leave. And thuswas our hero educated until he arrivedat the age of sixteen, when he was astout, good-looking boy, with plenty tosay for himself, indeed, when it suitedhis purpose, he could out-talk hisfather.

Nothing pleased Mr Easy so much asJack's loquacity. "That's right; argue thepoint, Jack argue the point, boy," wouldhe say, as Jack disputed with his mother.And then he would turn to the Doctor,rubbing his hands, and observe,

"Depend upon it, Jack will be a great, avery great man." And then he wouldcall Jack and give him a guinea for hiscleverness; and at last Jack thought it avery clever thing to argue. He neverwould attempt to argue with MrBonnycastle, because he was aware thatMr Bonnycastle's arguments were toostrong for him, but he argued with allthe boys until it ended in a fight, whichdecided the point; and he sometimesargued with the ushers. In short, at thetime we now speak of, which was at thebreaking up of the Midsummerholidays, Jack was as full of argumentas he was fond of it. He would arguethe point to the point of a needle, andhe would divide that point into as

many as there were days of the year,and argue upon each. In short, therewas no end to Jack's arguing the point,although there seldom was point to hisargument.

Jack had been fishing in the river,without any success, for a wholemorning, and observed a large pondwhich had the appearance of beingwell stocked he cleared the park palings,and threw in his line. He had pulled upseveral fine fish, when he was accostedby the proprietor, accompanied by acouple of keepers.

"May I request the pleasure of yourname, young gentleman " said the

proprietor to Jack.

Now Jack was always urbane and polite.

"Certainly, sir; my name is Easy, verymuch at your service."

"And you appear to me to be taking itvery easy," replied the gentleman. "Pray,sir, may I enquire whether you areaware that you are trespassing "

"The word trespass, my dear sir,"replied Jack, "will admit of muchargument, and I will divide it into threeheads. It implies, according to theconventional meaning, coming withoutpermission upon the land or property

of another. Now, sir, the question mayall be resolved in the following. Wasnot the world made for all and has anyone, or any portion of its inhabitants,an exclusive right to claim any part ofit, as his property If you please, I havelaid down the proposition, and we willnow argue the point."

The gentleman who accosted Jack hadheard of Mr Easy and his arguments;he was a humorist, and more inclinedto laugh than to be angry; at the sametime that he considered it necessary toshow Jack that under existingcircumstances they were not tenable.

"But, Mr Easy, allowing the trespass on

the property to be venial, surely you donot mean to say that you are justified intaking my fish; I bought the fish, andstocked the pond, and have fed themever since. You cannot deny but thatthey are private property, and that totake them is a theft "

"That will again admit of muchratiocination, my dear sir," replied Jack;"but, I beg your pardon, I have a fish."Jack pulled up a large carp, much to theindignation of the keepers, and to theamusement of their master, unhookedit, placed it in his basket, renewed hisbait with the greatest sang, and thenthrowing in his line, resumed hisdiscourse. "As I was observing, my dear

sir," continued Jack, "that will admit ofmuch ratiocination. All the creatures ofthe earth were given to man for his useman means mankind they were neverintended to be made a monopoly of;water is also the gift of heaven, andmeant for the use of all. We now cometo the question how far the fish areyour property. If the fish only bred onpurpose to please you, and make you apresent of their stock, it might thenrequire a different line of argument;but as in breeding they only acted inobedience to an instinct with whichthey are endowed on purpose that theymay supply man, I submit to you thatyou cannot prove these fish to be yoursmore than mine. As for feeding with

the idea that they were your own, that isnot an unusual case in this world, evenwhen a man is giving bread and butterto his children. Further but I haveanother bite I beg your pardon, my dearsir ah! he's off again."

"Then, Mr Easy, you mean to say thatthe world and its contents are made forall."

"Exactly, sir; that is my father's opinion,who is a very great philosopher."

"How then does your father accountfor some possessing property andothers being without it "

"Because those who are the strongesthave deprived those who are weaker."

"But would not that be always the caseeven if we were in that state of generalinheritance which you have supposedFor instance, allowing two men tochase the same animal, and both tocome up to it at the same time, wouldnot the strongest bear it off "

"I grant that, sir."

"Well, then, where is your equality "

"That does not disprove that men werenot intended to be equal; it only provesthat they are not so. Neither does it

disprove that everything was not madefor the benefit of all; it only proves thatthe strong will take advantage of theweak, which is very natural."

"Oh! you grant that to be very natural.Well, Mr Easy, I am glad to perceivethat we are of one mind, and I trust weshall continue so. You'll observe that Iand my keepers being three, we are thestrong party in this instance, andadmitting your argument, that the fishare as much yours as mine, still I takeadvantage of my strength to repossessmyself of them, which is, as you say,very natural James, take those fish."

"If you please," interrupted Jack, "we

will argue that point "

"Not at all; I will act according to yourown arguments I have the fish, but Inow mean to have more that fishing-rod is as much mine as yours, and beingthe stronger party I will take possessionof it. James, William, take that fishing-rod, it is ours."

"I presume you will first allow me toobserve," replied Jack, "that although Ihave expressed my opinion that theearth and the animals on it were madefor us all, that I never yet have asserted,that what a man creates by himself, orhas created for him for a consideration,is not his own property."

"I beg your pardon; the trees that thatrod was made from were made for usall, and if you, or any one for you, havethought proper to make it into a rod, itis no more my fault than it is that Ihave been feeding the fish, with thesupposition that they were my own.Everything being common, and it beingbut natural that the strong should takeadvantage of the weak, I must take thatrod as my property, until I amdispossessed by one more powerful.Moreover, being the stronger party, andhaving possession of this land, whichyou say does not belong to me morethan to you I also shall direct mykeepers to see you off this property.

James, take the rod see Mr Easy overthe park palings. Mr Easy, I wish you agood morning."

"Sir, I beg your pardon, you have notyet heard all my arguments," repliedJack, who did not approve of theconclusions drawn.

"I have no time to hear more, Mr Easy;I wish you a good morning." And theproprietor departed, leaving Jack incompany with the keepers.

"I'll trouble you for that rod, master,"said William. James was very busystringing the fish through the gills upona piece of osier.

"At all events you will hear reason,"said Jack: "I have arguments " "I neverheard no good arguments in favour ofpoaching," interrupted the keeper.

"You're an insolent fellow," replied Jack."It is by paying such vagabonds as youthat people are able to be guilty ofinjustice."

"It's by paying us that the land an'tpoached and if there be some excusefor a poor devil who is out of work,there be none for you, who callyourself a gentleman."

"According to his account, as we be all

equal, he be no more a gentleman thanwe be."

"Silence, you blackguard, I shall notcondescend to argue with such as you:if I did, I could prove that you are a setof base slaves, who have just as muchright to this property as your master orI have."

"As you have, I dare say, master."

"As I have, you scoundrel; this pond isas much my property, and so are thefish in it, as they are of your master,who has usurped the right."

"I say, James, what do you say, shall we

put the young gentleman in possessionof his property " said William, winkingto the other.

James took the hint, they seized Jack bythe arms and legs, and soused him intothe pond. Jack arose after a deepsubmersion, and floundered on shoreblowing and spluttering. But in themeantime the keepers had walked away,carrying with them the rod and line,fish, and tin can of bait, laughingloudly at the practical joke which theyhad played our hero.

"Well," thought Jack, "either there mustbe some mistake in my father'sphilosophy, or else this is a very wicked

world. I shall submit this case to myfather."

And Jack received this reply "I havetold you before, Jack, that theseimportant truths will not at present beadmitted but it does not the less followthat they are true. This is the age ofiron, in which might has become rightbut the time will come when thesetruths will be admitted, and yourfather's name will be more celebratedthan that of any philosopher ofancient days. Recollect, Jack, thatalthough in preaching against wrongand advocating the rights of man, youwill be treated as a martyr, it is still yourduty to persevere; and if you are

dragged through all the horse ponds inthe kingdom, never give up yourargument."

"That I never will, sir," replied Jack;"but the next time I argue it shall be, ifpossible, with power on my side, and,at all events, not quite so near a pond."

"I think," said Mrs Easy, who had beena silent listener, "that Jack had betterfish in the river, and then, if he catchesno fish, at all events he will not besoused in the water, and spoil hisclothes."

But Mrs Easy was no philosopher.

A few days afterwards, Jack discovered,one fine morning, on the other side ofa hedge, a summer apple-tree bearingtempting fruit, and he immediatelybroke through the hedge, and climbingthe tree, as our first mother did beforehim, he culled the fairest and did eat.

"I say, you sir, what are you doing there" cried a rough voice.

Jack looked down, and perceived astout, thickset personage in grey coatand red waistcoat, standing underneathhim.

"Don't you see what I'm about," repliedJack, "I'm eating apples shall I throw

you down a few "

"Thank you kindly the fewer that arepulled the better; perhaps, as you are sofree to give them to others as well as tohelp yourself, you may think that theyare your own property!"

"Not a bit more my property than theyare yours, my good man."

"I guess that's something like the truth;but you are, not quite at the truth yet,my lad; those apples are mine, and I'lltrouble you to come down as fast asyou please; when you're down we canthen settle our accounts; and,"continued the man, shaking his cudgel,

"depend upon it you shall have yourreceipt in full."

Jack did not much like the appearanceof things.

"My good man," said he, "it is quite aprejudice on your part to imagine thatapples were not given, as well as allother fruit, for the benefit of us all theyare common property, believe me."

"That's a matter of opinion, my lad,and I may be allowed to have own."

"You'll find it in the Bible," says Jack.

"I never did yet, and I've read it

through and through all, bating thePocryfar."

"Then," said Jack, "go home and fetchthe Bible, and I'll prove it to you."

"I suspect you'll not wait till I comeback again. No, no; I have lost plentyof apples, and have long wanted tofind the robbers out; now I've caughtone I'll take care that he don't 'scapewithout apple sauce, at all events socome down, you young thief, comedown directly or it will be all the worsefor you."

"Thank you," said Jack, "but I am verywell here. I will, if you please, argue the

point from where I am."

"I've no time to argue the point, my lad;I've plenty to do, but do not think I'lllet you off. If you don't choose tocome down, why then you may staythere, and I'll answer for it, as soon aswork is done I shall find you safeenough."

"What can be done," thought Jack,"with a man who will not listen toargument What a world is this!however, he'll not find me here whenhe comes back, I've a notion."

But in this Jack was mistaken. Thefarmer walked to the hedge, and called

to a boy, who took his orders and ranto the farmhouse. In a minute or two alarge bull-dog was seen bounding alongthe orchard to his master. "Mark him,Caesar," said the farmer to the dog,"mark him." The dog crouched downon the grass with his head up, and eyesglaring at Jack, showing a range of teeththat drove all our hero's philosophy outof his head.

"I can't wait here, but Caesar can, and Iwill tell you, as a friend, that if he getshold of you, he'll not leave a limb ofyou together, when work's done I'llcome back"; so saying, the farmerwalked off, leaving Jack and the dog toargue the point, if so inclined. What a

sad jade must philosophy be, to put hervotaries in such predicaments!

After a while the dog laid his headdown and closed his eyes, as if asleep,but Jack observed that at the leastmovement on his part one eye was seenpartially to unclose; so Jack, like aprudent man, resolved to remain wherehe was. He picked a few more apples,for it was his dinner-time, and as hechewed he ruminated.

Jack had been but a few minutesruminating before he was interruptedby another ruminating animal, no less apersonage than a bull, who had beenturned out with full possession of the

orchard, and who now advanced,bellowing occasionally, and tossing hishead at the sight of Caesar, whom heconsidered as much a trespasser as hismaster had our hero. Caesar started onhis legs and faced the bull, whoadvanced pawing, with his tail up in theair. When within a few yards the bullmade a rush at the dog, who evadedhim and attacked him in return, andthus did the warfare continue until theopponents were already at somedistance from the apple-tree. Jackprepared for immediate flight, butunfortunately the combat was carriedon by the side of the hedge at whichJack had gained admission. Nevermind, thought Jack, there are two sides

to every field and although the otherhedge joined on to the garden near tothe farmhouse, there was no option."At all events," said Jack, "I'll try it."

Jack was slipping down the trunk,when he heard a tremendous roar; thebull-dog had been tossed by the bull;he was then high in the air, and Jacksaw him fall on the other side of thehedge; and the bull was thus celebratinghis victory with a flourish of trumpets.Upon which Jack, perceiving that hewas relieved from his sentry, slippeddown the rest of the tree and took tohis heels. Unfortunately for Jack, thebull saw him, and, flushed with victory,he immediately set up another roar, and

bounded after Jack. Jack perceived hisdanger, and fear gave him wings; he notonly flew over the orchard, but he flewover the hedge, which was about fivefeet high, just as the bull drove his headinto it.

Look before you leap, is an oldproverb. Had Jack done so, he wouldhave done better; but as there werecogent reasons to be offered inextenuation of our philosopher, weshall say no more, but merely state thatJack, when he got to the other side ofthe hedge, found that he had pitchedinto a small apiary, and had upset twohives of bees who resented theintrusion; and Jack had hardly time to

get upon his legs before he found themvery busy stinging him in all quarters.All that Jack could do was to run for it,but the bees flew faster than he couldrun, and Jack was mad with pain, whenhe stumbled, half-blinded, over thebrickwork of a well. Jack could notstop his pitching into the well, but heseized the iron chain as it struck himacross the face. Down went Jack, andround went the windlass, and after arapid descent of forty feet our herofound himself under water, and nolonger troubled with the bees, who,whether they had lost scent of theirprey from his rapid descent, or beingnotoriously clever insects,acknowledged the truth of the adage,

"leave well alone," had certainly leftJack with no other companion thanTruth. Jack rose from his immersion,and seized the rope to which the chainof the bucket was made fast it had allof it been unwound from the windlass,and therefore it enabled Jack to keephis head above water. After a fewseconds Jack felt something against hislegs, it was the bucket, about two feetunder the water; Jack put his feet into itand found himself pretty comfortable,for the water, after the sting of the beesand the heat he had been put into bythe race with the bull, was quite cooland refreshing.

"At all events," thought Jack, "if it had

not been for the bull, I should havebeen watched by the dog, and thenthrashed by the farmer; but then again,if it had not been for the bull, I shouldnot have tumbled among the bees; andif it had not been for the bees, I shouldnot have tumbled into the well; and ifit had not been for the chain, I shouldhave been drowned. Such has been thechain of events, all because I wanted toeat an apple.

"However, I have got rid of the farmer,and the dog, and the bull, and the beesall's well that ends well; but how thedevil am I to get out of the well allcreation appears to have conspiredagainst the rights of man. As my father

said, this is an iron age, and here I amswinging to an iron chain."

We have given the whole of Jack'ssoliloquy, as it will prove that Jack wasno fool, although he was a bit of aphilosopher; and a man who couldreason so well upon cause ant effect, atthe bottom of a well, up to his neck inwater, showed a good deal of presenceof mind. But if Jack's mind had been alittle twisted by his father's philosophy,it had still sufficient strength andelasticity to recover itself in due time.Had Jack been a common personage,we should never, have selected him forour hero.

CHAPTER VII

In which Jack makes some very sagereflections, and comes to a very unwisedecision.

After all, it must be acknowledged thatalthough there are cases of distress inwhich a well may become a place ofrefuge, a well is not at all calculated fora prolonged residence so thought Jack.After he had been there some fifteenminutes, his teeth chattered, and hislimbs trembled; he felt a numbness allover, and he thought it high time to callfor assistance, which at first he would

not, as he was afraid he should bepulled up to encounter the indignationof the farmer and his family. Jack wasarranging his jaws for a halloo, when hefelt the chain pulled up, and he slowlyemerged from the water. At first heheard complaints of the weight of thebucket, at which Jack was not surprised;then he heard a tittering and laughingbetween two parties; and soonafterwards he mounted up gaily. At lasthis head appeared above the low wall,and he was about to extend his arms soas to secure a position on it, whenthose who were working at thewindlass beheld him. It was a heavyfarming man and a maid-servant.

"Thank you," said Jack.

One never should be too quick inreturning thanks; the girl screamed andlet go the winch, the man, frightened,did not hold it fast; it slipped from hisgrasp, whirled round, struck him underthe chin, and threw him over itheadlong, and before the "Thank you"was fairly out of Jack's lips, down hewent again like lightning to the bottom.Fortunately for Jack, he had not yet letgo the chain, or he might have struckthe sides and have been killed; as it was,he was merely soused a second time,and in a minute or two regained hisformer position.

"This is mighty pleasant," thought Jack,as he clapped his wet hat once more onhis head; "at all events, they can't nowplead ignorance, they must know thatI'm here."

In the meantime the girl ran into thekitchen, threw herself down on a stool,from which she reeled off in a fit uponsundry heaps of dough waiting to bebaked in the oven, which were laid torise on the floor before the fire.

"Mercy on me, what is the matter withSusan " exclaimed the farmer's wife."Here where's Mary where's John Dearyme, if the bread won't all be turned topancakes."

John soon followed, holding his under-jaw in his hand, looking very dismaland very frightened, for two reasons;one, because he thought that his jawwas broken, and the other, because hethought he had seen the devil.

"Mercy on us, what is the matter "exclaimed the farmer's wife again."Mary, Mary, Mary!" screamed she,beginning to be frightened herself, forwith all her efforts she could notremove Susan from the bed of dough,where she lay senseless and heavy aslead. Mary answered to her mistress'sloud appeal, and with her assistancethey raised up Susan; but as for the

bread, there was no hopes of it everrising again. "Why don't you come hereand help Susan, John " cried Mary.

"Aw-yaw-aw!" was all the reply ofJohn, who had had enough quite ofhelping Susan, and who continued tohold his head, as it were, in his hand.

"What's the matter here, missus "exclaimed the farmer, coming in."Highty-tighty, what ails Susan andwhat ails you " continued the farmer,turning to John. "Dang it, buteverything seems to go wrong, thisblessed day. First, there be all the applesstolen then there be all the hives turnedtopsy-turvy in the garden then there be

Caesar with his flank opened by thebull then there be the bull brokenthrough the hedge and tumbled intothe saw-pit and now I come to getmore help to drag him out, I find onewoman dead like, and John looks as ifhe had seen the devil."

"Aw-yaw-aw!" replied John, noddinghis head very significantly.

"One would think that the devil hadbroke loose to-day. What is it, JohnHave you seen him, and has Susan seenhim "

"Aw-yaw."

"He's stopped your jaw, then, at allevents, and I thought the devil himselfwouldn't have done that-we shall getnothing of you. Is that wench comingto her senses "

"Yes, yes, she's better now, Susan, what'sthe matter "

"Oh, oh, ma'am! the well, the well "

"The well! Something wrong there, Isuppose: well, I will go and see."

The farmer trotted off to the well; heperceived the bucket was at the bottomand all the rope out; he looked abouthim, and then he looked into the well.

Jack, who had become very impatient,had been looking up some time for theassistance which he expected wouldhave come sooner; the round face ofthe farmer occasioned a partial eclipseof the round disk which bounded hisview, just as one of the satellites ofJupiter sometimes obscures the face ofthe planet round which he revolves.

"Here I am," cried Jack; "get me upquick, or I shall be dead"; and WhatJack said was true, for he was quitedone up by having been so long down,although his courage had not failedhim.

"Dang it, but there be somebody fallen

into the well," cried the farmer; "no endto mishaps this day. Well, we must get aChristian out of a well afore we get abull out of a saw-pit, so I'll go and callthe men."

In a very short time the men who wereassembled round the saw-pit werebrought to the well.

"Down below there, hold on now."

"Never fear," cried Jack.

Away went the winch, and once moreJack had an extended horizon to survey.As soon as he was at the top, the menhauled him over the bricks and laid him

down upon the ground, for Jack'sstrength had failed him.

"Dang it, if it bean't that chap who wason my apple-tree," cried the farmer"howsoever, he must not die forstealing a few apples; lift him up, lads,and take him in he is dead with cold nowonder."

The farmer led the way, and the mencarried Jack into the house, when thefarmer gave him a glass of brandy; thisrestored Jack's circulation, and in ashort time he was all right again.

After some previous conversation, inwhich Jack narrated all that had

happened, "What may be your name "inquired the farmer.

"My name is Easy," replied Jack.

"What! be you the son of Mr Easy, ofForest Hill "

"Yes."

"Dang it, he be my landlord, and a rightgood landlord too why didn't you sayso when you were up in the apple-treeYou might have picked the wholeorchard and welcome."

"My dear sir," replied Jack, who hadtaken a second glass of brandy, and was

quite talkative again, "let this be awarning to you, and when a manproposes to argue the point, always, infuture, listen. Had you waited, I wouldhave proved to you most incontestablythat you had no more right to theapples than I had; but you would notlisten to argument, and withoutdiscussion we can never arrive at truth.You send for your dog, who is rippedup by the bull the bull breaks his leg ina saw-pit the bee-hives are overturned,and you lose all your honey your manJohn breaks his jaw your maid Susanspoils all the bread and why becauseyou would not allow me to argue thepoint."

"Well, Mr Easy, it be all true that allthese mishaps have happened because Iwould not allow you to argue the point,perhaps, although, as I rent the orchardfrom your father, I cannot imagine howyou could prove to me that the appleswere not mine; but now, let's take yourside of the question, and I don't seehow you be much better off: you get upin a tree for a few apples, with plenty ofmoney to buy them if you like you arekept there by a dog you are nearlygored by a bull you are stung by thebees, and you tumble souse into a well,and are nearly killed a dozen times, andall for a few apples not worthtwopence."

"All very true, my good man," repliedJack; "but you forget that I, as aphilosopher, was defending the rightsof man."

"Well, I never knew before that a ladwho stole apples was called aphilosopher we calls it petty larceny inthe indictments: and as for your rightsof man, I cannot see how they can bedefended by doing what's wrong."

"You do not comprehend the matter,farmer."

"No, I don't and I be too old to learn,Master Easy. All I have to say is this,you are welcome to all the apples in the

orchard if you please, and if youprefers, as it seems you do, to stealthem, instead of asking for them,which I only can account for by thereason that they say, that 'stolen fruit besweetest,' I've only to say that I shallgive orders that you be not interferedwith. My chaise be at the door, MasterEasy, and the man will drive you toyour father's make my compliments tohim, and say, that I'm very sorry thatyou tumbled into our well."

As Jack was much more inclined forbed than argument, he wished thefarmer good-night, and allowedhimself to be driven home. The painfrom the sting of the bees, now that his

circulation had fully returned, was sogreat, that he was not sorry to find DrMiddleton taking his tea with his fatherand mother. Jack merely said that hehad been so unfortunate as to upset ahive, and had been severely stung. Hedeferred the whole story till anotheropportunity. Dr Middleton prescribedfor Jack, but on taking his hand foundthat he was in a high fever, which, afterthe events of the day, was not to bewondered at. Jack was bled, and kepthis bed for a week, by which time hewas restored; but, during that time, Jackhad been thinking very seriously, andhad made up his mind.

But we must explain a circumstance

which had occurred, which wasprobably the cause of Jack's decision.When Jack returned on the evening inquestion, he found seated with hisfather and Dr Middleton a CaptainWilson, a sort of cousin to the family,who but occasionally paid them a visit,for he lived at some distance; andhaving a wife and large family, withnothing but his half-pay for theirsupport, he could not afford to expendeven shoe-leather in compliments. Theobject of this visit on the part ofCaptain Wilson was to request the aidof Mr Easy He had succeeded inobtaining his appointment to a sloopof war (for he was in the king'sservice), but was without the means of

fitting himself out, without leaving hiswife and family penniless. He thereforecame to request Mr Easy to lend him afew hundred pounds, until he shouldbe able, by his prize-money, to repaythem. Mr Easy was not a man to refusesuch a request, and always havingplenty of spare cash at his banker's, hedrew a cheque for a thousand pounds,which he gave to Captain Wilson,requesting that he would only repay itat his convenience. Captain Wilsonwrote an acknowledgment of the debt,promising to pay upon his first prize-money, which receipt, however bindingit may be to a man of honour, was, inpoint of law, about as valuable as if hehad agreed to pay as soon "as the cows

came home." The affair had been justconcluded, and Captain Wilson hadreturned into the parlour with Mr Easy,when Jack returned from hisexpedition.

Jack greeted Captain Wilson, whom hehad long known; but, as we beforeobserved, he suffered so much pain,that he soon retired with Dr Middleton,and went to bed.

During a week there is room for muchreflection, even in a lad of fourteen,although at that age we are not muchinclined to think. But Jack was in bed;his eyes were so swollen with the stingsof the bees that he could neither read

nor otherwise amuse himself; and hepreferred his own thoughts to thegabble of Sarah, who attended him; soJack thought, and the result of hiscogitations we shall soon bringforward.

It was on the eighth day that Jack lefthis bed and came down into thedrawing-room. He then detailed to hisfather the adventures which had takenplace, which had obliged him to take tohis bed.

"You see, Jack," replied his father, "it'sjust what I told you: the world is soutterly demoralised by what is calledsocial compact, and the phalanx

supporting it, by contributing a portionof their unjust possessions for thesecurity of the remainder, is sopowerful, that any one who opposes itmust expect to pass the life of a martyr;but martyrs are always requiredprevious to any truth, however sublime,being received, and, like Abraham,whom I have always considered as agreat philosopher, I am willing tosacrifice my only son in so noble acause."

"That's all very good on your part,father, but we must argue the point alittle. If you are as great a philosopheras Abraham, I am not quite so dutiful ason as Isaac, whose blind obedience, in

my opinion, is very contrary to yourrights of man: but the fact, in fewwords, is simply this. In promulgatingyour philosophy, in the short space oftwo days, I have been robbed of thefish I caught, and my rod and line Ihave been soused into a fish-pond Ihave been frightened out of my wits bya bull-dog been nearly killed by a bullbeen stung to death by bees, and twicetumbled into a well. Now, if all thathappens in two days, what must Iexpect to suffer in a whole year Itappears to be very unwise to attemptmaking further converts, for people onshore seem determined not to listen toreason or argument. But it has occurredto me, that although the whole earth

has been so nefariously divided amongthe few, that the waters at least are theproperty of all. No man claims hisshare of the sea every one may thereplough as he pleases, without beingtaken up for a trespasser. Even warmakes no difference; every one may goon as he pleases, and if they meet, it isnothing but a neutral ground on whichthe parties contend. It is, then, onlyupon the ocean that I am likely to findthat equality and rights of man, whichwe are so anxious to establish on shore;and therefore I have resolved not to goto school again, which I detest, but togo to sea, and propagate our opinionsas much as I can."

"I cannot listen to that, Jack, in the firstplace, you must return to school; in thenext place, you shall not go to sea."

"Then, father, all I have to say is, that Iswear by the rights of man I will not goback to school, and that I will go to sea.Who and what is to prevent me Wasnot I born my own master has any onea right to dictate to me as if I were nothis equal Have I not as much right tomy share of the sea as any other mortalI stand upon perfect equality,"continued Jack, stamping his right footon the floor.

What had Mr Easy to offer in reply Hemust either, as a philosopher, have

sacrificed his hypothesis, or, as a father,have sacrificed his son. Like allphilosophers, he preferred what heconsidered as the less important of thetwo, he sacrificed his son; but we willdo him justice he did it with a sigh.

"Jack, you shall, if you wish it, go tosea."

"That, of course," replied Jack, with theair of a conqueror; "but the question is,with whom Now it has occurred to me,that Captain Wilson has just beenappointed to a ship, and I should liketo sail with him."

"I will write to him," said Mr Easy,

mournfully, "but I should have liked tohave felt his head first"; and thus wasthe matter arranged.

The answer from Captain Wilson was,of course, in the affirmative, and hepromised that he would treat Jack as hisown son.

Our hero mounted his father's horse,and rode off to Mr Bonnycastle.

"I am going to sea, Mr Bonnycastle."

"The very best thing for you," repliedMr Bonnycastle.

Our hero met Dr Middleton. "I am

going to sea, Dr Middleton."

"The very best thing for you," repliedthe Doctor. "I am going to sea,mother," said John. "To sea, John, tosea no, no, dear John, you are not goingto sea," replied Mrs Easy, with horror.

"Yes, I am; father has agreed, and sayshe will obtain your consent."

"My consent! Oh, my dear, dear boy!"and Mrs Easy wept bitterly, as Rachelmourning for her children.

CHAPTER VIII

In which Mr Easy has his first lesson asto zeal in his Majesty's Service.

As there was no time to lose, our herovery soon bade adieu to his paternalroof, as the phrase is, and found hisway down to Portsmouth. As Jack hadplenty of money, and was very muchpleased at finding himself his ownmaster, he was in no hurry to join hisship, and five or six companions, notvery creditable, whom either Jack hadpicked up, or had picked up Jack, andwho lived upon him, strongly advisedhim to put it off until the very lastmoment. As this advice happened tocoincide with Jack's opinion, our hero

was three weeks at Portsmouth beforeany one knew of his arrival, but at lastCaptain Wilson received a letter fromMr Easy, by which he found that Jackhad left home at the period we havementioned, and he desired the firstlieutenant to make inquiries, as he wasafraid that some accident might havehappened to him. As Mr Sawbridge, thefirst lieutenant, happened to be goingon shore on the same evening for thelast time previous to the ship's sailing,he looked into the Blue Posts, George,and Fountain Inns, to inquire if therewas such a person arrived as Mr Easy."O yes," replied the waiter at theFountain, "Mr Easy has been here thesethree weeks."

"The devil he has," roared MrSawbridge, with all the indignation of afirst lieutenant defrauded three weeksof a midshipman; "where is he; in thecoffee-room "

"Oh dear no, sir," replied the waiter,"Mr Easy has the front apartments onthe first floor."

"Well, then, show me up to the firstfloor."

"May I request the pleasure of yourname, sir " said the waiter.

"First lieutenants don't send up their

names to midshipmen," replied MrSawbridge; "he shall soon know who Iam."

At this reply, the waiter walked upstairs,followed by Mr Sawbridge, and threwopen the door.

"A gentleman wishes to see you, sir,"said the waiter.

"Desire him to walk in," said Jack: "and,waiter, mind that the punch is a littlebetter than it was yesterday; I haveasked two more gentlemen to dinehere."

In the meantime, Mr Sawbridge, who

was not in his uniform, had entered,and perceived Jack alone, with thedinner table laid out in the best style foreight, a considerable show of plate foreven the Fountain Inn, and everything,as well as the apartment itself,according to Mr Sawbridge's opinion,much more fit for a commander-in-chief than a midshipman of a sloop ofwar.

Now Mr Sawbridge was a good officer,one who had really worked his way upto the present rank, that is to say, thathe had served seven-and-twenty years,and had nothing but his pay. He was alittle soured in the service, and certainlyhad an aversion to the young men of

family who were now fast crowdinginto it and with some grounds, as heperceived his own chance ofpromotion decrease in the same ratio asthe numbers increased. He consideredthat in proportion as midshipmenassumed a cleaner and moregentlemanly appearance, so did theybecome more useless, and it maytherefore be easily imagined that hisbile was raised by this parade anddisplay in a lad, who was very shortly tobe, and ought three weeks before tohave been, shrinking from his frown.Nevertheless, Sawbridge was a good-hearted man, although a little enviousof luxury, which he could not pretendto indulge in himself.

"May I beg to ask," said Jack, who wasalways remarkably polite andgentlemanly in his address, "in whatmanner I may be of service to you "

"Yes, sir, you may by joining your shipimmediately. And may I beg to ask inreturn, sir, what is the reason you havestayed on shore three weeks withoutjoining her "

Hereupon Jack, who did not muchadmire the peremptory tone of MrSawbridge, and who during the answerhad taken a seat, crossed his legs, andplayed with the gold chain to which hiswatch was secured, after a pause very

coolly replied

"And pray, who are you "

"Who am I, sir " replied Sawbridge,jumping out of his chair, "my name isSawbridge, sir, and I am the firstlieutenant of the Harpy. Now, sir, youhave your answer."

Mr Sawbridge, who imagined that thename of the first lieutenant wouldstrike terror to a culprit midshipman,threw himself back in the chair, andassumed an air of importance.

"Really, sir," replied Jack, "what may beyour exact situation on board, my

ignorance of the service will not allowme to guess, but if I may judge fromyour behaviour, you have no smallopinion of yourself."

"Look ye, young man, you may notknow what a first lieutenant is, and Itake it for granted that you do not, byyour behaviour; but depend upon it, I'lllet you know very soon. In themeantime, sir, I insist upon it, that yougo immediately on board."

"I'm sorry that I cannot comply withyour very moderate request," repliedJack, coolly. "I shall go on board whenit suits my convenience, and I beg thatyou will give yourself no further

trouble on my account."

Jack then rang the bell; the waiter, whohad been listening outside, immediatelyentered, and before Mr Sawbridge, whowas dumb with astonishment at Jack'simpertinence, could have time to reply

"Waiter," said Jack, "show thisgentleman downstairs."

"By the god of war!" exclaimed the firstlieutenant, "but I'll soon show youdown to the boat, my young bantam;and when once I get you safe on board,I'll make you know the differencebetween a midshipman and a firstlieutenant."

"I can only admit of equality, sir,"replied Jack; "we are all born equal Itrust you'll allow that."

"Equality damn it, I suppose you'll takethe command of the ship. However, sir,your ignorance will be a littleenlightened by-and-bye. I shall now goand report your conduct to CaptainWilson; and I tell you plainly, that ifyou are not on board this evening, to-morrow morning, at daylight, I shallsend a sergeant and a file of marines tofetch you."

"You may depend upon it, sir," repliedJack, "that I also shall not fail to

mention to Captain Wilson, that Iconsider you a very quarrelsome,impertinent fellow, and recommendhim not to allow you to remain onboard. It will be quite uncomfortable tobe in the same ship with such anungentlemanly bear."

"He must be mad quite mad,"exclaimed Sawbridge, whoseastonishment even mastered hisindignation. "Mad as a march hare byGod."

"No, sir," replied Jack, "I am not mad,but I am a philosopher."

"A what " exclaimed Sawbridge,

"damme, what next well, my joker, allthe better for you, I shall put yourphilosophy to the proof."

"It is for that very reason, sir," repliedJack, "that I have decided upon goingto sea; and if you do remain on board,I hope to argue the point with you, andmake you a convert to the truth ofequality and the rights of man."

"By the Lord that made us both, I'llsoon make you a convert to the thirty-six articles of war that is, if you remainon board; but I shall now go to thecaptain, and report your conduct, sir,and leave you to your dinner with whatappetite you may."

"Sir, I am infinitely obliged to you; butyou need not be afraid of my appetite;I am only sorry, as you happen tobelong to the same ship, that I cannot,in justice to the gentlemanly young menwhom I expect, ask you to join them. Iwish you a very good morning, sir."

"Twenty years have I been in theservice," roared Sawbridge, "anddamme but he's mad downright, stark,staring mad," and the first lieutenantbounced out of the room.

Jack was a little astonished himself. HadMr Sawbridge made his appearance inuniform it might have been different;

but that a plain-looking man, withblack whiskers, shaggy hair, and oldblue frock coat and yellow cassimerewaistcoat, should venture to addresshim in such a manner, was quiteincomprehensible; he calls me mad,thought Jack, I shall tell Captain Wilsonwhat is my opinion about hislieutenant. Shortly afterwards thecompany arrived, and Jack soon forgotall about it.

In the meantime Sawbridge called at thecaptain's lodgings, and found him athome. He made a very faithful reportof all that had happened, andconcluded his report by demanding, ingreat wrath, either an instant dismissal

or a court-martial on our hero, Jack.

"Stop, Sawbridge," replied CaptainWilson, "take a chair: as Mr Easy says,we must argue the point, and then Iwill leave it to your better feelings. Asfor the court-martial, it will not holdgood, for Mr Easy, in the first place, hasnot yet joined the ship, and in the nextplace, could not be supposed to knowthat you were the first lieutenant, oreven an officer, for you went to himout of uniform."

"Very true, sir," replied Sawbridge, "Ihad forgotten that."

"Then, as for his dismissal, or rather,

not allowing him to join, Mr Easy hasbeen brought up in the country, andhas never seen anything aquatic largerthan a fish-pond, perhaps, in his life;and as for the service, or the nature ofit, I believe he is as ignorant of it as achild not a year old I doubt whether heknows the rank of a lieutenant,certainly, he can have no idea of thepower of a first lieutenant, by histreatment of you."

"I should think not," repliedSawbridge, dryly.

"I do not think, therefore, that conductwhich must have proceeded from sheerignorance should be so severely

punished I appeal to you, Sawbridge."

"Well, sir, perhaps you are right but stillhe told me he was a philosopher, andtalked about equality and rights ofman. Told me that he could only admitof equality between us, and begged toargue the point. Now, sir, if amidshipman is to argue the point everytime that an order is given, the servicewill come to a pretty pass."

"That is all very true, Sawbridge; andnow you remind me of what neveroccurred to me at the time that Ipromised to take Mr Easy in the ship. Inow recollect that his father, who is adistant relation of mine, has some very

wild notions in his head, just like whathave been repeated by his son on yourinterview with him. I have occasionallydined there, and Mr Easy has alwaysbeen upholding the principles ofnatural equality and of the rights ofman, much to the amusement of hisguests, and I confess, at the time, ofmine also. I recollect telling him that Itrusted he would never be able todisseminate his opinions in the serviceto which I belonged, as we should havean end of all discipline. I little thought,at the time, that his only son, who hasno more occasion to go to sea than theArchbishop of Canterbury, for hisfather has a very handsome property Ibelieve seven or eight thousand a year

would ever have sailed with me, andhave brought these opinions with himinto any ship that I commanded. It is apity, a great pity."

"He never could have brought his pigsto a worse market," observedSawbridge.

"I agree with you, and, as a fathermyself, I cannot but help feeling howcareful we should be, how we inculcateanything like abstract and philosophicalideas to youth. Allowing them to be inthemselves correct, still they aredangerous as sharp instruments are inthe hands of a child; allowing them tobe erroneous, they are seized upon with

an avidity by young and ardent minds,and are not to be eradicated withoutthe greatest difficulty, and very oftennot until they have accomplished theirruin."

"Then you think, sir, that these ideashave taken deep root in this youngman, and we shall not easily rid him ofthem "

"I do not say so; but still, recollect theyhave been instilled, perhaps, from theearliest period, by one from whom theymust have been received with allconfidence from a father to a son; andthat son has never yet been sufficientlyin the world to have proved their

fallacy."

"Well, sir," replied Sawbridge, "if I mayventure to offer an opinion on thesubject and in so doing I assure youthat I only shall from a feeling for theservice if, as you say, these opinions willnot easily be Eradicated, as the youngman is independent, would it not beboth better for himself, as well as forthe service, that he is sent home againAs an officer he will never do any goodfor himself, and he may do much harmto others. I submit this to you, CaptainWilson, with all respect; but as yourfirst lieutenant, I feel very jealous at anychance of the discipline of the shipbeing interfered with by the

introduction of this young man, towhom it appears that a profession is noobject."

"My dear Sawbridge," replied CaptainWilson, after taking one or two turnsup and down the room, "we enteredthe service together, we were messmatesfor many years, and you must be awarethat it is not only long friendship, butan intimate knowledge of yourunrewarded merit, which has inducedme to request you to come with me asmy first lieutenant. Now, I will put acase to you, and you shall then decidethe question and moreover, I will abideby your decision.

"Suppose that you were a commanderlike myself, with a wife and sevenchildren, and that, struggling for manyyears to support them, you foundyourself, notwithstanding the utmostparsimony, gradually running into debt.That, after many long applications, youhad at last succeeded in obtainingemployment by an appointment to afine sloop, and there was everyprospect, by prize-money and increasedpay, of recovering yourself from yourdifficulties, if not realising a sufficientprovision for your family. Thensuppose that all this prospect and allthese hopes were likely to be dashed tothe ground by the fact of having nomeans of fitting yourself out, no credit,

no means of paying debts you havecontracted, for which you would havebeen arrested, or anything sufficient toleave for the support of your familyduring your absence, your agent onlyconsenting to advance one-half ofwhat you require. Now, suppose, in thisawkward dilemma, without anyone inthis world upon whom you have anylegitimate claim, as a last resource youwere to apply to one with whom youhave but a distant connection, and butan occasional acquaintance and thatwhen you had made your request forthe loan of two or three hundredpounds, fully anticipating a refusal(from the feeling that he who goes a-borrowing goes a-sorrowing), I say,

suppose, to your astonishment, thatthis generous person was to presentyou with a cheque on his banker forone thousand pounds, demanding nointerest, no legal security, and requestsyou only to pay it at your convenience,I ask you, Sawbridge, what would beyour feelings towards such a man "

"I would die for him," repliedSawbridge, with emotion.

"And suppose that, by the merestchance, or from a whim of themoment, the son of that man was to beplaced under your protection "

"I would be a father to him," replied

Sawbridge.

"But we must proceed a little further:suppose that you were to find the ladwas not all that you could wish that hehad imbibed erroneous doctrines,which would probably, if noteradicated, be attended withconsequences fatal to his welfare andhappiness, would you therefore, on thataccount, withdraw your protection, andleave him to the mercy of others, whohad no claims of gratitude to swaythem in his favour "

"Most certainly not, sir," repliedSawbridge; "on the contrary, I wouldnever part with the son until, by

precept or otherwise, I had set himright again, and thus had, as far as itwas possible, paid the debt of gratitudedue to the generous father."

"I hardly need say to you, Sawbridge,after what has passed, that this lad youhave just come from, is the son, andthat Mr Easy of Forest Hill is thefather."

"Then, sir, I can only say, that not onlyto please you, but also from respect to aman who has shown such good-willtowards one of our cloth, I shall mostcheerfully forgive all that has passedbetween the lad and me, and all thatmay probably take place before we

make him what he ought to be."

"Thank you, Sawbridge; I expected asmuch, and am not disappointed in myopinion of you."

"And now, Captain Wilson, pray whatis to be done "

"We must get him on board, but notwith a file of marines, that will do moreharm than good. I will send a note,requesting him to breakfast with me to-morrow morning, and have a littleconversation with him. I do not wish tofrighten him; he would not scruple torun back to Forest Hill now I wish tokeep him if I possibly can."

"You are right, sir; his father appears hisgreatest enemy. What a pity that a manwith so good a heart should be so weakin the head! Then, sir, I shall take nonotice of this at present, but leave thewhole affair in your hands."

"Do, Sawbridge; you have obliged mevery much by your kindness in thisbusiness."

Mr Sawbridge then took his leave, andCaptain Wilson despatched a note toour hero, requesting the pleasure of hiscompany to breakfast at nine o'clockthe ensuing morning. The answer wasin the affirmative, but verbal, for Jack

had drunk too much champagne totrust his pen to paper.

CHAPTER IX

In which Mr Easy finds himself on theother side of the Bay of Biscay.

The next morning Jack Easy wouldhave forgotten all about hisengagement with the captain, had it notbeen for the waiter, who thought that,after the reception which our hero hadgiven the first lieutenant, it would bejust as well that he should not bedisrespectful to the captain. Now Jack

had not, hitherto, put on his uniform,and he thought this a fitting occasion,particularly as the waiter suggested thepropriety of his appearance in it.Whether it was from a presentiment ofwhat he was to suffer, Jack was not atall pleased, as most lads are, with thechange in his dress. It appeared to himthat he was sacrificing hisindependence; however, he did notfollow his first impulse, which was totake it off again, but took his hat,which the waiter had brushed andhanded to him, and then set off for thecaptain's lodgings. Captain Wilsonreceived him as if he had not beenaware of his delay in joining his ship,or his interview with his first lieutenant,

but before breakfast was over, Jackhimself narrated the affair in a fewwords. Captain Wilson then enteredinto a detail of the duties and rank ofevery person on board of the ship,pointing out to Jack, that wherediscipline was required, it wasimpossible, when duty was carried on,that more than one could command;and that that one was the captain, whorepresented the king in person, whorepresented the country; and that, as theorders were transmitted from thecaptain through the lieutenant, andfrom the lieutenant to the midshipmen,who, in their turn, communicated themto the whole ship's company, in fact, itwas the captain alone who gave the

orders, and that everyone was equallyobliged to obey. Indeed, as the captainhimself had to obey the orders of hissuperiors, the Admiral and theAdmiralty; all on board might be saidto be equally obliged to obey. CaptainWilson laid a strong emphasis on theword equally, as he cautiouslyadministered his first dose; indeed, inthe whole of his address, he made useof special pleading, which would havedone credit to the bar; for at the sametime that he was explaining to Jack thathe was entering a service in whichequality could never for a momentexist, if the service was to exist, hecontrived to show that all the gradeswere levelled, by all being equally

bound to do their duty to their country,and that, in fact, whether a seamanobeyed his orders, or he obeyed theorders of his superior officer, they werein reality only obeying the orders of thecountry, which were administeredthrough their channels.

Jack did not altogether dislike this viewof the subject, and the captain tookcare not to dwell too long upon it. Hethen entered upon other details, whichhe was aware would be more agreeableto Jack. He pointed out that the articlesof war were the rules by which theservice was to be guided, and thateverybody, from the captain to the leastboy in the ship, was equally bound to

adhere to them that a certain allowanceof provisions and wine were allowedto each person on board, and that thisallowance was the same to all; the sameto the captain as to the boy; the same inquantity as in quality; everyone equallyentitled to his allowance; that, althoughthere were, of necessity, various gradesnecessary in the service, and thecaptain's orders were obliged to bepassed and obeyed by all, yet still,whatever was the grade of the officer,they were equally considered asgentlemen. In short, Captain Wilson,who told the truth, and nothing but thetruth, Without telling the whole truth,actually made Jack fancy that he had atlast found out that equality he had been

seeking for in vain on shore, when, atlast, he recollected the language used byMr Sawbridge the evening before, andasked the captain why that personagehad so conducted himself. Now, as thelanguage of Mr Sawbridge was verymuch at variance with equality, CaptainWilson was not a little puzzled.However, he first pointed out that thefirst lieutenant was, at the time being,the captain, as he was the senior officeron board, as would Jack himself be ifhe were the senior officer on board;and that, as he before observed, thecaptain or senior officer represented thecountry. That in the articles of war,everybody who absented himself fromthe ship, committed an error, or breach

of those articles; and if any error orbreach of those articles was committedby anyone belonging to the ship, if thesenior officer did not take notice of it,he then himself committed a breach ofthose articles, and was liable himself tobe punished, if he could not prove thathe had noticed it; it was therefore tosave himself that he was obliged topoint out the error; and if he did it instrong language, it only proved his zealfor his country.

"Upon my honour, then," replied Jack,"there can be no doubt of his zeal; forif the whole country had been at stake,he could not have put himself in agreater passion."

"Then he did his duty; but dependupon it it was not a pleasant one tohim: and I'll answer for it, when youmeet him on board, he will be asfriendly with you as if nothing hadhappened."

"He told me that he'd soon make meknow what a first lieutenant was: whatdid he mean by that " inquired Jack.

"All zeal."

"Yes, but he said, that as soon as he goton board, he'd show me the differencebetween a first lieutenant and amidshipman."

"All zeal."

"He said my ignorance should be a littleenlightened by-and-bye."

"All zeal."

"And that he'd send a sergeant andmarines to fetch me."

"All zeal."

"That he would put my philosophy tothe proof."

"All zeal, Mr Easy. Zeal will break outin this way; but we should do nothing

in the service without it. Recollect that Ihope and trust one day to see you alsoa zealous officer."

Here Jack cogitated considerably, andgave no answer.

"You will, I am sure," continuedCaptain Wilson, "find Mr Sawbridgeone of your best friends."

"Perhaps so," replied Jack, "but I didnot much admire our firstacquaintance."

"It will perhaps be your unpleasantduty to find as much fault yourself; weare all equally bound to do our duty to

our country. But, Mr Easy, I sent foryou to say that we shall sail to-morrow;and, as I shall send my things off thisafternoon by the launch, you had bettersend yours off also. At eight o'clock Ishall go on board, and we can both goin the same boat."

To this Jack made no sort of objection,and having paid his bill at the Fountain,he sent his chest down to the boat bysome of the crew who came up for it,and attended the summons of thecaptain to embark. By nine o'clock thatevening, Mr Jack Easy was safe onboard his Majesty's sloop Harpy.

When Jack arrived on board, it was

dark, and he did not know what to dowith himself. The captain was receivedby the officers on deck, who took offtheir hats to salute him. The captainreturned the salute, and so did Jack verypolitely, after which, the captain enteredinto conversation with the firstlieutenant, and for a while Jack was leftto himself. It was too dark todistinguish faces, and to one who hadnever been on board of a ship, toodark to move, so Jack stood where hewas, which was not far from the mainbitts; but he did not stay long; the boathad been hooked on to the quarterdavits, and the boatswain had calledout "Set taut, my lads!"

And then with the shrill whistle, and"Away with her!" forward camegalloping and bounding along, the menwith the tackles; and in the dark Jackwas upset, and half a dozen marinesfell upon him; the men, who had noidea that an officer was floored amongthe others, were pleased at the joke, andcontinued to dance over those whowere down, until they rolled themselvesout of the way. Jack, who did notunderstand this, fared badly, and it wasnot till the calls piped belay that hecould recover his legs, after having beentrampled upon by half the starboardwatch, and the breath completelyjammed out of his body, Jack reeled toa carronade slide, when the officers

who had been laughing at the lark aswell as the men, perceived his situationamong others, Mr Sawbridge, the firstlieutenant.

"Are you hurt, Mr Easy " said he,kindly.

"A little," replied Jack, catching hisbreath.

"You've had but a rough welcome,"replied the first lieutenant, "but atcertain times, on board ship, it is everyman for himself, and God for us all.Harpur," continued the first lieutenantto the doctor, "take Mr Easy down inthe gun-room with you, and I will be

down myself as soon as I can. Where isMr Jolliffe "

"Here, sir," replied Mr Jolliffe, amaster's mate, coming aft from thebooms.

"There is a youngster come on boardwith the captain. Order one of thequarter-masters to get a hammockslung."

In the meantime Jack went down intothe gun-room, where a glass of winesomewhat recovered him. He did notstay there long, nor did he venture totalk much. As soon as his hammockwas ready, Jack was glad to go to bed

and as he was much bruised he was notdisturbed the next morning till pastnine o'clock. He then dressed himself,went on deck, found that the sloop wasjust clear of the Needles, that he feltvery queer, then very sick, and wasconducted by a marine down below,put into his hammock, where heremained during a gale of wind ofthree days, bewildered, confused,puzzled, and every minute knocking hishead against the beams with thepitching and tossing of the sloop.

"And this is going to sea," thoughtJack; "no wonder that no one interfereswith another here, or talks about atrespass; for I'm sure anyone is

welcome to my share of the ocean; andif I once get on shore again, the devilmay have my portion if he chooses."

Captain Wilson and Mr Sawbridge hadboth allowed Jack more leisure thanmost midshipmen, during his illness. Bythe time that the gale was over, thesloop was off Cape Finisterre. The nextmorning the sea was nearly down, andthere was but a slight breeze on thewaters. The comparative quiet of thenight before had very much recoveredour hero, and when the hammockswere piped up, he was accosted by MrJolliffe, the master's mate, who asked,"whether he intended to rouse and bit,or whether he intended to sail to

Gibraltar between his blankets."

Jack, who felt himself quite anotherperson, turned out of his hammockand dressed himself. A marine had, bythe captain's orders, attended Jackduring his illness, and this man came tohis assistance, opened his chest, andbrought him all he required, or Jackwould have been in a sad dilemma.

Jack then inquired where he was to go,for he had not been in themidshipmen's berth, although five dayson board. The marine pointed it out tohim, and Jack, who felt excessivelyhungry, crawled over and betweenchests, until he found himself fairly in a

hole infinitely inferior to the dog-kennels which received his father'spointers.

"I'd not only give up the ocean,"thought Jack, "and my share of it, butalso my share of the Harpy, untoanyone who fancies it. Equality enoughhere! for everyone appears equallymiserably off."

As he thus gave vent to his thoughts, heperceived that there was another personin the berth Mr Jolliffe, the master'smate, who had fixed his eye upon Jack,and to whom Jack returned thecompliment. The first thing that Jackobserved was, that Mr Jolliffe was very

deeply pockmarked, and that he hadbut one eye, and that was a piercer; itappeared like a little ball of fire, and asif it reflected more light from thesolitary candle than the candle gave.

"I don't like your looks," thought Jack"we shall never be friends."

But here Jack fell into the commonerror of judging by appearances, as willbe proved hereafter.

"I'm glad to see you up again,youngster," said Jolliffe; "you've beenon your beam ends longer than usual,but those who are strongest suffer mostyou made your mind up but late to

come to sea. However, they say, 'betterlate than never'."

"I feel very much inclined to argue thetruth of that saying," replied Jack; "butit's no use just now. I'm terribly hungrywhen shall I get some breakfast "

"To-morrow morning at half-pasteight," replied Mr Jolliffe. "Breakfast forto-day has been over these two hours."

"But must I then go without "

"No, I do not say that, as we must makeallowances for your illness; but it willnot be breakfast."

"Call it what you please," replied Jack,"only pray desire the servants to giveme something to eat. Dry toast ormuffins anything will do, but I shouldprefer coffee."

"You forget that you are off Finisterre,in a midshipman's berth: coffee wehave none muffins we never see, drytoast cannot be made, as we have nosoft bread; but a cup of tea, and ship'sbiscuit and butter, I can desire thesteward to get ready for you."

"Well then," replied Jack, "I will thankyou to procure me that."

"Marine," cried Jolliffe, "call Mesty."

"Pass the word for Mesty," cried themarine and the two syllables werehanded forward until lost in theforepart of the vessel.

The person so named must beintroduced to the reader. He was acurious anomaly a black man who hadbeen brought to America as a slave, andthere sold.

He was a very tall, spare-built, yetmuscular form, and had a face by nomeans common with his race. His headwas long and narrow, high cheek-bones, from whence his face descendeddown to almost a point at the chin; his

nose was very small, but it was straightand almost Roman; his mouth also wasunusually small; and his lips thin for anAfrican; his teeth very white, and filedto sharp points. He claimed the rank ofprince in his own country, with whattruth could not of course besubstantiated. His master had settled atNew York, and there Mesty had learnedEnglish, if it could be so-called: thefact is, that all the emigrant labourers atNew York being Irishmen, he hadlearned English with the strong brogueand peculiar phraseology of the sisterkingdom dashed with a littleYankeeism.

Having been told that there was no

slavery in England, Mesty hadconcealed himself on board an Englishmerchant vessel, and escaped. On hisarrival in England he had entered onboard of a man-of-war. Having noname, it was necessary to christen himon the ship's books, and the firstlieutenant, who had entered him, struckwith his remarkable expression ofcountenance, and being a Germanscholar, had named himMephistopheles Faust, from whence hisChristian name had been razed toMesty. Mesty in other points was aneccentric character; at one moment,when he remembered his lineage, hewas proud to excess, at others he wasgrave and almost sullen but when

nothing either in daily occurrences orin his mind ran contrary, he exhibitedthe drollery so often found in hisnation, with a spice of Irish humour, asif he had caught up the latter with hisIrish brogue.

Mesty was soon seen coming aft, butalmost double as he couched under thebeams, and taking large strides with hisnaked feet.

"By the powers, Massa Yolliffe, but it isnot seasonable at all to send for me justnow, anyhow, seeing how the praters arein the copper, and so many blackguard'palpeens all ready to change net for net,and better themselves by the same

mistake, 'dam um."

"Mesty, you know I never send for youmyself, or allow others to do so, unlessit is necessary," replied Jolliffe; "but thispoor lad has eaten nothing since he hasbeen on board, and is very hungry youmust get him a little tea."

"Is it tay you mane, sir I guess, to maketay, in the first place I must ab water,and in the next must ab room in thegalley to put the kettle on and 'pose youwanted to burn the tip of your littlefinger just now, it's not in the galley thatyou find a berth for it and den thewater before seven bells. I've a notionit's just impossible."

"But he must have something, Mesty."

"Never mind the tea, then," repliedJack, "I'll take some milk."

"Is it milk massa manes, and thebumboat woman on the oder side ofthe bay "

"We have no milk, Mr Easy; you forgetthat we are on blue water," repliedJolliffe, "and I really am afraid thatyou'll have to wait till dinner-time.Mesty tells the truth."

"I tell you what, Massa Yolliffe, it justseven bells, and if the young gentleman

would, instead of tay, try a little out ofthe copper, it might keep him asy. It buta little difference, tay soup and paysoup. Now a bowl of that, with somenuts and a flourish of pepper, will dohim good, anyhow."

"Perhaps the best thing he can take,Mesty; get it as fast as you can."

In a few minutes the black broughtdown a bowl of soup and whole peasswimming in it, put before our hero atin bread-basket full of small biscuit,called midshipmen's nuts, and thepepper-caster. Jack's visions of tea,coffee, muffins, dry toast, and milk,vanished as he perceived the mess; but

he was very hungry, and he found itmuch better than he expected; and hemoreover found himself much thebetter after he had swallowed it. Itstruck seven bells, and he accompaniedMr Jolliffe on deck.

CHAPTER X

Showing how Jack transgresses againsthis own philosophy.

When Jack Easy had gained the deck,he found the sun shining gaily, a softair blowing from the shore, and thewhole of the rigging and every part of

the ship loaded with the shirts, trousers,and jackets of the seamen, which hadbeen wetted during the heavy gale, andwere now hanging up to dry; all the wetsails were also spread on the booms ortriced up in the rigging, and the shipwas slowly forging through the bluewater. The captain and first lieutenantwere standing on the gangway inconverse, and the majority of theofficers were with their quadrants andsextants ascertaining the latitude atnoon. The decks were white and clean,the sweepers had just laid by theirbrooms, and the men were busy coilingdown the ropes. It was a scene ofcheerfulness, activity, and order, whichtightened his heart after the four days

of suffering, close air, andconfinement, from which he had justemerged.

The captain, who perceived him,beckoned to him, asked him kindlyhow he felt: the first lieutenant alsosmiled upon him, and many of theofficers, as well as his messmates,congratulated him upon his recovery.

The captain's steward came up to him,touched his hat, and requested thepleasure of his company to dinner inthe cabin. Jack was the essence ofpoliteness, took off his hat, andaccepted the invitation. Jack wasstanding on a rope which a seaman was

coiling down; the man touched his hatand requested he would be so kind asto take his foot off. Jack took his hatoff his head in return, and his foot offthe rope. The master touched his hat,and reported twelve o'clock to the firstlieutenant the first lieutenant touchedhis hat, and reported twelve o'clock tothe captain the captain touched his hat,and told the first lieutenant to make itso. The officer of the watch touchedhis hat, and asked the captain whetherthey should pipe to dinner the captaintouched his hat, and said "If youplease."

The midshipman received his orders,and touched his hat, which he gave to

the head boatswain's mate, whotouched his hat, and then the callswhistled cheerily.

"Well," thought Jack, "politeness seemsto be the order of the day, andeveryone has an equal respect for theother." Jack stayed on deck; he peepedthrough the ports, which were open,and looked down into the deep bluewave; he cast his eyes aloft, andwatched the tall spars sweeping andtracing with their points, as it were, asmall portion of the clear sky, as theyacted in obedience to the motion ofthe vessel; he looked forward at therange of carronades which lined thesides of the deck, and then he

proceeded to climb one of thecarronades, and lean over thehammocks to gaze on the distant land.

"Young gentleman, get off thosehammocks," cried the master, who wasofficer of the watch, in a surly tone.

Jack looked round. "Do you hear me,sir I'm speaking to you," said the masteragain. Jack felt very indignant, and hethought that politeness was not quiteso general as he supposed.

It happened that Captain Wilson wasupon deck. "Come here, Mr Easy," saidthe captain; "it is a rule in the service,that no one gets on the hammocks,

unless in case of emergency I never donor the first lieutenant nor any of theofficers or men, therefore, upon theprinciple of equality, you must not doit either."

"Certainly not, sir," replied Jack, "butstill I do not see why that officer in theshining hat should be so angry, and notspeak to me as if I were a gentleman, aswell as himself."

"I have already explained that to you,Mr Easy." "O yes, I recollect now, it'szeal: but this zeal appears to me to bethe only unpleasant thing in the service.It's a pity, as you said, that the servicecannot do without it."

Captain Wilson laughed, and walkedaway; and shortly afterwards, as heturned up and down the deck with themaster, he hinted to him, that he shouldnot speak so sharply to a lad who hadcommitted such a trifling error throughignorance. Now Mr Smallsole, themaster, who was a surly sort of apersonage, and did not like even a hintof disapprobation of his conduct,although very regardless of the feelingof others, determined to pay this offon Jack, the very first convenientopportunity. Jack dined in the cabin,and was very much pleased to find thateveryone drank wine with him, and thateverybody at the captain's table

appeared to be on an equality. Beforethe dessert had been on the table fiveminutes, Jack became loquacious on hisfavourite topic; all the company staredwith surprise at such an unheard-ofdoctrine being broached on board of aman-of-war; the captain argued thepoint, so as to controvert, without toomuch offending, Jack's notions,laughing the whole time that theconversation was carried on.

It will be observed, that this day may beconsidered as the first in which Jackreally made his appearance on board,and it also was on this first day thatJack made known, at the captain's table,his very peculiar notions. If the

company at the captain's table, whichconsisted of the second lieutenant,purser, Mr Jolliffe, and one of themidshipmen, were astonished at suchheterodox opinions being stated in thepresence of the captain, they wereequally astonished at the cool, good-humoured ridicule with which theywere received by Captain Wilson.

The report of Jack's boldness, andevery word and opinion that he haduttered (of course much magnified)was circulated that evening through thewhole ship; it was canvassed in thegun-room by the officers; it wasdescanted upon by the midshipmen asthey walked the deck; the captain's

steward held a levee abreast of theship's funnel, in which he narrated thisnew doctrine. The sergeant of marinesgave his opinion in his berth, that itwas damnable. The boatswain talkedover the matter with the other warrantofficers, till the grog was all gone, andthen dismissed it as too dry a subject:and it was the general opinion of theship's company, that as soon as theyarrived at Gibraltar Bay, our hero wouldbid adieu to the service, either by beingsentenced to death by a court-martial,or by being dismissed, and towed onshore on a grating. Others, who hadmore of the wisdom of the serpent,and who had been informed by MrSawbridge that our hero was a lad who

would inherit a large property, argueddifferently, and considered that CaptainWilson had very good reason for beingso lenient and among them was thesecond lieutenant. There were but fourwho were well inclined towards Jack, towit, the captain, the first lieutenant, MrJolliffe, the one-eyed master's mate, andMephistopheles, the black, who, havingheard that Jack had uttered suchsentiments, loved him with all his heartand soul.

We have referred to the secondlieutenant, Mr Asper. This young manhad a very high respect for birth, andparticularly for money, of which he hadvery little. He was the son of an

eminent merchant who, during the timethat he was a midshipman, had allowedhim a much larger sum for his expensesthan was necessary or proper; and,during his career, he found that his fullpocket procured him consequence, notonly among his own messmates, butalso with many of the officers of theships that he sailed in. A man who isable and willing to pay a large tavernbill will always find followers that is, tothe tavern; and lieutenants did notdisdain to dine, walk arm-in-arm, andbe "hail fellow well met" with amidshipman, at whose expense theylived during the time they were onshore. Mr Asper had just received hiscommission and appointment, when

his father became a bankrupt, and thefountain was dried up from which hehad drawn such liberal supplies. Sincethat, Mr Asper had felt that hisconsequence was gone: he could nolonger talk about the service being abore, or that he should give it up; hecould no longer obtain that deferencepaid to his purse, and not to himself;and he had contracted very expensivehabits, without having any longer themeans of gratifying them.

It was therefore no wonder that heimbibed a great respect for money; and,as he could no longer find the meanshimself, he was glad to pick upanybody else at whose cost he could

indulge in that extravagance andexpense to which he had been so longaccustomed, and still sighed for. Now,Mr Asper knew that our hero was wellsupplied with money, as he hadobtained from the waiter the amountof the bill paid at the Fountain, and hehad been waiting for Jack's appearanceon deck to become his very dearest andmost intimate friend. The conversationin the cabin made him feel assured thatJack would require and be grateful forsupport, and he had taken theopportunity of a walk with MrSawbridge, to offer to take Jack in hiswatch. Whether it was that MrSawbridge saw through the design ofMr Asper, or whether he imagined that

our hero would be better pleased withhim than with the master, consideringhis harshness of deportment; or withhimself, who could not, as firstlieutenant, overlook any remission ofduty, the offer was accepted, and JackEasy was ordered, as he now enteredupon his duties, to keep watch underLieutenant Asper.

But not only was this the first day thatJack may be said to have appeared inthe service, but it was the first day inwhich he had entered the midshipman'sberth, and was made acquainted withhis messmates.

We have already mentioned Mr Jolliffe,

the master's mate, but we mustintroduce him more particularly. Natureis sometimes extremely arbitrary, andnever did she show herself more sothan in insisting that Mr Jolliffe shouldhave the most sinister expression ofcountenance that ever had been lookedupon.

He had suffered martyrdom with thesmall-pox, which probably hadcontracted his lineaments: his face wasnot only deeply pitted, but scarred withthis cruel disorder. One eye had beenlost, and all eyebrows had disappearedand the contrast between the dull,sightless, opaque orb on one side of hisface, and the brilliant, piercing little ball

on the other, was almost terrifying. Hisnose had been eaten away by thedisease till it formed a sharp butirregular point; part of the muscles ofthe chin were contracted, and it wasdrawn in with unnatural seams andpuckers. He was tall, gaunt, and thin,seldom smiled, and when he did, thesmile produced a still furtherdistortion.

Mr Jolliffe was the son of a warrantofficer. He did not contract this diseaseuntil he had been sent out to the WestIndies, where it swept away hundreds.He had now been long in the service,with little or no chance of promotion.He had suffered from indigence, from

reflections upon his humble birth,from sarcasms on his appearance. Everycontumely had been heaped upon himat one time or another, in the ships inwhich he served; among a crowd hehad found himself desolate and now,although no one dared treat him to hisface with disrespect, he was onlyrespected in the service from aknowledge of his utility and exemplaryperformance of his duties he had nofriends or even companions. For manyyears he had retired within himself, hehad improved by reading and study,had felt all the philanthropy of aChristian, and extended it towardsothers. Silent and reserved, he seldomspoke in the berth, unless his authority,

as caterer, was called for; all respectedMr Jolliffe, but no one liked, as acompanion, one at whose appearancethe very dogs would bark. At the sametime every one acknowledged hiscorrect behaviour in every point, hissense of justice, his forbearance, hiskindness, and his good sense. With himlife was indeed a pilgrimage, and hewended his way in all Christian charityand all Christian zeal.

In all societies, however small they maybe, provided that they do but amountto half-a-dozen, you will invariablymeet with a bully. And it is alsogenerally the case that you will find oneof that society who is more or less the

butt. You will discover this even inoccasional meetings, such as a dinner-party, the major part of which havenever met before.

Previous to the removal of the cloth,the bully will have shown himself byhis dictatorial manner, and will alsohave selected the one upon whom heimagines that he can best practise. In amidshipman's berth, this fact hasbecome almost proverbial, althoughnow perhaps it is not attended withthat disagreeable despotism which waspermitted at the time that our heroentered the service.

The bully of the midshipman's berth

of H.M. sloop Harpy Was a young manabout seventeen, with light, curly hair,and florid countenance, the son of theclerk in the dockyard at Plymouth, andhis name was Vigors.

The butt was a pudding-faced Tartar-physiognomied boy of fifteen, whoseintellects, with fostering, if not great,might at least have been respectable,had he not lost all confidence in hisown powers from the constant jeersand mockeries of those who had agreater fluency of speech withoutperhaps so much real power of mind.Although slow, what he learnt heinvariably retained. This lad's name wasGossett. His father was a wealthy

yeoman of Lynn, in Norfolk. Therewere at the time but three othermidshipmen in the ship, of whom itcan only be said that they were likemidshipmen in general, with littleappetite for learning, but goodappetites for dinner, hating everythinglike work, fond of everything like fun,fighting "a L'outrance" one minute, andsworn friends the next with generalprinciples of honour and justice, butwhich were occasionally warpedaccording to circumstances; with all thevirtues and vices so heterogeneouslyjumbled and heaped together, that itwas almost impossible to ascribe anyaction to its true motive, and toascertain to what point their vice was

softened down into almost a virtue,and their virtues from mere excessdegenerated into vice. Their names wereO'Connor, Mills, and Gascoigne. Theother shipmates of our hero it will bebetter to introduce as they appear onthe stage.

After Jack had dined in the cabin, hefollowed his messmates Jolliffe andGascoigne down into the midshipmen'sberth.

"I say, Easy," observed Gascoigne, "youare a devilish free and easy sort of afellow, to tell the captain that youconsidered yourself as great a man ashe was."

"I beg your pardon," replied Jack, "Idid not argue individually, but generally,upon the principles of the rights ofman."

"Well," replied Gascoigne, "it's the firsttime I ever heard a middy do such abold thing; take care your rights of mandon't get you in the wrong box there'sno arguing on board of a man-of-war.The captain took it amazingly easy, butyou'd better not broach that subject toooften."

"Gascoigne gives you very good advice,Mr Easy," observed Jolliffe; "allowingthat your ideas are correct, which it

appears to me they are not, or at leastimpossible to be acted upon, there issuch a thing as prudence, and howevermuch this question may be canvassedon shore, in his Majesty's service it isnot only dangerous in itself, but will bevery prejudicial to you."

"Man is a free agent," replied Easy.

"I'll be shot if a midshipman is,"replied Gascoigne, laughing, aloud"that you'll soon find."

"And yet it was in the expectation offinding that equality that I was inducedto come to sea."

"On the first of April, I presume,"replied Gascoigne. "But are you reallyserious "

Hereupon Jack entered into a longargument, to which Jolliffe andGascoigne listened withoutinterruption, and Mesty withadmiration; at the end of it, Gascoignelaughed heartily, and Jolliffe sighed.

"From whence did you learn all this "inquired Jolliffe.

"From my father, who is a greatphilosopher, and has constantly upheldthese opinions."

"And did your father wish you to go tosea "

"No, he was opposed to it," repliedJack, "but of course he could notcombat my right and free-will."

"Mr Easy, as a friend," replied Jolliffe,"I request that you would as much aspossible keep your opinions toyourself. I shall have an opportunity oftalking to you on the subject and willthen explain to you my reasons."

As soon as Mr Jolliffe had ceased,down came Mr Vigors and O'Connor,who had heard the news of Jack'sheresy.

"You do not know Mr Vigors and MrO'Connor," said Jolliffe to Easy.

Jack, who was the essence ofpoliteness, rose and bowed, at whichthe others took their seats, withoutreturning the salutation. Vigors had,from what he had heard and now seenof Easy, thought he had somebody elseto play upon, and without ceremony hecommenced.

"So, my chap, you are come on boardto raise a mutiny here with yourequality you came off scot free at thecaptain's table; but it won't do, I can tellyou, even in the midshipman's berth:

some must knock under, and you areone of them."

"If, sir," replied Easy, "you mean byknock under, that I must submit, I canassure you that you are mistaken. Uponthe same principle that I would neverplay the tyrant to those weaker thanmyself, so will I resent oppression ifattempted."

"Damme, but he's a regular sea lawyeralready: however, my boy, we'll soonput your mettle to the proof."

"Am I then to infer that I am not on anequality with my messmates " repliedJack, looking at Jolliffe. The latter was

about to answer him, but Vigorsinterrupted.

"Yes, you are on an equality as far asthis, that you have an equal right to theberth, if you are not knocked out of itfor insolence to your masters; that youhave an equal share to pay for thethings purchased for the mess, and anequal right to have your share, providedyou can get it; you have an equal rightto talk, provided you are not told tohold your tongue. The fact is, you havean equal right with everyone else to doas you can, get what you can, and saywhat you can, always provided that youcan do it; for here the weakest goes tothe wall, and that is midshipman's berth

equality. Now, do you understand allthat; or will you wait for a practicalillustration "

"I am then to infer that the equalityhere is as much destroyed as it even willbe among savages, where the strongoppress the weak, and the only law isclub law in fact, much the same as it isat a public or large school, on shore "

"I suspect you are right for once. Youwere at a public school: how did theytreat you there "

"As you propose treating people herethe weakest went to the wall."

"Well, then, a nod's as good as a winkto a blind horse, that's all, my hearty,"said Vigors.

But the hands being turned up,"Shorten sail" put an end to thealtercation for the present.

As our hero had not yet received ordersto go to his duty, he remained belowwith Mesty.

"By de powers, Massa Easy, but I lubyou with my hole soul," said Mesty. "ByJasus, you really tark fine, Massa Easy;dat Mr Vigor nebber care for him,wouldn't you help him and sure youwould," continued the black, feeling the

muscle of Jack's arm. "By the soul ofmy fader, I'd bet my week's allowanceon you anyhow. Nebber be 'fraid,Massa Easy."

"I am not afraid," replied Jack; "I'vethrashed bigger fellows than he"; andJack's assertion was true. MrBonnycastle never interfered in a fairfight, and took no notice of black eyes,provided the lessons there well said.Jack had fought and fought again, untilhe was a very good bruiser, andalthough not so tall as Vigors, he wasmuch better built for fighting. Aknowing Westminster boy would havebet his half-crown upon Jack had heseen him and his anticipated adversary.

The constant battles which Jack wasobliged to fight at school had beenbrought forward by Jack against hisfather's arguments in favour of equality,but they had been overruled by MrEasy's pointing out that the combats ofboys had nothing to do with the rightsof man.

As soon as the watch was called,Vigors, O'Connor, Gossett, andGascoigne came down into the berth.Vigors, who was the strongest in theberth, except Jolliffe, had successivelyhad his superiority acknowledged, and,when on deck, he had talked of Easy'simpertinence, and his intention of

bringing him to his senses. The others,therefore, came down to see the fun.

"Well, Mr Easy," observed Vigors, as hecame into the berth, "you take afteryour name, at all events; I suppose youintend to eat the king's provision, anddo nothing."

Jack's mettle was already up. "You willoblige me, sir, by minding your ownbusiness," replied Jack.

"You impudent blackguard, if you sayanother word, I'll give you a goodthrashing, and knock some of yourequality out of you."

"Indeed," replied Jack, who almostfancied himself back at MrBonnycastle's; "we'll try that."

Whereupon Jack very coolly divestedhimself of his upper garments,neckerchief, and shirt, much to thesurprise of Mr Vigors, who littlecontemplated such a proof of decisionand confidence, and still more to thedelight of the other midshipmen, whowould have forfeited a week'sallowance to see Vigors well thrashed.Vigors, however, knew that he hadgone too far to retreat; he thereforeprepared for action; and, when ready,the whole party went out into thesteerage to settle the business.

Vigors had gained his assumedauthority more by bullying thanfighting; others had submitted to himwithout a sufficient trial; Jack, on thecontrary, had won his way up in schoolby hard and scientific combat; theresult, therefore, may easily beimagined. In less than a quarter of anhour Vigors, beaten dead, with his eyesclosed, and three teeth out, gave in:while Jack, after a basin of water,looked as fresh as ever, with theexception of a few trifling scratches.

The news of this victory was soonthrough the ship; and before Jack hadresumed his clothes it had been told

confidentially by Sawbridge to thecaptain.

"So soon!" said Captain Wilson,laughing; "I expected that amidshipman's berth would do wonders;but I did not expect this yet awhile.This victory is the first severe blow toMr Easy's equality, and will be morevaluable than twenty defeats. Let himnow go to his duty, he will soon findhis level."

CHAPTER XI

In which our hero proves that all on

board should equally sacrifice decencyto duty.

The success of any young man in aprofession very much depends uponthe occurrences at the commencementof his career, as from those is hischaracter judged, and he is treatedaccordingly. Jack had chosen to enterthe service at a much later period thanmost lads; he was tall and manly for hisage, and his countenance, if not strictlyhandsome, wore that expression ofhonesty and boldness which is sure toplease. His spirit in not submitting to,and meeting, Vigors when he hadhardly recovered from his severeprostration of sea-sickness, had gained

him with the many respect, and with all,except his antagonist and Mr Smallsole,good-will. Instead of being laughed atby his messmates, he was played with;for Jolliffe smiled at his absurdities, andattempted to reason him out of them,and the others liked Jack for himselfand his generosity, and moreover,because they looked up to him as aprotector against Vigors, who hadpersecuted them all; for Jack haddeclared, that as might was right in amidshipman's berth, he would so farrestore equality, that if he could not putdown those who were the strongest, atall events he would protect the weak,and, let who would come into theberth, they must be his master before

they should tyrannise over those weakerthan he.

Thus did Jack Easy make the best usethat he could of his strength, andbecome, as it were, the champion andsecurity of those who, although muchlonger at sea and more experiencedthan he was, were glad to shelterthemselves under his courage and skill,the latter of which had excited theadmiration of the butcher of the ship,who had been a pugilist by profession.Thus did Jack at once take the rank ofan oldster, and soon became the leaderof all the mischief. We particularlyobserve this, because, had it sohappened that our hero had

succumbed to Vigors, the case wouldhave been the very reverse. He thenwould have had to go through theordeal to which most who enter thenaval service are exposed, which cannotbe better explained than by comparingit to the fagging carried to such aniniquitous extent in public schools.

Mr Asper, for his own reasons, madehim his companion: they walked thenight watch together, and he listened toall Jack's nonsense about the rights ofman. And here Mr Asper did goodwithout intending it, for, at the sametime that he appeared to agree withJack, to secure his favour, he cautionedhim, and pointed out why this equality

could not exist altogether on board ofa man-of-war.

As for himself, he said, he saw nodifference between a lieutenant, or evena captain, and a midshipman, providedthey were gentlemen: he should choosehis friends where he liked, and despisedthat power of annoyance which theservice permitted. Of course, Jack andMr Asper were good friends, especiallyas, when half the watch was over, toconciliate his good-will and to get ridof his eternal arguing, Mr Asper wouldsend Jack down to bed.

They were now entering the Straits, andexpected to anchor the next day at

Gibraltar, and Jack was forward on theforecastle, talking with Mesty, withwhom he had contracted a greatfriendship, for there was nothing thatMesty would not have done for Jack,although he had not been three weeksin the ship; but a little reflection willshow that it was natural.

Mesty had been a great man in his owncountry; he had suffered all the horrorsof a passage in a slave ship; he hadbeen sold as a slave twice; he hadescaped but he found that the universalfeeling was strong against his colour,and that on board of a man-of-war hewas condemned, although free, to thehumblest of offices.

He had never heard anyone utter thesentiments, which now beat in his ownheart, of liberty and equality we saynow, for when he was in his owncountry before his captivity, he had noideas of equality; no one has who is inpower: but he had been schooled; andalthough people talked of liberty andequality at New York, he found thatwhat they preached for themselves, theydid not practise towards others, andthat, in the midst of liberty andequality, he and thousands more wereenslaved and degraded beings.

Escaping to England, he had regainedhis liberty, but not his equality; his

colour had prevented the latter, and inthat feeling all the world appeared toconspire together against him, until, tohis astonishment, he heard thosesentiments boldly expressed from thelips of Jack, and that in a service whereit was almost tantamount to mutiny.Mesty, whose character is not yetdeveloped, immediately took afondness for our hero, and in ahundred ways showed his attachment.Jack also liked Mesty, and was fond oftalking with him, and every evening,since the combat with Vigors, they hadgenerally met in the forecastle todiscuss the principles of equality andthe rights of man.

The boatswain, whose name was Biggs,was a slight, dapper, active little man,who, as captain of the foretop, hadshown an uncommon degree ofcourage in a hurricane, so much so, asto recommend him to the Admiral forpromotion. It was given to him; andafter the ship to which he had beenappointed was paid off, he had beenordered to join H.M. sloop Harpy.Jack's conversation with Mesty wasinterrupted by the voice of theboatswain, who was haranguing hisboy. "It's now ten minutes, sir, by myrepeater," said the boatswain, "that Ihave sent for you"; and Mr Biggs pulledout a huge silver watch, almost as big asa Norfolk turnip. A Jew had sold him

the watch; the boatswain had heard ofrepeaters, and wished to have one.Moses had only shown him watcheswith the hour and minute hands; henow produced one with a second hand,telling him it was a repeater.

"What makes it a repeater " inquired theboatswain.

"Common watches," said the cunningJew, "only tell the minutes and hours;but all repeaters tell the seconds."

The boatswain was satisfied bought thewatch, and, although many had toldhim it was no repeater, he insisted thatit was, and would call it so.

"I swear," continued the boatswain, "it'sten minutes and twenty seconds by myrepeater."

"If you please, sir," said the boy, "I waschanging my trousers when you sentfor me, and then I had to stow away mybag again."

"Silence, sir; I'd have you to know thatwhen you are sent for by your officer,trousers or no trousers, it is your dutyto come up directly."

"Without trousers, sir " replied the boy.

"Yes, sir, without trousers; if the

captain required me, I should comewithout my shirt. Duty before decency."So saying, the boatswain lays hold ofthe boy.

"Surely, Mr Biggs," said Jack, "you arenot going to punish that boy for notcoming up without his trousers "

"Yes, Mr Easy, I am I must teach him alesson. We are bound, now thatnewfangled ideas are brought into theship, to uphold the dignity of theservice; and the orders of an officer arenot to be delayed ten minutes andtwenty seconds because a boy has notrousers on." Whereupon theboatswain administered several smart

cuts with his rattan upon the boy,proving that it was quite as well that hehad put on his trousers before he cameon deck. "There," said Mr Biggs, "is alesson for you, you scamp and, MrEasy, it is a lesson for you also,"continued the boatswain, walking awaywith a most consequential air.

"Murder Irish!" said Mesty "how himcut caper. De oder day he haul out deweather ear-ring, and touch him hat toa midshipman. Sure enough, make umcat laugh."

The next day the Harpy was at anchorin Gibraltar Bay; the captain went onshore, directing the gig to be sent for

him before nine o'clock; after whichhour the sally-port is only opened byspecial permission. There happened tobe a ball given by the officers of thegarrison on that evening, and a politeinvitation was sent to the officers ofH.M. sloop Harpy. As those whoaccepted the invitation would bedetained late, it was not possible forthem to come off that night. And astheir services were required for the nextday, Captain Wilson allowed them toremain on shore until seven o'clock thenext morning, at which hour, as therewas a large party, there would be twoboats sent for them.

Mr Asper obtained leave, and asked

permission to take our hero with him;to which Mr Sawbridge consented.Many other officers obtained leave,and, among others, the boatswain, who,aware that his services would be inrequest as soon as the equipmentcommenced, asked permission for thisevening. And Mr Sawbridge, feelingthat he could be better spared at thisthan at any other time, consented.Asper and Jack went to an inn, dined,bespoke beds, and then dressedthemselves for the ball, which was verybrilliant, and, from the company of theofficers, very pleasant. Captain Wilsonlooked on at the commencement, andthen returned on board. Jack behavedwith his usual politeness, danced till

two o'clock, and then, as the ballthinned, Asper proposed that theyshould retires. Having once moreapplied to the refreshment-room, theyhad procured their hats, and were aboutto depart, when one of the officers ofthe garrison asked Jack if he would liketo see a baboon, which had just beenbrought down from the rock; and,taking some of the cakes, they repairedto the court where the animal waschained down to a small tank. Jack fedthe brute till all the cakes were gone,and then, because he had no more togive him, the baboon flew at Jack, who,in making his retreat fell back into thetank, which was about two feet deep.This was a joke, and having laughed

heartily, they wished the officer good-night, and went to the inn.

Now, what with the number of officersof the Harpy on shore, who had all putup at the same inn, and otheroccupants, the landlord was obliged toput his company into double andtreble-bedded rooms; but this was oflittle consequence. Jack was shown intoa double-bedded room, and proceededto undress; the other was evidentlyoccupied, by the heavy breathing whichsaluted Jack's ear.

As Jack undressed, he recollected thathis trousers were wet through, and todry them he opened the window, hung

them out, and then jammed down thewindow again upon them, to holdthem in their position, after which heturned in and fell fast asleep. At sixo'clock he was called, as he hadrequested, and proceeded to dress, butto his astonishment found the windowthrown open and his trousers missing.It was evident, that his partner in theroom had thrown the window openduring the night, and that his trousers,having fallen down into the street, hadbeen walked off with by somebody oranother. Jack looked out of thewindow once more, and perceived thatwhoever had thrown open the windowhad been unwell during the night.

A nice drunken companion I have had,thought Jack; but what's to be doneAnd in saying this, he walked up to theother bed, and perceived that it wastenanted by the boatswain. Well,thought Jack, as Mr Biggs has thoughtproper to lose my trousers, I think Ihave a right to take his, or at least thewear of them to go on board. It wasbut last night he declared that decencymust give way to duty, and that theorders of a superior officer were to beobeyed, with or without garments. Iknow he is obliged to be on board, andnow he shall try how he likes to obeyorders in his shirt tails. So cogitating,Jack took the trousers of theboatswain, who still snored, although

he had been called, and putting themon, completed the rest of his dress, andquitted the room. He went to that ofMr Asper, where he found him justready, and, having paid the bill forAsper had forgotten his purse theyproceeded down to the sally-port,where they found other officerswaiting, sufficient to load the first boat,which shoved off, and they went onboard. As soon as he was down below,Jack hastened to change his trousers,and, unobserved by anyone, threwthose belonging to Mr Biggs on a chairin his cabin, and, having made aconfidant of Mesty, who was delighted,he went on deck, and waited the issueof the affair.

Before Jack left the hotel, he had toldthe waiter that there was the boatswainstill fast asleep, and that he must beroused up immediately; and thisinjunction was obeyed. The boatswain,who had drunk too much the nightbefore, and, as Jack had truly imagined,had opened the window because hewas unwell, was wakened up, andhearing how late it was, hastened todress himself. Not finding his trousers,he rang the bell, supposing that theyhad been taken down to be brushed,and, in the meantime, put on everythingelse, that he might lose no time: thewaiter who answered the bell, deniedhaving taken the trousers out of the

room, and poor Mr Biggs was in a sadquandary. What had become of them,he could not tell: he had no recollectionof having gone to bed the night before;he inquired of the waiter, who said thathe knew nothing about them that hewas very tipsy when he came home, andthat when he called him, he had foundthe window open, and it appeared thathe had been unwell he supposed thathe had thrown his trousers out of thewindow. Time flew, and the boatswainwas in despair. "Could they lend him apair "

"He would call his master." The masterof the inn knew very well thedifference of rank between officers,

and those whom he could trust andthose whom he could not. He sent upthe bill by the waiter, and stated that,for a deposit, the gentleman might havea pair of trousers. The boatswain felt inhis pockets and remembered that all hismoney was in his trousers' pocket. Hecould not only not leave a deposit, butcould not pay his bill. The landlord wasinexorable. It was bad enough to losehis money, but he could not lose more.

"I shall be tried by a court-martial, byheavens!" exclaimed the boatswain "it'snot far from the sally-port: I'll make arun for it, and I can slip into one of theboats and get another pair of trousersbefore I report myself as having come

on board." So making up his mind, theboatswain took to his heels, and withhis check shirt tails streaming in thewind, ran as hard as he could to wherethe boat was waiting to receive him. Hewas encountered by many, but he onlyran the faster the more they jeered, and,at last, arrived breathless at his goal,flew down the steps, jumped into theboat, and squatted on the stern sheets,much to the surprise of the officersand men, who thought him mad. Hestated in a few words that somebodyhad stolen his trousers during the night;and as it was already late, the boatshoved off the men as well as officersconvulsed with laughter.

"Have any of you a pea-jacket "inquired the boatswain of the men butthe weather was so warm that none ofthem had brought a pea-jacket. Theboatswain looked round; he perceivedthat the officers were sitting on a boat-cloak.

"Whose boat-cloak is that " inquiredthe boatswain.

"Mine," replied Gascoigne.

"I trust, Mr Gascoigne, you will havethe kindness to lend it to me to go upthe side with."

"Indeed I will not," replied Gascoigne,

who would sooner have thrown itoverboard and have lost it, than notbeheld the anticipated fun: "recollect Iasked you for a fishing-line, when wewere becalmed off Cape St Vincent,and you sent word that you'd see medead first. Now I'll just see you thesame before you have my boat-cloak."

"Oh, Mr Gascoigne, I'll give you threelines, directly I get on board."

"I dare say you will, but that won't donow. 'Tit for tat,' Mr Boatswain, andhang all favours," replied Gascoigne,who was steering the boat, having beensent on shore for the others. "Inborrowed of all." The boat was laid

alongside the relentless Gascoignecaught up his boat-cloak as the otherofficers rose to go on board, androlling it up, in spite of the earnestentreaties of Mr Biggs, tossed it intothe main chains, to the man who hadthrown the stem fast; and to make thesituation of Mr Biggs still moredeplorable, the first lieutenant wasstanding looking into the boat, andCaptain Wilson walking the quarter-deck.

"Come, Mr Biggs, I expected you off inthe first boat," cried Mr Sawbridge; "beas smart as you please, for the yards arenot yet squared."

"Shall I go ahead in this boat, andsquare them, sir "

"That boat! no; let her drop astern,jump up here and lower down thedinghy. What the devil do you sit therefor, Mr Biggs you'll oblige me byshowing a little more activity, or, byJove, you may save yourself the troubleof asking to go on shore again. Areyou sober, sir "

The last observation decided Mr Biggs.He sprung up from the boat just as hewas, and touched his hat as he passedthe first lieutenant. "Perfectly sober, sir,but I've lost my trousers."

"So it appears, sir," replied MrSawbridge, as Mr Biggs stood on theplane shear of the sloop where thehammock netting divides for anentrance, with his shirt tails fluttering inthe sea breeze; but Mr Sawbridge couldnot contain himself any longer; he randown the ship ladder which led on thequarter-deck, choked with laughter. MrBiggs could not descend until after MrSawbridge, and the conversation hadattracted the notice of all, and every eyein the ship was on him.

"What's all this " said Captain Wilson,coming to the gangway. "Duty beforedecency," replied Jack, who stood byenjoying the joke.

Mr Biggs recollected the day before hecast a furious look at Jack, as hetouched his hat to the captain, and thendived down to the lower deck.

If anything could add to theindignation of the boatswain, it was tofind that his trousers had come onboard before him. He now felt that atrick had been played him, and also thatour hero must have been the party, buthe could prove nothing; he could notsay who slept in the same room, for hewas fast asleep when Jack went to bed,and fast asleep when Jack quitted theroom.

The truth of the story soon becameknown to all the ship, and "duty beforedecency" became a bye-word. All thatthe boatswain could do he did, whichwas to revenge himself upon the poorboy and Gascoigne and Jack never gotany fishing-tackle. The boatswain wasas obnoxious to the men as Vigors, andin consequence of Jack's knownopinions upon the rights of man, andhis having floored their two greatestenemies, he became a great favouritewith the seamen, and as all favouritesare honoured by them with asoubriquet, our hero obtained that ofEquality Jack.

CHAPTER XII

In which our hero prefers going downto going up; a choice, it is to be hoped,he will reverse upon a more importantoccasion.

The next day being Sunday, the handswere turned up to divisions, and theweather not being favourable, insteadof the service the articles of war wereread with all due respect shown to thesame, the captain, officers, and crew,with their hats off in a mizzling rain.Jack, who had been told by the captainthat these articles of war were the rulesand regulations of the service, by

which the captain, officers, and men,were equally bound, listened to them asthey were read by the clerk with thegreatest attention. He little thought thatthere were about five hundred ordersfrom the Admiralty tacked on to them,which, like the numerous codicils ofsome wills, contained the mostimportant matter, and to a certaindegree make the will nugatory.

Jack listened very attentively, and, aseach article was propounded, felt thathe was not likely to commit himself inthat point, and, although he was ratherastonished to find such a positiveinjunction against swearing consideredquite a dead letter in the ship, he

thought that, altogether, he saw his wayvery clear. But to make certain of it, assoon as the hands had been pipeddown he begged the clerk to let himhave a copy of the articles.

Now the clerk had three, being theallowance of the ship, or at least all thathe had in his possession, and madesome demur at parting with one; but atlast he proposed "some rascal," as hesaid, having stolen his tooth-brush thatif Jack would give him one he wouldgive him one of the copies of thearticles of war. Jack replied that the onehe had in use was very much worn, andthat unfortunately he had but one newone, which he could not spare.

Thereupon the clerk, who was a veryclean personage, and could not bearthat his teeth should be dirty, agreed toaccept the one in use, as Jack could notpart with the other. The exchange wasmade, and Jack read the articles of warover and over again, till he thought hewas fully master of them.

"Now," says Jack, "I know what I am todo, and what I am to expect, and thesearticles of war I will carry in my pocketas long as I'm in the service; that is tosay, if they last so long: and providedthey do not, I am able to replace themwith another old tooth-brush, whichappears to be the value attached tothem."

The Harpy remained a fortnight inGibraltar Bay, and Jack had occasionallya run on shore, and Mr Asperinvariably went with him to keep himout of mischief; that is to say, heallowed him to throw his money awayon no one more worthless than himself.

One morning Jack went down in theberth, and found young Gossettblubbering.

"What's the matter, my dear Mr Gossett" inquired Jack, who was just as politeto the youngster as he was to anybodyelse.

"Vigors has been thrashing me with arope's end," replied Gossett, rubbinghis arm and shoulders.

"What for " inquired Jack. "Because hesays the service is going to hell (I'msure it's no fault of mine) and that nowall subordination is destroyed, and thatupstarts join the ship who, because theyhave a five-pound note in their pocket,are allowed to do just as they please. Hesaid he was determined to uphold theservice, and then he knocked me downand when I got up again he told methat I could stand a little more and thenhe took out his colt, and said he wasdetermined to ride the high horse andthat there should be no Equality Jack in

future."

"Well," replied Jack. "And then hecolted me for half an hour, and that'sall."

"By de soul of my fader, but it all fortrue, Massa Easy he larrup um, sureenough all for noting, bad luck to him Itink," continued Mesty, "he habdebelish bad memory and he want alittle more of Equality Jack."

"And he shall have it too," replied ourhero; "why it's against the articles ofwar, 'all quarrelling, fighting, &c.' I say,Mr Gossett, have you got the spirit of alouse "

"Yes," replied Gossett.

"Well, then, will you do what I tell younext time, and trust to me forprotection "

"I don't care what I do," replied theboy, "if you will back me against thecowardly tyrant "

"Do you refer to me " cried Vigors,who had stopped at the door of theberth.

"Say yes," said Jack. "Yes, I do," criedGossett.

"You do, do you well, then, my chick, Imust trouble you with a little more ofthis," said Vigors, drawing out his colt.

"I think that you had better not, MrVigors," observed Jack. "Mind yourown business, if you please," returnedVigors, not much liking theinterference. "I am not addressing myconversation to you, and I will thankyou never to interfere with me. Ipresume I have a right to choose myown acquaintance, and, depend uponit, it will not be that of a leveller."

"All that is at your pleasure, MrVigors," replied Jack; "you have a rightto choose your own acquaintance, and

so have I a right to choose my ownfriends, and, further, to support them.That lad is my friend, Mr Vigors."

"Then," replied Vigors, who could nothelp bullying even at the risk ofanother combat which he probablyintended to stand, "I shall take theliberty of giving your friend athrashing"; and he suited the action tothe word.

"Then I shall take the liberty to defendmy friend," replied Jack; "and as youcall me a leveller, I'll try if I may notdeserve the name" whereupon Jackplaced a blow so well under the ear,that Mr Vigors dropped on the deck,

and was not in a condition to come tothe scratch, even if he had beeninclined. "And now, youngster," saidJack, wresting the colt out of Vigors'hand, "do as I bid you give him a goodcolting if you don't I'll thrash you."

Gossett required no second threat; thepleasure of thrashing his enemy, if onlyfor once, was quite enough and he laidwell on. Jack with his fists doubledready to protect him if there was ashow of resistance, but Vigors washalf stupefied with the blow under theear, and quite cowed; he took histhrashing in the most pensive manner.

"That will do," said Jack; "and now do

not be afraid, Gossett; the very firsttime he offers to strike you when I amnot present, I will pay him off for it assoon as you tell me. I won't be calledEquality Jack for nothing."

When Jolliffe, who heard of this, metour hero alone, he said to him, "Takemy advice, boy, and do not in futurefight the battles of others; you'll findvery soon that you will have enough todo to fight your own."

Whereupon Jack argued the point forhalf an hour, and then they separated.But Mr Jolliffe was right. Jack began tofind himself constantly in hot water,and the captain and first lieutenant,

although they did not really withdrawtheir protection, thought it high timethat Jack should find out that, on boarda man-of-war, everybody andeverything must find its level.

There was on board of his Majesty'ssloop Harpy, a man of the name ofEasthupp, who did the duty of purser'ssteward; this was the second ship thathe had served in: in the former he hadbeen sent with a draft of men from theTender lying off the Tower. How hehad come into the service was notknown in the present ship; but the factwas, that he had been one of the swellmob and had been sent on board theTender with a letter of

recommendation from the magistratesto Captain Crouch. He was a cockneyby birth, for he had been left at thework-house of St Mary Axe, where hehad been taught to read and write, andhad afterwards made his escape. Hejoined the juvenile thieves of themetropolis, had been sent to Bridewell,obtained his liberty, and by degrees hadrisen from petty thieving of goodsexposed outside of the shops andmarket-stalls, to the higher class ofgentleman pickpockets. His appearancewas somewhat genteel, with a bullyingsort of an impudent air, which ismistaken for fashion by those whoknow no better. A remarkable neatdresser, for that was part of his

profession; a very plausible manner andaddress; a great fluency of language,although he clipped the king's English;and, as he had suffered more than onceby the law, it is not to be wondered at,that he was, as he called himself, ahout-and-hout radical. During the latterpart of his service, in his last ship, hehad been employed under the purser'ssteward, and having offered himself inthis capacity to the purser of H.M.sloop Harpy, with one or two forgedcertificates, he had been accepted.

Now, when Mr Easthupp heard ofJack's opinion, he wished to cultivatehis acquaintance, and with a bow and aflourish, introduced himself before

they arrived at Gibraltar; but our herotook an immediate dislike to this fellowfrom his excessive and impertinentfamiliarity.

Jack knew a gentleman when he metone, and did not choose to be acompanion to a man beneath him inevery way, but who, upon the strengthof Jack's liberal opinions, presumed tobe his equal. Jack's equality did not goso far as that; in theory it was all verywell, but in practice it was only when itsuited his own purpose.

But the purser's steward was not to bechecked a man who has belonged tothe swell mob is not easily repulsed;

and, although Jack would plainly showhim that his company was notagreeable, Easthupp would constantlyaccost him familiarly on the forecastleand lower deck, with his arms folded,and with an air almost amounting tofamiliarity. At last, Jack told him to goabout his business and not presume totalk to him; whereupon Easthupprejoined, and after an exchange of hardwords, it ended by Jack kicking MrEasthupp, as he called himself, downthe after lower-deck hatchway. This wasbut a sorry specimen of Jack's equalityand Mr Easthupp, who considered thathis honour had been compromised,went up to the captain on the quarter-deck and lodged his complaint

whereupon Captain Wilson desired thatMr Easy might be summoned.

As soon as Jack made his appearance,Captain Wilson called to Easthupp."Now, purser's steward, what is this youhave to say "

"If you please, Captain Vilson, I amwery sorry to be obliged to make hanycomplaint of hany hofficer, but this MrHeasy thought proper to make use oflanguage quite hunbecoming of agentleman, and then to kick me as Ivent down the atchvay."

"Well, Mr Easy, is this true " "Yes, sir,"replied Jack; "I have several times told

the fellow not to address himself tome, and he will. I did tell him he was aradical blackguard, and I did kick himdown the hatchway."

"You told him he was a radicalblackguard, Mr Easy " "Yes, sir, hecomes bothering me about his republic,and asserting that we have no want of aking and aristocracy."

Captain Wilson looked significantly atMr Sawbridge. "I certainly did hoffermy political opinions, Captain Vilson;but you must be avare that ve hall avean hequal stake in the country and it's aHinglishman's birthright."

"I'm not aware what your stake in thecountry may be, Mr Easthupp,"observed Captain Wilson, "but I thinkthat, if you used such expressions, MrEasy was fully warranted in telling youhis opinion."

"I ham villing, Captain Vilson, to makehany hallowance for the eat of politicaldiscussion but that is not hall that I aveto complain hof. Mr Heasy thoughtproper to say that I was a swindler anda liar."

"Did you make use of thoseexpressions, Mr Easy "

"Yes, sir, he did," continued the

steward; "and, moreover, told me not tocheat the men, and not to cheat mymaster, the purser. Now, CaptainVilson, is it not true that I am in a weryhostensible sitevation but I flattermyself that I ave been vell edecated,and vos wonce moving in a werydifferent society misfortains vill appinto us hall, and I feel my character hasbeen severely injured by suchimportations"; whereupon MrEasthupp took out his handkerchief,flourished, and blew his nose. "I toldMr Heasy, that I considered myselfquite as much of a gentleman ashimself, and at hall hewents did notkeep company with a black feller (MrHeasy will hunderstand the

insinevation); vereupon Mr Heasy, as Ibefore said, your vorship, I mean you,Captain Vilson, thought proper to kickme down the atchvay."

"Very well, steward, I have heard yourcomplaint, and now you may go." MrEasthupp took his hat off with an air,made his bow, and went down the mainladder.

"Mr Easy," said Captain Wilson, "youmust be aware that by the regulationsof the service by which we are allequally bound, it is not permitted thatany officer shall take the law into hisown hands. Now, although I do notconsider it necessary to make any

remark as to your calling the man aradical blackguard, for I consider hisimpertinent intrusion of his opinionsdeserved it, still you have no right toattack any man's character withoutgrounds and as that man is in an officeof trust, you were not at all warrantedin asserting that he was a cheat. Willyou explain to me why you made useof such language "

Now our hero had no proofs againstthe man; he had nothing to offer inextenuation, until he recollected, all atonce, the reason assigned by the captainfor the language used by Mr Sawbridge.Jack had the wit to perceive that itwould hit home, so he replied, very

quietly and respectfully:

"If you please, Captain Wilson, thatwas all zeal."

"Zeal, Mr Easy I think it but a badexcuse. But pray, then, why did you kickthe man down the hatchway you musthave known that that was contrary tothe rules of the service."

"Yes, sir," replied Jack, demurely; "butthat was all zeal, too."

"Then allow me to say," replied CaptainWilson, biting his lips, "that I think thatyour zeal has in this instance been verymuch misplaced, and I trust you will

not show so much again."

"And yet, sir," replied Jack, aware thathe was giving the captain a hard hit,and therefore looked proportionallyhumble, "we should do nothing in theservice without it and I trust one day, asyou told me, to become a very zealousofficer."

"I trust so, too, Mr Easy," replied thecaptain. "There, you may go now, andlet me hear no more of kicking peopledown the hatchway. That sort of zeal ismisplaced."

"More than my foot was, at all events,"muttered Jack, as he walked off.

Captain Wilson, as soon as our herodisappeared, laughed heartily, and toldMr Sawbridge, "he had ascribed hislanguage to our hero as all zeal. He hasvery cleverly given me it all back again;and really, Sawbridge, as it proves howweak was my defence of you, you maygain from this lesson."

Sawbridge thought so, too but bothagreed that Jack's rights of man were inconsiderable danger.

The day before the ship sailed, thecaptain and Mr Asper dined with theGovernor; and as there was little moreto do, Mr Sawbridge, who had not

quitted the ship since she had been inport, and had some few purchases tomake, left her in the afternoon in thecharge of Mr Smallsole, the master.Now, as we have observed, he wasJack's inveterate enemy indeed Jack hadalready made three, Mr Smallsole, MrBiggs, the boatswain, and Easthupp, thepurser's steward. Mr Smallsole was gladto be left in command, as he hoped tohave an opportunity of punishing ourhero, who certainly laid himself not alittle open to it.

Like all those who are seldom incommand, the master wasproportionally tyrannical and abusivehe swore at the men, made them do the

duty twice and thrice over, on thepretence that it was not smartly done,and found fault with every officerremaining on board.

"Mr Biggs by God, sir, you seem to beall asleep forward. I suppose you thinkthat you are to do nothing now the firstlieutenant is out of the ship How longwill it be, sir, before you are ready tosway away "

"By de holy poker, I tink he sway awayfinely, Massy Easy," observed Mesty,who was in converse with our hero onthe forecastle.

Mr Smallsole's violence made Mr Biggs

violent, which made the boatswain'smate violent and the captain of theforecastle violent also; all which ispractically exemplified by philosophy inthe laws of motion, communicatedfrom one body to another; and as MrSmallsole swore, so did the boatswainswear. Also the boatswain's mate, thecaptain of the forecastle, and all themen showing the force of example.

Mr Smallsole came forward.

"Damnation, Mr Biggs, what the devilare you about Can't you move here "

"As much as we can, sir," replied theboatswain, "lumbered as the forecastle

is with idlers." And here Mr Biggslooked at our hero and Mesty, whowere standing against the bulwark.

"What are you doing here, sir " criedMr Smallsole to our hero.

"Nothing at all, sir " replied Jack.

"Then I'll give you something to do, sir.Go up to the mast-head, and wait theretill I call you down. Come, sir, I'll showyou the way," continued the master,walking aft. Jack followed till they wereon the quarter-deck.

"Now, sir, up to the main-top gallantmast-head; perch yourself upon the

cross-trees up with you."

"What am I to go up there for, sir "inquired Jack.

"For punishment, sir," replied themaster.

"What have I done, sir "

"No reply, sir up with you."

"If you please, sir," replied Jack, "Ishould wish to argue this point a little."

"Argue the point!" roared Mr Smallsole"By Jove, I'll teach you to argue thepoint away with you, sir."

"If you please, sir," continued Jack,"the captain told me that the articles ofwar were the rules and regulations bywhich everyone in the service was to beguided. Now, sir," said Jack, "I haveread them over till I know them byheart, and there is not one word ofmastheading in the whole of them."Here Jack took the articles out of hispocket, and unfolded them.

"Will you go to the mast-head, sir, orwill you not " said Mr Smallsole. "Willyou show me the mast-head in thearticles of war, sir " replied Jack; "herethey are."

"I tell you, sir, to go to the mast-head:if not, I'll be d -d if I don't hoist youup in a bread-bag."

"There's nothing about bread-bags inthe articles of war, sir," replied Jack;"but I'll tell you what there is, sir"; andJack commenced reading,

"All flag-officers, and all persons in orbelonging to his Majesty's ships orvessels of war, being guilty of profaneoaths, execrations, drunkenness,uncleanness, or other scandalousactions, in derogation of God's honourand corruption of good manners, shallincur such punishment as "

"Damnation," cried the master, whowas mad with rage, hearing that thewhole ship's company were laughing.

"No, sir, not damnation," replied Jack,"that's when he's tried above; butaccording to the nature and degree ofthe offence."

"Will you go to the mast-head, sir, orwill you not "

"If you please," replied Jack, "I'd rathernot."

"Then, sir, consider yourself under anarrest I'll try you by a court-martial, byGod. Go down below, sir."

"With the greatest pleasure, sir," repliedJack, "that's all right and according tothe articles of war, which are to guideus all." Jack folded up his articles ofwar, put them into his pocket, and wentdown into the berth.

Soon after Jack had gone down, Jolliffe,who had heard the whole of thealtercation, followed him: "My lad,"said Jolliffe, "I'm sorry for all this; youshould have gone to the mast-head."

"I should like to argue that point alittle," replied Jack. "Yes, so wouldeverybody; but if that were permitted,the service would be at a stand-still that

would not do; you must obey an orderfirst, and then complain afterwards, ifthe order is unjust."

"It is not so in the articles of war."

"But it is so in the service."

"The captain told me that the articlesof war were the guides of the service,and we were all equally bound to obeythem."

"Well, but allowing that, I do not thinkyour articles of war will bear you out.You observe, they say any officer,mariner, etc, guilty of disobedience toany lawful command. Now are you not

guilty under that article "

"That remains to be argued still,"replied Jack. "A lawful commandmeans an order established by law; nowwhere is that law besides, the captaintold me when I kicked that blackguarddown the hatchway, that there was onlythe captain who could punish, and thatofficers could not take the law intotheir own hands; why then has themaster "

"His doing wrong as superior officer isno reason why you as an inferiorshould disobey him. If that werepermitted, if every order were to becavilled at, and argued upon, as just or

unjust, there would be an end of alldiscipline. Besides, recollect that in theservice there is custom, which is thesame as law."

"That admits of a little argument,"replied Jack.

"The service will admit of none, mydear boy: recollect that, even on shore,we have two laws, that which is written,and the 'lex non scripta,' which iscustom; of course we have it in theservice, for the articles of war cannotprovide for everything."

"They provide a court-martial foreverything though," replied Jack.

"Yes, with death or dismissal from theservice neither of which would be veryagreeable. You have got yourself into ascrape, and although the captain isevidently your friend, he cannotoverlook it: fortunately, it is with themaster, which is of less consequencethan with the other officers; but stillyou will have to submit, for the captaincannot overlook it."

"I'll tell you what, Jolliffe," replied Jack,"my eyes now begin to be opened to agreat many things. The captain tells me,when I am astonished at bad language,that it is all zeal, and then I found outthat what is all zeal in a superior to an

inferior, is insolence when reversed. Hetells me, that the articles of war aremade to equally guide us all the masterbreaks what is positively mentioned inthe second article twenty times over,and goes scot free, while I am to bepunished because I do not comply withwhat the articles do not mention. Howwas I to know that I ought to go to themast-head for punishment particularlywhen the captain tells me that he aloneis to punish in the ship. If I obey anorder in opposition to the captain'sorder, is not that as bad as disobeyingthe captain I think that I have made outa very strong case, and my argumentsare not to be confuted."

"I am afraid that the master will makeout a very strong case, and that yourarguments will never be heard."

"That will be contrary to all the rulesof justice." "But according to all therules of service."

"I do believe that I am a great fool,"observed Jack, after a pause. "What doyou imagine made me come to sea,Jolliffe "

"Because you did not know when youwere well off," replied the mate, drily.

"That's true enough; but my reasonwas, because I thought I should find

that equality here that I could not findon shore." Jolliffe stared. "My dear boy,I heard you say that you obtained thoseopinions from your father; I mean nodisrespect to him, but he must be eithermad or foolish, if at his age he has notdiscovered, that there is no such thingin existence."

"I begin to think so," replied Jack; "butthat does not prove that there oughtnot to be."

"I beg your pardon; the very non-existence proves that it ought not to be'whatever is, is right', you might as wellexpect to find perfect happiness orperfection in the individual. Your father

must be a visionary."

"The best thing that I can do is to gohome again."

"No, my dear Easy, the best thing thatyou can do is, to stay in the service, forit will soon put an end to all suchnonsensical ideas; and it will make youa clever, sensible fellow. The service is arough, but a good school, whereeverybody finds his level, not the levelof equality, but the level which hisnatural talent and acquirements will riseor sink him to, in proportion as theyare plus or minus. It is a noble service,but has its imperfections, as everythingin this world must have. I have little

reason to speak in its favour, as far as Iam concerned, for it has been hardbread to me; but there must beexceptions in every rule. Do not thinkof quitting the service until you havegiven it a fair trial. I am aware that youare an only son, and your father is aman of property, and, therefore, in thecommon parlance of the world, you areindependent; but, believe me, no man,however rich, is independent, unless hehas a profession, and you will find nobetter than this, notwithstanding "

"What "

"That you will be, most certainly, sentto the mast-head to-morrow."

"We'll argue that point," replied Jack;"at all events, I will go and turn in to-night."

CHAPTER XIII

In which our hero begins to act andthink for himself.

Whatever may have been Jack'sthoughts, at all events they did not spoilhis rest. He possessed in himself all thematerials of a true philosopher, butthere was a great deal of weeding stillrequired. Joliffe's arguments, sensible as

they were, had very little effect uponhim; for, strange to say, it is much moreeasy to shake a man's opinions when heis wrong, than when he is right; provingthat we are all of a very perverse nature."Well," thought Jack, "if I am to go tothe mast-head, I am, that's all; but itdoes not prove that my arguments arenot good, only that they will not belistened to"; and then Jack shut his eyes,and in a few minutes was fast asleep.

The master had reported to the firstlieutenant, and the first lieutenant tothe captain, when he came on board thenext morning, the conduct of Mr Easy,who was sent for in the cabin, to hearif he had anything to offer in

extenuation of his offence. Jack madean oration, which lasted more than halfan hour, in which all the arguments hehad brought forward to Jolliffe in thepreceding chapter were entered fullyinto. Mr Jolliffe was then examined, andalso Mr Smallsole was interrogated:after which the captain and the firstlieutenant were left alone.

"Sawbridge," said Captain Wilson,"How true it is that any deviation fromwhat is right invariably leads us into ascrape. I have done wrong: wishing toget this boy out of his father's hands,and fearful that he would not join theship, and imagining him to be by nomeans the shrewd fellow that he is in

reality, I represented the service in amuch more favourable light than Ishould have done; all that he says I toldhim I did tell him, and it is I who reallyled the boy into error. Mr Smallsole hasbehaved tyrannically and unjustly; hepunished the lad for no crime; so thatbetween the master and me, I am nowon the horns of a dilemma. If I punishthe boy, I feel that I am punishing himmore for my own fault and the fault ofothers, than his own. If I do notpunish him, I allow a flagrant and openviolation of discipline to passuncensured, which will be injurious tothe service."

"He must be punished, sir," replied

Sawbridge.

"Send for him," said the captain.

Jack made his appearance, with a verypolite bow.

"Mr Easy, as you suppose that thearticles of war contained all the rulesand regulations of the service, I take itfor granted that you have erred throughignorance. But recollect, that althoughyou have erred through ignorance, sucha violation of discipline, if passedunnoticed, will have a very injuriouseffect with the men, whose obedience isenforced by the example shown tothem by the officers. I feel so

convinced of your zeal, which youshowed the other day in the case ofEasthupp, that I am sure you will seethe propriety of my proving to themen, by punishing you, that disciplinemust be enforced, and I shall thereforesend for you on the quarter-deck, andorder you to go to the mast-head inpresence of the ship's company, as itwas in presence of the ship's companythat you refused."

"With the greatest pleasure, CaptainWilson," replied Jack.

"And in future, Mr Easy, although Ishall ever set my face against it, recollectthat if any officer punishes you, and

you imagine that you are unfairlytreated, you will submit to thepunishment, and then apply to me forredress."

"Certainly, sir," replied Jack, "now that Iam aware of your wishes."

"You will oblige me, Mr Easy, by goingon the quarter-deck, and wait there till Icome up." Jack made his best bow, andexit.

"Old Jolliffe told me that I should haveto go," said Jack to himself, "and hewas right, so far; but hang me if Ihadn't the best of the argument, andthat's all I care about."

Captain Wilson sent for the master, andreprimanded him for his oppression, asit was evident that there was no groundfor punishment, and he forbade himever to mast-head another midshipman,but to report his conduct to the firstlieutenant or himself. He thenproceeded to the quarter-deck, and,calling for Mr Easy, gave him whatappeared to be a very severe reprimand,which Jack looked upon very quietly,because it was all zeal on the captain'spart to give it, and all zeal on his ownto take it. Our hero was then orderedup to the mast-head.

Jack took off his hat, and took three or

four steps, in obedience to the orderand then returned and made his bestbow inquired of Captain Wilsonwhether he wished him to go to thefore or to the mainmast head.

"To the main, Mr Easy," replied thecaptain, biting his lips. Jack ascendedthree spokes of the Jacob's ladder,when he again stopped, and took offhis hat.

"I beg your pardon, Captain Wilson-you have not informed me whether itwas your wish that I should go to thetopmast, or the top-gallant cross-trees."

"To the top-gallant cross-trees, Mr

Easy," replied the captain.

Jack ascended, taking it very easy; hestopped at the main-top for breath; atthe main-topmast head, to look abouthim; and, at last, gained the spot agreedupon, where he seated himself, and,taking out the articles of war,commenced them again to ascertainwhether he could not havestrengthened his arguments. He hadnot, however, read through the seventharticle before the hands were turned up"Up anchor!" and Mr Sawbridge called,"All hands down from aloft!" Jack tookthe hint, folded up his documents, andcame down as leisurely as he went up.Jack was a much better philosopher

than his father.

The Harpy was soon under way, andmade all sail, steering for Cape de Catte,where Captain Wilson hoped to pickup a Spanish vessel or two, on his wayto Toulon to receive orders of theAdmiral.

A succession of light breezes and calmsrendered the passage very tedious; butthe boats were constantly out, chasingthe vessels along shore, and Jack usuallyasked to be employed on this service;indeed, although so short a time afloat,he was, from his age and strength, oneof the most effective midshipmen, andto be trusted, provided a whim did not

come into his head; but hitherto Jackhad always been under orders, and hadalways acquitted himself very well.

When the Harpy was at Tarragona, it sohappened that there were several casesof dysentery in the ship, and Mr Asperand Mr Jolliffe were two of those whowere suffering. This reduced thenumber of officers; and, at the sametime, they had received informationfrom the men of a fishing-boat, who,to obtain their own release, had giventhe intelligence, that a small convoy wascoming down from Rosas as soon asthe wind was fair, under the protectionof two gun-boats.

Captain Wilson kept well off-shoreuntil the wind changed, and then,allowing for the time that the vesselswould take to run down the distancebetween Tarragona and Rosas, steeredin the night to intercept them; but itagain fell calm, and the boats weretherefore hoisted out, with directions toproceed along the shore, as it wassupposed that the vessels could notnow be far distant. Mr Sawbridge hadthe command of the expedition in thepinnace; the first cutter was in chargeof the gunner, Mr Linus; and, as theother officers were sick, Mr Sawbridge,who liked Jack more and more everyday, at his particular request gave himthe command of the second cutter. As

soon as he heard of it, Mesty declaredto our hero that he would go with him;but without permission that was notpossible. Jack obtained leave for Mestyto go in lieu of a marine; there weremany men sick of the dysentery, andMr Sawbridge was not sorry to take anidler out of the ship instead of aworking man, especially as Mesty wasknown to be a good hand.

It was ten o'clock at night when theboats quitted the ship; and, as it waspossible that they might not return tilllate the next day, one day's biscuit andrum were put on board each, that thecrews might not suffer fromexhaustion. The boats pulled in-shore,

and then coasted for three hourswithout seeing anything: the night wasfine overhead, but there was no moon.It still continued calm, and the menbegan to feel fatigued, when, just asthey were within a mile of a low point,they perceived the convoy over theland, coming down with their sailssquared, before a light breeze.

Mr Sawbridge immediately ordered theboats to lie upon their oars, awaitingtheir coming, and arranging for theattack.

The white lateen sails of the gun-boatin advance were now plainlydistinguishable from the rest, which

were all huddled together in her wake.Down she came like a beautiful swan inthe water, her sails just filled with thewind, and running about three knotsan hour. Mr Sawbridge kept her threemasts in one, that they might not beperceived, and winded the boats withtheir heads the same way, so that theymight dash on board of her with a fewstrokes of the oars. So favourable wasthe course of the gun-boat, that shestood right between the launch on onebow, and the two cutters on the other;and they were not perceived until theywere actually alongside; the resistancewas trifling, but some muskets andpistols had been fired, and the alarmwas given. Mr Sawbridge took

possession, with the crew of thelaunch, and brought the vessel to thewind, as he perceived that at the alarmall the convoy had done the same,directing the cutters to board the largestvessels, and secure as many as theycould, while he would do the samewith the launch, as he brought them to:but the other gun-boat, which had notyet been seen, and had been forgotten,now made her appearance, and camedown in a gallant manner to thesupport of her comrade.

Mr Sawbridge threw half his men intothe launch, as she carried a heavycarronade, and sent her to assist thecutters, which had made right for the

gun-boat. A smart firing of round andgrape was opened upon the boats,which continued to advance upon her;but the officer commanding that gun-boat, finding that he had no supportfrom his consort, and concluding thatshe had been captured, hauled his windagain, and stood out in the offing. Ourhero pulled after her, although he couldnot see the other boats; but the breezehad freshened, and all pursuit wasuseless: he therefore directed his courseto the convoy, and after a hard pull,contrived to get on board of a one-masted xebeque, of about fifty tons.Mesty, who had eyes as sharp as aneedle, had observed that, when thealarm was given, several of the convoy

had not rounded the point, and hetherefore proposed, as this vessel wasvery light, that they should make shorttacks with her, to weather the point, asif they were escaping, and by thatmeans be able, particularly if it fell calmagain, to capture some others. Jackthought this advice good. The convoywho had rounded the point had allstood out to seaward with the gun-boat, and had now a fresh breeze. Tochase them was therefore useless; andthe only chance was to do as Mesty hadproposed. He therefore stood out intothe breeze, and, after half an hour,tacked in-shore, and fetched well towindward of the low point; but,finding no vessels, he stood out again.

Thus had he made three or four tacks,and had gained, perhaps, six or sevenmiles, when he perceived signals ofrecall made to leeward, enforced withguns.

"Mr Sawbridge wants us to come back,Mesty."

"Mr Sawbridge mind him ownbusiness," replied Mesty, "we nebbertake all dis trubble to ply to windwardfor noting."

"But, Mesty, we must obey orders."

"Yes, sar, when he have him thumbupon you; but now, must do what tink

most proper. By de powers, he catch me'fore I go back."

"But we shall lose the ship."

"Find her again, by-and-bye, MassaEasy."

"But they will think that we are lost."

"So much the better, nebba look afterus, Massa Easy; I guess we have a finecruise anyhow. Morrow we take largevessel make sail, take more, den we goto Toulon."

"But I don't know my way to Toulon; Iknow it lies up this way, and that's all."

"Dat enough, what you want moreMassa Easy, 'pose you not find fleet,fleet soon find you. By God, nobodynebba lost here. Now, Massa Easy, letum go 'bout 'gain. Somebody else burnbiscuit and boil kettle to-morrow forde gentlemen. Murder Irish! only tink,Massa Easy I boil kettle, and prince inmy own country!"

Easy was very much of a mind withMesty; "for," argued Jack, "if I go backnow, I only bring a small vessel half-fullof beans, and I shall be ashamed toshow my face. Now it is true, that theymay suppose that we have been sunkby the fire of the gun-boat. Well, what

then they have a gun-boat to show fortheir night's work, and it will appearthat there was harder fighting thanthere has been, and Mr Sawbridge maybenefit by it." (Jack was a very knowingfellow to have leant so much about theservice already.) "Well, and when theydiscover that we are not lost, how gladthey will be to find us, especially if webring some prizes which I will do, orI'll not go back again. It's not often thatone gets a command before being twomonths at sea, and, hang me, now I'vegot it if I won't keep it; and MrSmallsole may mast-head whom hepleases. I'm sorry for poor Gossett,though; if Vigors supposes me dead,how he will murder the poor little

fellow however, it is all for the good ofthe service, and I'll revenge him when Icome back. Hang me if I won't take acruise."

"I talk to the men, they say they all tickto you like leech. Now dat job settled, Itink we better go 'bout again."

A short time after this decision on thepart of our hero, the day broke: Jackfirst looked to leeward, and perceivedthe gun-boat and convoy standing infor the shore about ten miles distant,followed by the Harpy, under all sail.He could also perceive the capturedgun-boat lying-to in-shore to preventtheir escape.

"Harpy hab um all, by Gosh!" criedMesty; "I ab notion dat she soon settleum hash."

They were so busy looking at the Harpyand the convoy that, for some time,they quite forgot to look to windward.At last Mesty turned his eyes that way.

"Dam um, I see right last night; look,Massa Easy one ship, one brig, treelateen dem for us. By de power, but wemake bot prize to-night."

The vessels found out by Mesty werenot above three miles to windward;they were under all sail, beating up for

the protection of a battery, not fardistant.

"Now, Massa, suppose they see ourboat, dey tink something; keep boatalongside, and shift her when we go'bout every time: better not sail so fastnow keep further off till they dropanchor for de night; and den, when itdark, we take 'em."

All Mesty's advice was good, with theexception perhaps of advising our herohow to disobey orders and take acruise. To prevent the vessel fromapproaching too near the others, and atthe same time to let her have theappearance of doing her best, a sail was

towed overboard under the bows, andafter that they watched the motions ofthe Harpy.

The distance was too great todistinguish very clearly, but Mestyshinned up the mast of the vessel, andreported progress.

"By Jesus, dare one gun two gun go it,Harpy. Won't she ab um, sure enough.Now gun-boat fire dat our gun-boatno, dat not ours. Now our gun-boatfire dat pretty fire away. Ah, now deHarpy cum up. All'mung'em. Bung,bung, bung rattle de grape, by gosh. Iab notion de Spaniard is very prettyconsiderable trouble just now, anyhow.

All hove-to, so help me gosh not morefiring; Harpy take um all dare gun-boathove-to, she strike um colours. By allpowers, but suppose dey link we noshare prize-money they find it not littlemistake. Now, my lads, it all over, and,"continued Mesty, sliding down themast, "I tink you better not showyourself too much; only two men stayon deck, and dem two take off umjackets."

Mesty's report was correct; the Harpyhad captured the other gun-boat, andthe whole convoy. The only drawbackto their good fortune was thedisappearance of Mr Easy and thecutter: it was supposed that a shot from

the gun-boat must have sunk her, andthat the whole crew were drowned.Captain Wilson and Mr Sawbridgeseriously regretted the loss of our hero,as they thought that he would haveturned out a shining character as soonas he had sown his wild oats; so did MrAsper, because our hero's purse wentwith him; so did Jolliffe, because hehad taken an affection for him; so didlittle Gossett, because he anticipated nomercy from Vigors. On the other hand,there were some who were glad that hewas gone; and as for the ship'scompany in general, they lamented theloss of the poor cutter's crew fortwenty-four hours, which, in a man-of-war, is a very long while, and then they

thought no more about them. We mustleave the Harpy to make the best of herway to Toulon, and now follow ourhero.

The cutter's crew knew very well thatJack was acting contrary to orders, butanything was to them a change fromthe monotony of a man-of-war, andthey, as well as Mesty, highly approvedof a holiday.

It was, however, necessary that theyshould soon proceed to business, forthey had but their allowance of breadand grog for one day, and in the vesselthey found nothing except a few headsof garlic, for the Spaniards coasting

down shore had purchased theirprovisions as they required them. Therewere only three prisoners on board, andthey had been put down in the holdamong the beans; a bag of which hadbeen roused on deck, and a part putinto the kettle to make soup. Jack didnot much admire the fare of the firstday it was bean-soup for breakfast,bean-soup for dinner, and if you felthungry during the intervals it was stillbean-soup, and nothing else.

One of the men could speak a littleLingua Franca, and the prisoners wereinterrogated as to the vessels towindward. The ship was stated to bevaluable, and also one of the brigs. The

ship carried guns, and that was all thatthey knew about them. As the sun wentdown the vessels dropped their anchorsoff the battery. The breeze continuedlight, and the vessel which containedJack and his fortunes was about fourmiles to leeward. As for the Harpy, theyhad long lost sight of her, and it wasnow time to proceed to somearrangement.

As soon as it was dark, Jack turned hishands up, and made a very long speech.He pointed out to the men that his zealhad induced him not to return to theship until he had brought somethingwith him worth having that they hadhad nothing but beans to eat during the

whole day, which was anything butagreeable, and that, therefore, it wasabsolutely necessary that they shouldbetter their condition: that there was alarge ship not four miles off, and thathe intended to take her; and as soon ashe had taken her he intended to takesome more; that he trusted to their zealto support him on this occasion, andthat he expected to do a great dealduring the cruise. He pointed out tothem, that they must considerthemselves as on board of a man-of-war, and be guided by the articles ofwar, which were written for them alland that in case they forgot them, hehad a copy in his pocket, which hewould read to them to-morrow

morning, as soon as they werecomfortably settled on board of theship. He then appointed Mesty as firstlieutenant; the marine as sergeant; thecoxswain as boatswain; two men asmidshipmen to keep watch; two othersas boatswain's mates, leaving two morefor the ship's company, who weredivided into the larboard and starboardwatch. The cutter's crew were perfectlycontent with Jack's speech, and theirbrevet rank, and after that, theycommenced a more important topic,which was, how they were to take theship. After some discussion, Mesty'sadvice was approved of; which was,that they should anchor not far aheadof the ship, and wait till about two

o'clock in the morning, when theywould drop silently down upon her inthe cutter, and take possession.

About nine o'clock the vessel wasanchored as they proposed, and Jackwas a little astonished to find that theship was much larger than he had anyidea of; for, although polacca-rigged,she was nearly the same tonnage as theHarpy. The Spanish prisoners were firsttied hand and foot, and laid upon thebeans, that they might give no alarm,the sails were furled and all was keptquiet. On board of the ship, on thecontrary, there was noise and revelry;and about half-past ten a boat was seento leave her and pull for the shore; after

which, the noise gradually ceased, thelights one by one disappeared, and thenall was silent.

"What do you think, Mesty " said Jack;"do you think we shall take her "

"It is take her you mane; sure enoughwe'll take her: stop a bit wait till um allfast asleep."

About twelve o'clock there came on amizzling heavy rain, which was veryfavourable for our hero's operations.But as it promised soon to clear up, byMesty's advice they did not delay anylonger. They crept softly into the boat,and with two oars to steer her, dropped

under the bows of the vessel, climbedup the fore chains, and found the deckempty. "Take care not fire pistol," saidMesty to the men, as they came up,putting his finger to their lips toimpress them with the necessity ofsilence, for Mesty had been an Africanwarrior, and knew the advantage ofsurprise. All the men being on deck,and the boat made fast, Jack and Mestyled the way aft; not a soul was to beseen: indeed, it was too dark to seeanybody unless they were walking thedeck. The companion-hatch wassecured, and the gratings laid on theafter-hatchways, and then they went aftto the binnacle again, where there was alight burning. Mesty ordered two of the

men to go forward to secure thehatches, and then to remain there onguard and then the rest of the men andour hero consulted at the wheel.

"By the power we ab the ship!" saidMesty, "but must manage plenty yet. Itink der some d -n lazy rascal sleep'tween the guns. A lilly while it no rain,and den we see better. Now keep allquiet."

"There must be a great many men inthis ship," replied our hero; "she is verylarge, and has twelve or fourteen gunshow shall we manage to secure them "

"All right," replied Mesty, "manage all

dat by-and-bye. Don't care how soondaylight come."

"It has left off raining already,"observed Easy; "there is a candle in thebinnacle, suppose we light it, and lookround the decks."

"Yes," replied Mesty, "one man sentryover cabin-hatch, and another overafter-hatch. Now den we light candle,and all the rest go round the deck.Mind you leave all your pistols oncapstern."

Jack lighted the candle, and theyproceeded round the decks: they hadnot walked far, when, between two of

the guns, they discovered a heapcovered with gregos. "There de watch,"whispered Mesty; "all fast not ready fordem yet."

Mesty blew out the candle, and they allretreated to the binnacle, where Mestytook out a coil of the ropes about themizzen-mast, and cutting it intolengths, gave them to the other men tounlay. In a few minutes they hadprepared a great many seizings to tie themen with.

"Now den we light candle again, andmake sure of them lazy hounds," saidMesty; "very much oblige to dem all desame, they let us take de ship mind

now, wake one at a time, and shut himmouth."

"But suppose they get their mouths freeand cry out " replied Jack.

"Den, Mr Easy," replied Mesty,changing his countenance to anexpression almost demoniacal "there nohelp for it," and Mesty showed hisknife which he held in his right hand.

"Oh no! do not let us murder them."

"No, massa suppose can help it, butsuppose they get upper hand whatbecome of us Spaniards hab knives,and use dem too, by de power!"

The observation of Mesty was correct,and the expression of his countenancewhen he showed his knife proved whata relentless enemy he could be, if hisblood was once roused but Mesty hadfigured in the Ashantee wars in formerdays, and after that the reader need notbe surprised. They proceededcautiously to where the Spaniards lay.The arrangements of Mesty were verygood. There were two men to gag themwhile the others were to tie their limbs.Mesty and Easy were to kneel by themwith the candle, with raised knives toawe them into silence, or to strikehome, if their own safety required it.

The gregos were removed off the firstman, who opened his eyes at the sightof the candle, but the coxswain's handwas on his mouth he was secured insilence. The other two men wereawaked, and threw off their coverings,but they were also secured withoutthere being occasion to resort tobloodshed.

"What shall we do now, Mesty " "Now,sar," said Mesty, "open the after-hatchand watch suppose more men come up,we make them fast; suppose no morecome up, we wait till daylight and seewhat take place."

Mesty then went forward to see if the

men were watchful on the forecastle;and having again gone round thewhole of the deck to see if there wereany more men on it, he blew out thecandle, and took his station with theothers at the after-hatchway.

It was just at break of day that theSpaniards who had to keep themorning watch having woke up, aspeople generally do at that hour atwhich they expect to be called, dressedthemselves and came on deck,imagining, and very truly, that those ofthe middle watch had fallen asleep, butlittle imagining that the deck was inpossession of Englishmen. Mesty andthe others retreated, to allow them all to

come up before they could perceivethem, and fortunately this wasaccomplished. Four men came on thedeck, looked round them, and tried tomake out in the dark where theirshipmates might be. The grating wasslapped on again by Jack, and beforethey could well gain their eyesight, theywere seized and secured, not howeverwithout a scuffle and some noise.

By the time that these men weresecured and laid between the guns itwas daylight, and they now perceivedwhat a fine vessel they had fairly takenpossession of but there was much tobe done yet. There was, of course, anumber of men in the ship, and

moreover they were not a mile from abattery of ten guns. Mesty, who wasforemost in everything, left four menabaft, and went forward on theforecastle, examined the cable, whichwas coir rope, and therefore easilydivided, and then directed the two menforward to coil a hawser upon the fore-grating, the weight of which wouldmake all safe in that quarter, andafterwards to join them on the quarter-deck.

"Now, Mr Easy, the great ting will be toget hold of captain; we must get himon deck. Open cabin-hatch now, andkeep the after-hatch fast. Two men staythere, the others all come aft."

"Yes," replied Jack, "It will be a greatpoint to secure the captain but how arewe to get him up "

"You no know how to get captain upBy de holy, I know very well." AndMesty took up the coils of rope aboutthe mizzen-mast, and threw them upondeck, one after another, making all thenoise possible. In a short time, therewas a violent pull of a bell at the cabin-door, and in a minute afterwards a manin his shirt came up the cabin-hatchway, who was immediatelysecured.

"Dis de captain's servant," said Mesty,

"he come say no make such d -d noise.Stop a little captain get in passion, andcome up himself."

And Mesty renewed the noise with theropes over the cabin. Mesty was right;in a few minutes the captain himselfcame up, boiling with indignation. Atthe sound of the cabin-door opening,the seamen and our hero concealedthemselves behind the companion-hatch, which was very high, so as togive the captain time to get fairly ondeck. The men already secured hadbeen covered over with the gregos. Thecaptain was a most powerful man, andit was with difficulty that he waspinioned, and then not without his

giving the alarm, had there been anyoneto assist him; but as yet no one hadturned out of his hammock.

"Now we all right," said Mesty, "andsoon ab de ship; but I must make him'fraid."

The captain was seated down on thedeck against one of the guns, andMesty, putting on the look of a demon,extended above him his, long nervousarm, with the sharp knife clutched, as ifready every instant to strike it into hisheart. The Spanish captain felt hissituation anything but pleasant. He wasthen interrogated as to the number ofmen in the ship, officers, etc, to all

which questions he answered truly; hecast his eyes at the firm and relentlesscountenance of Mesty, who appearedbut to wait the signal.

"I tink all pretty safe now," said Mesty."Mr Easy, we now go down below andbeat all men into the hold."

Our hero approved of this suggestion.Taking their pistols from the capstern,they rushed down with their cutlasses,and leaving two men to guard thecabin-door, they were soon among thecrew, who were all naked in theirhammocks: the resistance, although thenumbers were more than double of theEnglish, was of course trifling. In a few

minutes, the Spaniards were all throwndown into the hold of the vessel, andthe hatches placed over them. Everypart of the ship was now in theirpossession, except the cabin, and tothat they all repaired. Our hero tried thedoor, and found it fast; they beat itopen, and were received with loudscreams from one side of the cabin,and the discharge of two pistols fromthe other, fortunately without injury:those who had fired the pistols were anelderly man and a lad about the age ofour hero. They were thrown down andsecured; the cabin was searched, andnobody else found in it but threewomen; one old and shrivelled, theother two, although with their

countenances distorted with terror,were lovely as houris. So thought Jack,as he took off his hat, and made them avery low bow with his usual politeness,as they crouched, half-dressed, in acorner. He told them in English thatthey had nothing to fear, and beggedthat they would attend to their toilets.The ladies made no reply, because, inthe first place, they did not know whatJack said, and, in the next, they couldnot speak English.

Mesty interrupted Jack in his attentions,by pointing out that they must all goupon deck so Jack again took off hishat and bowed, and then followed hismen, who led away the two prisoners

taken in the cabin. It was now fiveo'clock in the morning, and there wasmovement on board of the othervessels, which laid not far from theship.

"Now, then," said Jack, "what shall wedo with the prisoners could we notsend the boat and bring our own vesselalongside, and put them all in, tied asthey are We should then get rid ofthem."

"Massa Easy, you be one very fineofficer one of these days. Dat d -ngood idea, anyhow; but suppose wesend our own boat, what they tink onboard of de oder vessel Lower down

lilly boat from stem, put in four men,and drop vessel 'longside dat it."

This was done; the cutter was on theseaward side of the ship, and, as theship was the outermost vessel, wasconcealed from the view of theSpaniards on board of the othervessels, and in the battery on shore. Assoon as the lateen vessel was alongside,the men who had already been securedon deck, amounting to seven, werelowered into her, and laid upon thebeans in the hold; all except the captain,the two cabin-prisoners, and thecaptain's servant. They then went downbelow, took off one part of thehatches, and ordered the Spaniards up

from the hold: as they came on deckthey were made fast and treated in thesame manner. Mesty and the men wentdown to examine if there were any leftconcealed, and finding that they wereall out, returned on deck. The men whohad been beaten down in the hold weretwenty-two in number, making thewhole complement of thirty. As soonas they had all been put into thexebeque, she was again hauled off andanchored outside, and Jack foundhimself in possession of a fine ship offourteen guns, with three prisonersmale and three prisoners female.

When the men returned in the boatfrom the vessel in which the prisoners

had been confined (the hatches havingbeen secured over them, by way offurther precaution), by the advice ofMesty they put on the jackets and capsof the Spanish seamen, of which therewas a plentiful supply below.

"Now, what's to be done, Mesty "inquired Jack.

"Now, sar, we send some of the menaloft to get sails all ready, and while theydo that I cast loose this fellow,"pointing to the captain's servant, "andmake him get some breakfast, for heknow where to find it."

"Capital idea of yours, Mesty, for I'm

tired of bean-soup already, and I willgo down and pay my respects to theladies."

Mesty looked over the counter. "Yes,and be quick too, Massa Easy; d n thewomen, they toss their handkerchief inthe air to people in the battery quick,Massa Easy."

Mesty was right the Spanish girls werewaving their handkerchiefs forassistance; it was all that they could do,poor things. Jack hastened into thecabin, laid hold of the two youngladies, very politely pulled them out ofthe quarter gallery, and begged that theywould not give themselves so much

trouble. The young ladies looked verymuch confused, and as they could nolonger wave their handkerchiefs, theyput them up to their eyes and began toweep, while the elderly lady went on herknees, and held her hands up for mercy.Jack raised her up, and very politelyhanded her to one of the cabin lockers.

In the meantime Mesty, with hisgleaming knife and expressive look, haddone wonders with the captain'ssteward, for such the man was: and abreakfast of chocolate, salt meat, hamsand sausages, white biscuit and redwine, had been spread on the quarter-deck. The men had come from aloft,and Jack was summoned on deck. Jack

offered his hand to the two youngladies, and beckoned the old one tofollow: the old lady did not think itadvisable to refuse his courtesy, so theyaccompanied him.

As soon as the females came on deck,and found the two cabin prisonersbound, they ran to them and embracedthem with tears. Jack's heart melted, andas there was now no fear, he askedMesty for his knife, and cut loose thetwo Spaniards, pointing to thebreakfast, and requesting that theywould join them. The Spaniards made abow, and the ladies thanked Jack with asweet smile; and the captain of thevessel, who still lay pinioned against the

gun, looked, as much as to say, Why thedevil don't you ask me but the fact was,they had had such trouble to securehim, that Jack did not much like theidea of letting him loose again. Jackand the seamen commenced theirbreakfast, and as the ladies andprisoners did not appear inclined to eat,they ate their share and their own too;during which, the elderly man inquiredof Jack if he could speak French.

Jack, with his mouth full of sausage,replied, that he could; and thencommenced a conversation, fromwhich Jack learnt as follows:

The elderly gentleman was a passenger

with the young man, who was his son,and the ladies, who were his wife andhis two daughters, and they wereproceeding to Tarragona. WhereuponJack made a bow and thanked him; andthen the gentleman, whose name wasDon Cordova de Rimarosa, wished toknow what Jack intended to do withthem, hoping, as a gentleman, he wouldput them on shore with their effects, asthey were non-combatants. Jackexplained all this to Mesty and the men,and then finished his sausage. The men,who were a little elevated with the winewhich they had been drinking,proposed that they should take theladies a cruise, and Jack at first did notdislike the idea, but he said nothing.

Mesty, however, opposed this, saying,that ladies only made a row in a ship,and the coxswain sided with him,saying, that they should all be atdaggers drawn. Whereupon Jack pulledout the "articles of war," and informedthe men, that there was no provision inthem for women, and therefore thething was impossible.

The next question was, as to thepropriety of allowing them to take theireffects; and it was agreed, at last, thatthey might take them. Jack desired thesteward to feed his master the captain,and then told the Spanish Don theresult of the consultation, furtherinforming him, that as soon as it was

dark, he intended to put them all onboard the small vessel, when theywould cast loose the men and do asthey pleased. The Don and the ladiesreturned thanks, and went down topack up their baggage; Mesty orderingtwo men to help them, but with acaution, that they were not to encumberthemselves with any of the money, ifthere should happen to be any onboard.

The crew were busy during the daymaking preparations for sailing. Thecoxswain had examined the provenderin the ship, and found that there wasenough for at least three months, ofwater, wine, and provisions,

independent of luxuries for the cabin.All thoughts of taking any more of thevessels were abandoned, for their crewwas but weak to manage the one whichthey had possession of. A fine breezesprang up, and they dropped their fore-topsails, just as a boat was shoving offfrom the shore; but seeing the fore-topsails loosed, it put back again. Thiswas fortunate, or all would have beendiscovered. The other vessels alsoloosed their sails, and the crews wereheard weighing the anchors.

But the Nostra Senora del Carmen,which was Jack's prize, did not move.At last the sun went down, the baggagewas placed in the cutter, the ladies and

passengers went into the boat, thankingJack for his kindness, who put his handto his heart and bowed to the deck; andthe captain was lowered down afterthem. Four men well armed pulledthem alongside of the xebeque, putthem and their trunks on deck, andreturned to the ship. The cutter wasthen hoisted up, and as the anchor wastoo heavy to weigh, they cut the cable,and made sail. The other vesselsfollowed their example. Mesty and theseamen cast longing eyes upon them,but it was of no use; so they sailed incompany for about an hour, and thenJack hauled his wind for a cruise.

CHAPTER XIV

In which our hero finds thatdisagreeable occurrences will take placeon a cruise.

As soon as the ship had been hauled tothe wind, Jack's ship's company seemedto think that there was nothing to doexcept to make merry; so they broughtup some earthen jars full of wine, andemptied them so fast that they weresoon fast asleep on the deck, with theexception of the man at the helm, who,instead of thirty-two, could clearlymake out sixty-four points in thecompass, and of course was able to

steer to a much greater nicety.Fortunately, the weather was fine, forwhen the man at the helm had steeredtill he could see no more, and requestedto be released, he found that hisshipmates were so overpowered withfatigue, that it was impossible to wakethem. He kicked them one by one mostunmercifully in the ribs, but it was ofno use: under these circumstances, hedid as they did, that is, lay down withthem, and in ten minutes it would havetaken as much kicking to awake him ashe gave his shipmates.

In the meantime the ship had it all herown way, and not knowing where shewas to go, she went round and round

the compass during the best part of thenight. Mesty had arranged the watches,Jack had made a speech, and the menhad promised everything, but the winehad got into their heads, and memoryhad taken that opportunity to take astroll. Mesty had been down with Jack,examining the cabin, and in thecaptain's state-room they had foundfourteen thousand dollars in bags. Ofthis they determined not to tell themen, but locked up the money andeverything else of value, and took outthe key. They then sat down at thecabin table, and after someconversation, it was no matter ofsurprise, after having been up all thenight before, that Jack laid his head on

the table and fell fast asleep. Mesty kepthis eyes open for some time, but at lasthis head sank down upon his chest,and he also slumbered. Thus, aboutone o'clock in the morning. There wasnot a very good watch kept on boardof the Nostra Senora del Carmen.

About four o'clock in the morning,Mesty tumbled forward, and he hit hishead against the table, which rousedhim up.

"By de mass, I tink I almost fall asleep,"cried he, and he went to the cabinwindow, which had been left open, andfound that there was a strong breezeblowing in. "By de Lord, de wind ab

come more aft," said Mesty, "why theynot tell me " So saying, he went ondeck, where he found no one at thehelm; everyone drunk, and the shipwith her yards braced up runningbefore the wind, just by way of achange. Mesty growled, but there wasno time to lose; the topsails only wereset, these he lowered down, and thenput the helm a-lee, and lashed it, whilehe went down to call our hero to hisassistance. Jack roused up, and went ondeck.

"This nebber do, Massa Easy; we all goto devil together together dam drunkendogs I freshen um up anyhow." SoMesty drew some buckets of water,

with which he soused the ship'scompany, who then appeared to berecovering their senses.

"By heavens!" says Jack, "but this iscontrary to the articles of war; I shallread them to them to-morrowmorning."

"I tell what better ting, Massa Easy: wego lock up all de wine, and sarve out somuch, and no more. I go do it at once,'fore they wake up."

Mesty went down, leaving Jack on deckto his meditations. "I am not sure,"thought Jack, "that I have done a verywise thing. Here I am with a parcel of

fellows who have no respect for thearticles of war, and who get as drunk asDavid's sow. I have a large ship, but Ihave very few hands; and if it comes onbad weather, what shall I do for I knowvery little hardly how to take in a sail.Then as for where to steer, or how tosteer, I know not nor do any of mymen; but, however, as it was verynarrow when we came into theMediterranean through the straits, it ishardly possible to get out of themwithout perceiving it; besides, I shouldknow the rock of Gibraltar again if Isaw it. I must talk to Mesty."

Mesty soon returned with the keys ofthe provision-room tied to his

bandana.

"Now," says he, "they not get drunkagain in a hurry." A few more bucketsof water soon brought the men to theirsenses: they again stood on their legs,and gradually recovered themselves.Daylight broke, and they found that thevessel had made an attempt for theSpanish coast, being within a mile ofthe beach, and facing a large battery afleur d'eau; fortunately they had time tosquare the yards, and steer the shipalong shore under the topsails, beforethey were perceived. Had they beenseen at daylight in the position that theywere in during the night, the suspicionsof the Spaniards would have been

awakened; and had a boat been sentoff, while they were all drunk, theymust have been recaptured.

The men, who perceived what dangerthey had been in, listened verypenitently to Jack's remonstrances; andour hero, to impress them morestrongly on their minds, took out thearticles of war, read that ondrunkenness from beginning to end;but the men had heard it read so oftenat the gangway, that it did not make adue impression. As Mesty said, his planwas better, and so it proved; for as soonas Jack had done, the men went downto get another jug of wine, and found,to their disappointment, that it was all

under lock and key.

In the meantime, Jack called Mesty aft,and asked him if he knew the way toToulon. Mesty declared that he knewnothing about it.

"Then Mesty, it appears to me that wehave a better chance of finding our wayback to Gibraltar; for you know theland was on our left side all the waycoming up the Mediterranean; and ifwe keep it, as it is now, on our right, weshall get back again along the coast."

Mesty agreed with Jack that this was thene plus ultra of navigation; and thatold Smallsole could not do better with

his "pig-yoke" and compasses. So theyshook a reef out of the topsails, settop-gallant sails, and ran directly downthe coast from point to point, keepingabout five miles distant. The menprepared a good dinner; Mesty gavethem their allowance of wine, whichwas just double what they had onboard the Harpy so they soon appearedto be content. One man, indeed, talkedvery big and very mutinously, swearingthat if the others would join him theywould soon have liquor enough; butMesty gave him his look, opened hisknife, and swore that he would settlehim, and Jack knocked him down witha handspike; so that, what with thepunishment received, and that which

was promised, the fellow thought hemight as well say no more about it. Thefact is, that had it not been from fear ofMesty, the whole of the men would, inall probability, have behaved equally asbad; nevertheless, they were a littlestaggered, it must be owned, at seeingJack play so good a stick with thehandspike.

After this night Jack and Mesty keptwatch and watch, and everything wenton very well until they were nearlyabreast of Carthagena, when a galecame on from the northward, anddrove them out of sight of land. Sailafter sail was reduced with difficultyfrom their having so few hands, and the

gale blew for three days with great fury.The men were tired out anddiscontented. It was Jack's misfortunethat he had but one good man withhim: even the coxswain of the boat,although a fine-looking man, wasworth nothing. Mesty was Jack's sheet-anchor.

The fourth day the gale moderated, butthey had no idea where they were: theyknew that they had been blown off, buthow far they could not tell, and Jacknow began to discover that a cruise atsea without knowledge of navigationwas a more nervous thing than he hadcontemplated. However, there was nohelp for it. At night they wore the ships

and stood on the other tack, and atdaylight they perceived that they wereclose to some small islands, and muchcloser to some large rocks, againstwhich the sea beat high, although thewind had subsided. Again was the helmput up, and they narrowly escaped. Assoon as the sails were trimmed the mencame aft and proposed that if theycould find anchorage they should runinto it, for they were quite tired out.This was true, and Jack consulted withMesty, who thought it advisable toagree to the proposal.

That the islands were not inhabited wasvery evident. The only point toascertain was, if there were good

anchorage. The coxswain offered to goin the boat and examine; and, with fourmen, he set off, and in about an hourreturned, stating that there was plentyof water, and that it was as smooth as amill-pond, being land-locked on everyside. As they could not weigh thebower-anchor they bent the kedge, andrunning in without accident, came to ina small bay, between the islands, inseven fathoms water. The sails werefurled, and everything put in order bythe seamen, who then took the boatand pulled on shore. "They might aswell have asked leave," thought Jack. Inan hour they returned, and, after ashort discussion, came aft to our heroin a body.

The coxswain was spokesman. He saidthat they had had hard work, andrequired now to have some rest thatthere were provisions on board forthree months, so that there could notbe any hurry, and that they had foundthey could pitch a tent very well onshore, and live there for a short time;and that, as there was no harm ingetting drunk on shore, they expectedthat they might be allowed to takeprovisions and plenty of wine withthem, and that the men had desired himto ask leave, because they weredetermined to go whether or no. Jackwas about to answer with thehandspike, but perceiving that the men

had all put on their cutlasses, and hadtheir pistols at their belts, he thoughtproper to consult Mesty, who,perceiving that resistance was useless,advised Jack to submit, observing thatthe sooner all the wine was gone thebetter, as there would be nothing donewhile it lasted.

Jack, therefore, very graciously toldthem that they should have their ownway, and he would stay there as long asthey pleased. Mesty gave them the keysof the provision-hatch, and told them,with a grin, to help themselves. Themen then informed Jack that he andMesty should stay on board and takecare of the ship for them, and that they

would take the Spaniard on shore tocook their victuals. But to this Jackobserved that if he had not two handshe could not obey their orders, in casethey wished him to come on shore forthem. The men thought there was goodargument in that observation, andtherefore allowed Jack to retain theSpaniard, that he might be moreprompt to their call from the beach.They then wished him good day, andbegged that he would amuse himselfwith the "articles of war."

As soon as they had thrown a spare sailinto the boat, with some spars to makea tent, and some bedding, they wentdown below, hoisted up two pipes of

wine out of the three, a bag or two ofbiscuit, arms and ammunition, and asmuch of the salt provisions as theythought they might require. The boatbeing full, they shoved off with threecheers of derision. Jack was sensible tothe compliment: he stood at thegangway, took off his hat, and madethem a polite bow.

As soon as they were gone, Mestygrinned with his sharp-filed teeth, andlooking at our hero, said:

"I tink I make um pay for all dis stop alittle; by de piper as played beforeMoses, but our turn come by-and-bye."

As for Jack, he said nothing, but hethought the more. In about an hour themen returned in the boat: they hadforgotten many things they wantedwood to make a fire, and severalutensils; they helped themselves freely,and having now everything that theycould think of, they again went onshore.

"How d -n lucky, we nebber tell demabout the dollars," said Mesty, as Jackand he were watching the motions ofthe men.

"It is, indeed," replied Jack; "not thatthey could spend them here."

"No, Massa Easy, but suppose they findall that money, they take boat and goaway with it. Now, I hab them in myclutch stop a little."

A narrow piece of salt pork had beenleft at the gangway: Jack, withoutknowing why, tossed it overboard;being almost all fat, it sank verygradually: Jack watched it as itdisappeared, so did Mesty, both full ofthought, when they perceived a darkobject rising under it: it was a groundshark, who took it into his maw, sankdown, and disappeared.

"What was that " said Jack.

"That ground shark, Massa Easy worstshark of all; you nebber see him till youfeel him"; and Mesty's eyes sparkledwith pleasure. "By de powers, they soonstop de mutiny; now I hab 'em."

Jack shuddered and walked away.During the day, the men on shore wereseen to work hard, and make all thepreparations before they abandonedthemselves to the sensual gratificationof intemperance. The tent was pitched,the fire was lighted, and all the articlestaken on shore rolled up and stowedaway in their places; they were seen tosit down and dine, for they were withinhail of the ship, and then one of thecasks of wine was spiled. In the

meantime the Spaniard, who was aquiet lad, had prepared the dinner forEasy and his now only companion. Theevening closed, and all was noise andrevelry on shore; and as they danced,and sung, and tossed off the cans ofwine by the light of the fire, as theyhallooed and screamed, and becamemore and more intoxicated, Mestyturned to Jack with his bitter smile, andonly said

"Stop a little." At last the noise grewfainter, the fire died away, and graduallyall was silent. Jack was still hanging overthe gangway when Mesty came up tohim. The new moon had just risen, andJack's eyes were fixed upon it.

"Now, Massa Easy, please you come aftand lower down little boat; take yourpistols, and then we go on shore andbring off the cutter; they all asleepnow."

"But why should we leave themwithout a boat, Mesty " for Jackthought of the sharks, and theprobability of the men attempting toswim off.

"I tell you, sar, this night they getdrunk, to-morrow they get drunkagain, but drunken men never keepquiet, suppose one man say to others,'Let's go board and kill officer, and then

we do as we please,' they all say yes, andthey all come and do it. No, sar-musthave boat if not for your sake, I musthab it, save my own life anyhow, forthey hate me and kill me first; by depowers, stop a little."

Jack felt the truth of Mesty'sobservation; he went aft with him,lowered down the small boat, and theyhauled it alongside. Jack went downwith Mesty into the cabin and fetchedhis pistols. "And the Spaniard, Mesty,can we leave him on board alone "

"Yes, sar, he no got arms, and he see datme have but suppose he find arms henever dare do anything I know de

man."

Our hero and Mesty went into the boatand shoved off, pulling gently on shore;the men were in a state of intoxication,so as not to be able to move, much lesshear. They cast off the cutter, towed heron board, and made her fast with theother boat astern.

"Now, sar, we may go to bed; to-morrow morning you will see."

"They have everything they require onshore," replied Easy, "all they couldwant with the cutter would be tomolest us."

"Stop a little," replied Mesty. Jack andMesty went to bed, and as a precautionagainst the Spaniard, which was hardlynecessary, Mesty locked the cabin doorbut Mesty never forgot anything.

Jack slept little that night hadmelancholy forebodings which hecould not shake off; indeed, Jack hadreflected so much since he had left theship, he had had his eyes so muchopened, and had felt what aresponsibility he had taken byindulging himself in a whim of themoment, that it might be almost said,that in the course of one fortnight hehad at once from a boy sprung up intoa man. He was mortified and angry, but

he was chiefly so with himself.

Mesty was up at daylight, and Jack soonfollowed him: they watched the partyon shore, who had not yet left the tent.At last, just as Jack had finished hisbreakfast, one or two made theirappearance; the men looked aboutthem as if they were searching forsomething, and then walked down tothe beach, to where the boat had beenmade fast. Jack looked at Mesty, whogrinned, and answered with the wordsso often repeated

"Stop a little."

The men then walked along the rocks

until they were abreast of the ship.

"Ship ahoy!"

"Halloo," replied Mesty.

"Bring the boat ashore directly, with abeaker of water."

"I knew dat," cried Mesty, rubbing hishands with delight. "Massa Easy, youmust tell them No."

"But why should I not give them water,Mesty "

"Because, sar, den they take boat."

"Very true," replied Easy.

"Do you hear on board " cried thecoxswain, who was the man who hailed"send the boat immediately, or we'll cutthe throats of every mother's son ofyou, by God!"

"I shall not send the boat," replied Jack,who now thought Mesty was right.

"You won't won't you then yourdoom's sealed," replied the man,walking up to the tent with the other.In a short time all the seamen turnedout of the tent, bringing with themfour muskets, which they had taken onshore with them.

"Good heavens! they are not, surely,going to fire at us, Mesty."

"Stop a little." The men then camedown abreast of the ship, and thecoxswain again hailed, and asked ifthey would bring the boat on shore.

"You must say, No, sar," replied Mesty.

"I feel I must," replied Jack; and thenhe answered the coxswain, "No."

The plan of the mutineers had beenforeseen by the wily negro it was toswim off to the boats which wereriding astern, and to fire at him or Jack,

if they attempted to haul them upalongside and defend them. To get intothe boats, especially the smaller one,from out of the water was easy enough.Some of the men examined theirpriming and held the muskets at theirhips all ready, with the muzzles towardsthe ship, while the coxswain and twomen were throwing off their clothes.

"Stop, for God's sake, stop!" cried Jack."The harbour is full of ground sharks,it is, upon my soul!"

"Do you think to frighten us withground sharks " replied the coxswain;"keep under cover, my lads; Jack, givehim a shot to prove we are in earnest,

and every time he or that nigger showtheir heads, give them another, mylads."

"For God's sake, don't attempt toswim," said Jack, in an agony; "I will trysome means to give you water."

"Too late now you're doomed"; and thecoxswain sprang off the rock into thesea, and was followed by two othermen: at the same moment a musket wasdischarged, and the bullet whistledclose to our hero's ear.

Mesty dragged Jack from the gangway,who was nearly fainting from agonisingfeelings. He sank on the deck for a

moment, and then sprang up and ran tothe port to look at the men in the water.He was just in time to see the coxswainraise himself with a loud yell out of thesea, and then disappear in a vortex,which was crimsoned with his blood.

Mesty threw down his musket in hishand, of which he had several alreadyloaded, in case the men should havegained the boats.

"By the powers, dat no use now!" Jackhad covered his face with his hands.But the tragedy was not complete: theother men, who were in the water, hadimmediately turned and made for theshore; but before they could reach it,

two more of these voracious monsters,attracted by the blood of the coxswain,had flown to the spot, and there was acontention for the fragments of theirbodies.

Mesty, who had seen this catastrophe,turned towards our hero, who still hidhis face. "I'm glad he no see dat,anyhow," muttered Mesty.

"See what!" exclaimed Jack.

"Shark eat em all."

"Oh, horrid! horrid!" groaned our hero.

"Yes, sar, very horrid," replied Mesty,

"and dat bullet at your head veryhorrid. Suppose the sharks no takethem, what then They kill us and thesharks have our body. I think that morehorrid still."

"Mesty," replied Jack, seizing the negroconvulsively by the arm, "it was not thesharks it was I, I who have murderedthese men."

Mesty looked at Jack with surprise."How dat possible "

"If I had not disobeyed orders," repliedour hero, panting for breath, "if I hadnot shown them the example ofdisobedience, this would not have

happened. How could I expectsubmission from them It's all my fault Isee it now-and, O God! when will thesight be blotted from my memory "

"Massa Easy, I not understand that,"replied Mesty: "I think you talk foolish-might as well say, suppose Ashanteemen not make war, this not happen; forsuppose Ashantee not make war, I notslave, I not run away, I not come boardHarpy I not go in boat with you I nothinder men from getting drunk and datwhy they make mutiny and the mutinywhy the shark take um "

Jack made no reply, but he felt someconsolation from the counter argument

of the negro.

The dreadful death of the threemutineers appeared to have had asensible effect upon their companions,who walked away from the beach withtheir heads down and with measuredsteps. They were now seen to beperambulating the island, probably insearch of that water which theyrequired. At noon, they returned totheir tent, and soon afterwards were ina state of intoxication, hallooing andshouting as the day before. Towards theevening they came down to the beachabreast of the ship, each with a vesselin their hands, and perceiving that theyhad attracted the notice of our hero

and Mesty, tossed the contents of thevessels up in the air to show that theyhad found water, and hooting andderiding, went back, dancing, leaping,and kicking up their heels, to renewtheir orgies, which continued till aftermidnight, when they were all stupefiedas before.

The next day Jack had recovered fromthe first shock which the catastrophehad given him, and he called Mesty intothe cabin to hold a consultation.

"Mesty, how is this to end "

"How you mean, sar end here, or endon board of the Harpy "

"The Harpy, there appears little chanceof our seeing her again we are on adesolate island, or what is the samething; but we will hope that it will beso: but how is this mutiny to end "

"Massa Easy, suppose I please, I make itend very soon, but I not in a hurry."

"How do you mean, Mesty, not in ahurry "

"Look, Massa Easy; you wish take acruise, and I wish the same ting: nowbecause mutiny you want to go backbut by all de powers, you tink that I, aprince in my own country, feel wish to

go back and boil kettle for de younggentlemen. No, Massa Easy, gib memutiny gib me anyting but once I wasprince," replied Mesty, lowering hisvoice at the last few emphatic words.

"You must one of these days tell meyour history," replied Jack; "but justnow let us argue the point in question.How could you put an end to thismutiny "

"By putting an end to all wine. SupposeI go shore after they all drunk, I spilethe casks in three or four places, and inthe morning all wine gone den dey abget sober, and beg pardon we take demon board, put away all arms, 'cept yours

and mine, and I like to see the mutinyafter dat. Blood and 'ounds but I settleum, anyhow."

"The idea is very good, Mesty, whyshould we not do so "

"Because I not like run de risk to goashore all for what to go back, boil dekettle for all gentlemans I very happyhere, Massa," replied Mesty, carelessly.

"And I am very miserable," replied Jack;"but, however, I am completely in yourpower, Mesty, and I must, I suppose,submit."

"What you say, Massa Easy submit to

me no sar, when you are on boardHarpy as officer, you talk with me asfriend, and not treat me as negroservant. Massa Easy, I feel I feel what Iam," continued Mesty, striking hisbosom, "I feel it here for all first timesince I leave my country, I feel that I amsometing; but, Massa Easy, I love myfriend as much as I hate my enemy andyou nebber submit to me I too proudto allow dat, 'cause, Massa Easy I am aman and once, I was a prince."

Although Mesty did not perhapsexplain by words half so well as he didby his countenance the full tide offeeling which was overflowing in hisheart, Jack fully understood and felt it.

He extended his hand to Mesty, andsaid

"Mesty that you have been a prince, Icare little about, although I doubt itnot, because you are incapable of a lie;but you are a man, and I respect you,nay, I love you as a friend and with mywill we never part again."

Mesty took the hand offered by Jack. Itwas the first peace offering everextended to him since he had been tornaway from his native land the firstcompliment, the first tribute, the firstacknowledgment, perhaps, that he wasnot an inferior being; he pressed it insilence, for he could not speak; but

could the feelings which weresuffocating the negro but have beenlaid before sceptics, they must haveacknowledged that at that moment theywere all and only such as could dohonour, not only to the prince, buteven to the Christian. So much wasMesty affected with what hadhappened, that when he dropped thehand of our hero, he went down intothe cabin, finding it impossible tocontinue the conversation, which wasnot renewed until the next morning.

"What is your opinion, Mesty Tell me,and I will be governed by it."

"Den, sar, I tell you I tink it right that

they first come and ask to come onboard before you take them and, sar, Itink it also right as we are but two andthey are five, dat dey first eat all theirprovisions. Let 'em starve plenty, andden dey come on board tame enough."

"At all events," replied Jack, "the firstovertures of some kind or anothermust come from them. I wish I hadsomething to do I do not much likethis cooping up on board ship."

"Massa, why you no talk with Pedro "

"Because I cannot speak Spanish."

"I know dat, and dat why I ask de

question. You very sorry when youmeet the two pretty women in the ship,you not able to talk with them, I guessthat."

"I was very sorry, I grant," replied Jack.

"Well, Massa Easy, by and bye we seemore Spanish girl. Why not talk all daywith Pedro, and den you able to talkwith dem."

"Upon my word, Mesty, I never had anidea of your value. I will learn all theSpanish that I can," replied Jack, whowas glad to have employment found forhim, and was quite disgusted with thearticles of war.

As for the men on shore, theycontinued the same course as before,one day succeeded another, andwithout variety. It was, however, to beobserved that the fire was nowseldomer lighted, which proved theirfuel scarce, and the weather was not sowarm as it had been, for it was nowOctober. Jack learnt Spanish fromPedro for a month, during which therewas no appearance of submission onthe part of the mutineers, who, for thefirst fortnight, when intoxicated, usedto come down and fire at Jack or Mestywhen they made their appearance.Fortunately drunken men are not goodmarksmen; but latterly this had been

discontinued, because they hadexpended their ammunition, and theyappeared to have almost forgotten thatthe ship was there, for they took nonotice of her whatever.

On the other hand, Jack had decidedthat if he waited there a year theovertures should come from them whohad mutinied; and now, having anoccupation, he passed his time veryquietly, and the days flew so fast thattwo months had actually been run offthe calendar before he had an idea of it.

One evening as they were down in thecabin, for the evenings had nowbecome very cold, Jack asked Mesty

whether he had any objection to givehim a history of his life. Mesty repliedthat if he wished he was ready to talk,and at a nod from our hero Mestycommenced as follows.

CHAPTER XV

In which mutiny, like fire, is quenchedfor want of fuel and no want of water.

Although we have made the Africannegro hitherto talk in his own mixedjargon, yet, as we consider that, in along narration, it will be tedious to thereader, we shall now translate the

narrative part into good English,merely leaving the conversation withwhich it may be broken, in its peculiardialect.

"The first thing I recollect," said Mesty,"is, that I was carried on the shouldersof a man with my legs hanging downbefore, and holding on by his head.

"Everyone used to look at me and getout of the way, as I rode through thetown and market-place, so loaded withheavy gold ornaments that I could notbear them, and was glad when thewomen took them off; but as I grewolder I became proud of them, becauseI knew that I was the son of a king. I

lived happy. I did nothing but shoot myarrows, and I had a little sword which Iwas taught to handle, and the greatcaptains who were about my fathershowed me how to kill my enemies.Sometimes I laid under the shady trees,sometimes I was with the womenbelonging to my father; sometimes Iwas with him and played with theskulls, and repeated the names of thoseto whom they had belonged, for in ourcountry, when we kill our enemies, wekeep their skulls as trophies.

"As I grew older, I did as I pleased; Ibeat the women and the slaves; I think Ikilled some of the latter I know I didone, to try whether I could strike well

with my two-handed sword made ofhard and heavy wood, but that isnothing in our country. I longed to be agreat captain, and I thought of nothingelse but war and fighting, and howmany skulls I should have in mypossession when I had a house andwives of my own, and I was no longera boy. I went out in the woods to hunt,and I stayed for weeks. And one day Isaw a panther basking in the sun,waving his graceful tail. I crept upsoftly till I was behind a rock withinthree yards of it, and drawing my arrowto the head, I pierced him through thebody. The animal bounded up in theair, saw me, roared and made a spring,but I dropped behind the rock, and he

passed over me. He turned again to me,but I had my knife ready, and, as hefixed his talons into my shoulder andbreast, I pierced him to the heart. Thiswas the happiest day of my life; I hadkilled a panther without assistance, andI had the wounds to show. Although Iwas severely hurt, I thought nothing ofit. I took off the skin as my blooddropped down and mixed with that ofthe beast but I rejoiced in it. Proudlydid I go into the town dripping withgore and smarting with pain. Everyoneextolled the feat, called me a hero and agreat captain. I filed my teeth, and Ibecame a man.

"From that day I ranked among the

warriors, and, as soon as my woundswere healed, I went out to battle. Inthree fights I had gained five skulls, andwhen I returned they weighed me outgold. I then had a house and wives, andmy father appointed me a Caboceer. Iwore the plume of eagle and ostrichfeathers, my dress was covered withfetishes, I pulled on the boots withbells, and with my bow and arrowsslung on my back, my spear andblunderbuss, my knives and mydouble-handed sword, I led the men tobattle and brought back skulls andslaves. Everyone trembled at my name,and, if my father threatened to send meout, gold-dust covered the floor of hishall of council Now, I boil the kettle

for the young gentlemen!

"There was one man I liked. He wasnot a warrior, or I should have hatedhim, but he was brought up with me inmy father's house, and was a nearrelative. I was grave and full of pride,he was gay and fond of music; andalthough there was no music to meequal to the tom-tom, yet I did notalways wish for excitement. I often wasmelancholy, and then I liked to lay myhead in the lap of one of my wives,under the shady forest behind myhouse, and listen to his soft music. Atlast he went to a town near us wherehis father lived, and as he departed Igave him gold-dust. He had been sent

to my father to be formed into awarrior, but he had no strength ofbody, and he had no soul; still I lovedhim, because he was not like myself.There was a girl in the town who wasbeautiful; many asked for her as theirwife, but her father had long promisedher to my friend; he refused even thegreatest warrior of the place, who wentaway in wrath to the fetishman, andthrowing him his gold armlets askedfor a fetish against his rival. It wasgiven, and two days before he was to bemarried my friend died. His mothercame to me, and it was enough. I puton my war dress, I seized my weapons,sat for a whole day with my skullsbefore me, working up my revenge,

called out my men, and that night setoff for the town where the warriorresided, killed two of his relatives andcarried off ten of his slaves. When heheard what I had done, he trembledand sent gold; but I knew that he hadtaken the girl home as his wife, and Iwould not listen to the old man whosought to pacify me.

"Again I collected a larger force andattacked him in the night: we fought,for he was prepared with his men, butafter a struggle he was beaten back. Ifired his house, wasted his provisionground, and taking away more slaves, Ireturned home with my men, intendingsoon to assault him again. The next day

there came more messengers, who kneltin vain; so they went to my father, andmany warriors begged him to interfere.My father sent for me, but I would notlisten; the warriors spoke, and I turnedmy back: my father was wroth andthreatened, the warriors brandishedtheir two-handed swords they dared todo it; I looked over my shoulder withcontempt, and I returned to my house.I took down my skulls, and I planned.It was evening, and I was alone, when awoman covered up to the eyesapproached; she fell down before me asshe exposed her face.

"I am the girl who was promised toyour relation, and I am now the wife of

your enemy. I shall be a mother. I couldnot love your relation, for he was nowarrior. It is not true that my husbandasked for a fetish it was I who boughtit, for I would not wed him. Kill meand be satisfied.

"She was very beautiful, and Iwondered not that my enemy loved herand she was with child it was his child,and she had fetished my friend todeath. I raised my sword to strike, andshe did not shrink: it saved her life.'Thou art fit to be the mother ofwarriors,' said I, as I dropped mysword, 'and thou shalt be my wife, butfirst his child shall be born, and I willhave thy husband's skull.'

"'No, no,' replied she, 'I will be themother of no warriors but by mypresent husband, whom I love; if youkeep me as your slave I will die.'

"I told her she said foolish things, andsent her to the women's apartment,with orders to be watched but shehardly had been locked up before shedrew her knife, plunged it into herheart, and died.

"When the king my father heard this hesent me a message 'Be satisfied with theblood that has been shed, it is enough';but I turned away, for I wished formine enemy's skull. That night I

attacked him again, and met him handto hand; I killed him, and carried homehis skull, and I was appeased.

"But all the great warriors were wroth,and my father could not restrain them.They called out their men, and I calledout my men, and I had a large body, formy name was terrible. But the forceraised against me was twice that ofmine, and I retreated to the bush afterawhile we met and fought, and I killedmany, but my men were too few, andwere overpowered the fetish had beensent out against me, and their heartsmelted; at last I sank down with mywounds, for I bled at every pore, and Itold my men who were about me to

take off my feathers, and my dress andboots, that my enemies might not havemy skull: they did so, and I crawled intothe bush to die. But I was not to die; Iwas recovering, when I was discoveredby those who steal men to sell them: Iwas bound, and fastened to a chainwith many more. I, a prince and awarrior, who could show the whiteskulls of his enemies I offered toprocure gold, but they derided me; theydragged me down to the coast, andsold me to the Whites. Little did Ithink, in my pride, that I should be aslave. I knew that I was to die, andhoped to die in battle: my skull wouldhave been more prized than all the goldin the earth, and my skin would have

been stuffed and hung up in a fetish-house instead of which, I now boil thekettle for the young gentlemen!"

"Well," replied Jack, "that's better thanbeing killed and stuffed."

"Mayhap it is," replied Mesty, "I tinkvery different now dan I tink den butstill, it women's work and not suit me."

"They put me with others into a caveuntil the ship came, and then we weresent on board, put in irons, and downin the hold, where you could not situpright I wanted to die, but could not:others died every day, but I lived I waslanded in America, all bone, and I

fetched very little money they laughedat me, as they bid their dollars: at last aman took me away, and I was on aplantation with hundreds more, but tooill to work, and not intending to work.The other slaves asked me if I was afetish man; I said yes, and I wouldfetish any man that I did not like: oneman laughed, and I held up my finger; Iwas too weak to get up, for my bloodhad long boiled with fever, and I saidto him 'you shall die'; for I meant tohave killed him as soon as I was well.

"He went away, and in three days hewas dead. I don't know how, but all theslaves feared me, and my master fearedme, for he had seen the man die, and

he, although he was a white man,believed in fetish, and he wished to sellme again, but no one would buy afetish man, so he made friends with me;for I told him if I was beat he shoulddie, and he believed me. He took meinto his house, and I was his chiefman, and I would not let the otherslaves steal and he was content. Hetook me with him to New York, andthere, after two years, when I had learntEnglish, I ran away, and got on boardof an English ship and they told me tocook. I left the ship as soon as I cameto England, and offered myself toanother, and they said they did notwant a cook; and I went to another, andthey asked me if I was a good cook:

everybody seemed to think that a blackman must be a cook, and nothing else.At last I starve, and I go on board aman-of-war, and here I am, after havingbeen a warrior and a prince, cook,steward and everything else, boilingkettle for de young gentlemen."

"Well," replied Jack, "at all events that isbetter than being a slave." Mesty madeno reply: anyone who knows the life ofa midshipman's servant will not besurprised at his silence.

"Now, tell me, do you think you wereright in being so revengeful, when youwere in your own country " inquiredJack.

"I tink so den, Massa Easy; sometimeswhen my blood boil, I tink so nowoder time, I no know what to tink butwhen a man love very much, he hatevery much."

"But you are now a Christian, Mesty."

"I hear all that your people say," repliedthe negro, "and it make me tink I nolonger believe in fetish, anyhow."

"Our religion tells us to love ourenemies."

"Yes, I heard parson say dat but denwhat we do with our friends, Massa

Easy "

"Love them too."

"I no understand dat, Massa Easy I loveyou, because you good, and treat mewell Mr Vigors, he bully, and treat me illhow possible to love him By de power,I hate him, and wish I had him skull.You tink little Massa Gossett love him "

"No," replied Jack, laughing, "I'm afraidthat he would like to have his skull aswell as you, Mesty but at all events wemust try and forgive those who injureus."

"Then, Massa Easy, I tink so too too

much revenge very bad it very easy tohate, but not very easy to forgive so Itink that if a man forgive, he hab moresoul in him, he more of a man."

"After all," thought Jack, "Mesty isabout as good a Christian as mostpeople."

"What that " cried Mesty, looking outof the cabin window "Ah! d -ndrunken dogs they set fire to tent."

Jack looked, and perceived that the tenton shore was in flames. "I tink thesecold nights cool their courage,anyhow," observed "Massa Easy, yousee they soon ask permission to come

on board."

Jack thought so too, and was mostanxious to be off; for, on looking intothe lockers in the state-room, he hadfound a chart of the Mediterranean,which he had studied very attentivelyhe had found out the rock of Gibraltar,and had traced the Harpy's course up toCape de Catte, and thence to Tarragonaand, after a while, had summonedMesty to a cabinet council.

"See, Mesty," said Jack, "I begin to makeit out, here is Gibraltar, and Cape deCatte, and Tarragona it was hereaboutwe were when we took the ship, and, ifyou recollect, we had passed Cape de

Gatte two days before we were blownoff from the land, so that we had goneabout twelve inches, and had only fourmore to go."

"Yes, Massa Easy, I see all dat."

"Well, then, we were blown off shoreby the wind, and must of course havecome down this way; and here you seeare three little islands, called ZaffarineIslands, and with no names of townsupon them, and therefore uninhabited;and you see they lie just like the islandswe are anchored among now we mustbe at the Zaffarine Islands and only sixinches from Gibraltar."

"I see, Massa Easy, dat all right but sixdebbelish long inches."

"Now, Mesty, you know the compasson deck has a flourishing thing for thenorth point and here is a compass witha north point also. Now the northpoint from the Zaffarine Islands leadsout to the Spanish coast again, andGibraltar lies five or six points of thecompass to this side of it if we steerthat way we shall get to Gibraltar."

"All right, Massa Easy," replied Mesty,and Jack was right, with the exceptionof the variation, which he knewnothing about.

To make sure, Jack brought one of thecompasses down from deck, andcompared them. He then lifted off theglass, counted the points of thecompass to the westward, and markedthe corresponding one on the binnaclecompass with his pen.

"There," said he, "that is the way toGibraltar, and as soon as the mutiny isquelled, and the wind is fair, I'll be off."

CHAPTER XVI

In which Jack's cruise is ended, and heregains the Harpy.

A few more days passed, and, as wasexpected, the mutineers could hold outno longer. In the first place, they hadput in the spile of the second cask ofwine so loosely when they were tipsythat it dropped out, and all the wine ranout, so that there had been none left forthree or four days; in the next their fuelhad long been expended, and they hadlatterly eaten their meat raw: the loss oftheir tent, which had been fired by theircarelessness, had been followed by fourdays and nights of continual rain.Everything they had had been soakedthrough and through, and they wereworn out, shivering with cold, andstarving. Hanging they thought better

than dying by inches from starvation;and yielding to the imperious demandsof hunger, they came down to thebeach, abreast of the ship, and droppeddown on their knees.

"I tell you so, Massa Easy," said Mesty:"d n rascals, they forget they comedown fire musket at us every day: by allde powers, Mesty not forget it."

"Ship ahoy!" cried one of the men onshore.

"What do you want " replied Jack.

"Have pity on us, sir mercy!" exclaimedthe other men, "we will return to our

duty."

"Debble doubt 'em!" "What shall I say,Mesty "

"Tell 'em no, first, Massa Easy tell 'emto starve and be d -d."

"I cannot take mutineers on board,"replied Jack.

"Well, then, our blood be on yourhands, Mr Easy," replied the first manwho had spoken.

"If we are to die, it must not be byinches if you will not take us, thesharks shall it is but a crunch, and all is

over. What do you say, my lads let's allrush in together: good-bye, Mr Easy, Ihope you'll forgive us when we're dead:it was all that rascal Johnson, thecoxswain, who persuaded us. Come, mylads, it's no use thinking of it, thesooner done the better let us shakehands, and then make one run of it."

It appeared that the poor fellows hadalready made up their minds to do this,if our hero, persuaded by Mesty, hadrefused to take them on board; theyshook hands all round, and thenwalking a few yards from the beach,stood in a line while the man gave thesignal one two

"Stop," cried Jack, who had notforgotten the dreadful scene which hadalready taken place "stop."

The men paused.

"What will you promise if I take youon board "

"To do our duty cheerfully till we jointhe ship, and then be hung as anexample to all mutineers," replied themen.

"Dat very fair," replied Mesty; "takedem at their word, Massa Easy."

"Very well," replied Jack, "I accept your

conditions; and we will come for you."

Jack and Mesty hauled up the boat,stuck their pistols in their belts, andpulled to the shore. The men, as theystepped in, touched their hatsrespectfully to our hero, but saidnothing. On their arrival on board, Jackread that part of the articles of warrelative to mutiny, by which the menwere reminded of the very satisfactoryfact, "that they were to suffer death";and then made a speech which, to menwho were starving, appeared to beinterminable. However, there is an endto everything in this world, and so therewas to Jack's harangue; after whichMesty gave them some biscuit, which

they devoured in thankfulness, untilthey could get something better.

The next morning the wind was fair,they weighed their kedge with somedifficulty, and ran out of the harbour:the men appeared very contrite, workedwell, but in silence, for they had no verypleasant anticipations; but hope alwaysremains with us; and each of the men,although he had no doubt but that theothers would be hung, hoped that hewould escape with a sound flogging.The wind, however, did not allow themto steer their course long; before nightit was contrary, and they fell off threepoints to the northward. "However," asJack observed, "at all events we shall

make the Spanish coast, and then wemust run down it to Gibraltar: I don'tcare I understand navigation muchbetter than I did."

The next morning they foundthemselves with a very light breeze,under a high cape, and, as the sun rose,they observed a large vessel in-shore,about two miles to the westward ofthem, and another outside, about fourmiles off. Mesty took the glass andexamined the one outside, which, on asudden, had let fall all her canvas, andwas now running for the shore, steeringfor the cape under which Jack's vessellay. Mesty put down the glass.

"Massa Easy I tink dat de Harpy." Oneof the seamen took the glass andexamined her, while the others whostood by showed great agitation.

"Yes, it is the Harpy," said the seaman."Oh! Mr Easy, will you forgive us "continued the man, and he and theothers fell on their knees. "Do not tellall, for God's sake, Mr Easy."

Jack's heart melted; he looked at Mesty."I tink," said Mesty, apart to our hero,"dat with what them hab suffer already,suppose they get seven dozen a-piece,dat quite enough."

Jack thought that even half that

punishment would suffice; so he toldthe men, that although he must statewhat had occurred, he would not tellall, and would contrive to get them offas well as he could. He was about tomake a long speech, but a gun from theHarpy, which had now come up withinrange, made him defer it till a moreconvenient opportunity. At the sametime the vessel in-shore hoisted Spanishcolours and fired a gun.

"By de powers but we got in the middleof it," cried Mesty; "Harpy tink usSpaniard. Now, my lads, get all gunready, bring up powder and shot.Massa, now us fire at Spaniard Harpynot fire at us no ab English colours on

board dat all we must do."

The men set to with a will; the gunswere all loaded, and were soon castloose and primed, during whichoperations it fell calm, and the sails ofall three vessels flapped against theirmasts. The Harpy was then about twomiles from Jack's vessel, and theSpaniard about a mile from him, withall her boats ahead of her, towingtowards him; Mesty examined theSpanish vessel.

"Dat man-of-war, Massa Easy, what dedebbel we do for colour must hoistsomething." Mesty ran down below; herecollected that there was a very gay

petticoat, which had been left by theold lady who was in the vessel whenthey captured her. It was of green silk,with yellow and blue flowers, but veryfaded, having probably been in theDon's family for a century. Mesty hadfound it under the mattress of one ofthe beds, and had put it into his bag,intending probably to cut it up intowaistcoats. He soon appeared with thisunder his arm, made it fast to the peakhalyards and hoisted it up.

"Dere, Massa, dat do very well dat whatyou call 'all nation colour.' Everybodystrike him flag to dat men nebber pull itdown," said Mesty, "anyhow. Now den,ab hoist colour, we fire away mind you

only fire one gun at a time, and pointum well, den ab time to load again."

"She's hoisted her colours, sir," saidSawbridge, on board of the Harpy;"but they do not show out clear, andit's impossible to distinguish them; butthere's a gun."

"It's not at us, sir," said Gascoigne, themidshipman; "it's at the Spanish vesselI saw the shot fall ahead of her."

"It must be a privateer," said CaptainWilson; "at all events, it is veryfortunate, for the corvettes wouldotherwise have towed into Carthagena.Another gun, round and grape, and

well pointed too; she carries heavymetal, that craft: she must be a Malteseprivateer."

"That's as much as to say that she's apirate," replied Sawbridge; "I can makenothing of her colours they appear tome to be green she must be a Turk.Another gun and devilish well aimed; ithas hit the boats."

"Yes, they are all in confusion: we willhave her now, if we can only get a trifleof wind. That is a breeze coming up inthe offing. Trim the sails, MrSawbridge."

The yards were squared, and the Harpy

soon had steerage-way. In the meantimeJack and his few men had kept up asteady, well-directed, although slow, firewith their larboard guns upon theSpanish corvette; and two of her boatshad been disabled. The Harpy broughtthe breeze up with her, and was soonwithin range; she steered to cut off thecorvette, firing only on her bow-chasers.

"We ab her now," cried Mesty; "fireaway men, take good aim. Breeze comenow; one man go to helm. By de powerwhat dat "

The exclamation of Mesty wasoccasioned by a shot hulling the ship

on the starboard side. Jack and he ranover, and perceived that three Spanishgun-boats had just made theirappearance round the point, and hadattacked them. The fact was, that on theother side of the cape was the port andtown of Carthagena, and these gun-boats had been sent out to theassistance of the corvette. The ship hadnow caught the breeze, fortunately forJack, or he would probably have beentaken into Carthagena; and the corvette,finding herself cut off by both theHarpy and Jack's vessel, as soon as thebreeze came up to her, put her head theother way, and tried to escape byrunning westward along the coast closein-shore.

Another shot, and then another,pierced the hull of the ship, andwounded two of Jack's men; but as thecorvette had turned, and the Harpyfollowed her, of course Jack did thesame, and in ten minutes he was clearof the gun-boats, who did not ventureto make sail and stand after him. Thewind now freshened fast, and blew outthe green petticoat, but the Harpy wasexchanging broadsides with thecorvette, and too busy to look afterJack's ensign. The Spaniard defendedhimself well, and had the assistance ofthe batteries as he passed, but there wasno anchorage until he had run manymiles further.

About noon, the wind died away, andat one o'clock it again fell nearly calm;but the Harpy had neared her distance,and was now within three cables' lengthof her antagonist, engaging her and abattery of four guns. Jack came upagain, for he had the last of the breeze,and was about half a mile from thecorvette when it fell calm. By the adviceof Mesty, he did not fire anymore, asotherwise the Harpy would not obtainso much credit, and it was evident thatthe fire of the Spaniard slackened fast.At three o'clock the Spanish colourswere hauled down, and the Harpy,sending a boat on board and takingpossession, directed her whole fire

upon the battery, which was soonsilenced.

The calm continued, and the Harpy wasbusy enough with the prize, shifting theprisoners and refitting both vessels,which had very much suffered in thesails and rigging. There was anoccasional wonder on board the Harpywhat that strange vessel might be, whohad turned the corvette and enabledthem to capture her, but when peopleare all very busy, there is not much timefor surmise.

Jack's crew, with himself, consisted butof eight, one of which was a Spaniard,and two were wounded. It therefore left

him but four, and he had alsosomething to do, which was to assisthis wounded men, and secure his guns.Moreover, Mesty did not think itprudent to leave the vessel a mile fromthe Harpy with only two on board;besides, as Jack said, he had had nodinner, and was not quite sure that heshould find anything to eat when hewent into the midshipmen's berth; hewould therefore have some dinnercooked, and eat it before he went onboard; in the meantime, they would tryand close with her. Jack took thingsalways very easy, and he said he shouldreport himself at sunset. There wereother reasons which made Jack in novery great hurry to go on board; he

wanted to have time to consider a little,what he should say to excuse himself,and also how he should plead for themen. His natural correctness of feelingdecided him, in the first place, to tellthe whole truth; and in the next, hiskind feelings determined him to tellonly part of it. Jack need not havegiven himself this trouble, for, as far asregarded himself, he had fourteenthousand good excuses in the bags thatlay in the state-room; and as for themen, after an action with the enemy, ifthey behave well, even mutiny isforgiven. At last, Jack, who was tiredwith excitement and the hard work ofthe day, thought and thought until hefell fast asleep, and instead of waking at

sunset, did not wake till two hoursafterwards; and Mesty did not call him,because he was in no hurry himself togo on board "and boil de kettle for deyoung gentlemen."

When Jack woke up, he was astonishedto find that he had slept so long; hewent on deck; it was dark and still calm,but he could easily perceive that theHarpy and corvette were still hove-to,repairing damages. He ordered the mento lower down the small boat, andleaving Mesty in charge, with two oarshe pulled to the Harpy. What withwounded men, with prisoners, andboats going and coming between thevessels, everyone on board the Harpy

were well employed; and in the dark,Jack's little boat came alongside withoutnotice. This should not have been thecase, but it was, and there was someexcuse for it. Jack ascended the side,and pushed his way through theprisoners, who were being mustered tobe victualled. He was wrapped up inone of the gregos, and many of theprisoners wore the same.

Jack was amused at not beingrecognised; he slipped down the mainladder, and had to stoop under thehammocks of the wounded men, andwas about to go aft to the captain'scabin to report himself, when he heardyoung Gossett crying out, and the

sound of the rope. "Hang me, if thatbrute Vigors ain't thrashing youngGossett," thought Jack. "I dare say thepoor fellow has had plenty of it since Ihave been away; I'll save him this time,at least." Jack, wrapped up in his grego,went to the window of the berth,looked in, and found it was as heexpected. He cried out in an angryvoice, Mr Vigors, I'll thank you to leaveGossett alone. At the sound of thevoice, Vigors turned round with hiscolt in his hand, saw Jack's face at thewindow, and, impressed with the ideathat the re-appearance wassupernatural, uttered a wail and felldown in a fit little Gossett also,trembling in every limb, stared with his

mouth open. Jack was satisfied, andimmediately disappeared. He then wentaft to the cabin, pushed by the servant,who was giving some orders from thecaptain to the officer on deck, andentering the cabin, where the captainwas seated with two Spanish officers,took off his hat and said,

"Come on board, Captain Wilson."

Captain Wilson did not fall down in afit, but he jumped up, and upset theglass before him. "Merciful God, MrEasy, where did you come from "

"From that ship astern, sir," repliedJack. "That ship astern! what is she

where have you been so long "

"It's a long story, sir," replied Jack.Captain Wilson extended his hand andshook Jack's heartily. "At all events, I'mdelighted to see you, boy: now sit downand tell me your story in a few words;we will have it in detail by-and-bye."

"If you please, sir," said Jack, "wecaptured that ship with the cutter thenight after we went away I'm not a first-rate navigator, and I was blown to theZaffarine Islands, where I remained twomonths for want of hands: as soon as Iprocured them I made sail again I havelost three men by sharks, and I havetwo wounded in to-day's fight the ship

mounts twelve guns, is half laden withlead and cotton prints, has fourteenthousand dollars in the cabin, and threeshot-holes right through her and thesooner you send some people on boardof her the better."

This was not very intelligible, but thatthere were fourteen thousand dollarsand that she required hands sent onboard, was very satisfactorily explained.Captain Wilson rang the bell, sent forMr Asper, who started back at the sightof our hero desired him to order MrJolliffe to go on board with one of thecutters, send the wounded men onboard, and take charge of the vessel,and then told Jack to accompany Mr

Jolliffe, and to give him everyinformation: telling him that he wouldhear his story to-morrow, when theywere not so very busy.

CHAPTER XVII

In which our hero finds out thatTrigonometry is not only necessary toNavigation, but may be required insettling affairs of honour.

As Captain Wilson truly said, he wastoo busy even to hear Jack's story thatnight, for they were anxious to haveboth vessels ready to make sail as soon

as a breeze should spring up, for theSpaniards had vessels of war atCarthagena, which was not ten milesoff, and had known the result of theaction: it was therefore necessary tochange their position as soon aspossible. Mr Sawbridge was on boardthe prize, which was a corvettemounting two guns more than theHarpy, and called the Cacafuogo.

She had escaped from Cadiz, runthrough the straits in the night, and wasthree miles from Carthagena when shewas captured, which she certainly neverwould have been, but for Jack'sfortunately blundering against the capewith his armed vessel, so that Captain

Wilson and Mr Sawbridge (both ofwhom were promoted, the first to therank of post-captain, the second to thatof commander) may be said to beindebted to Jack for their good fortune.The Harpy had lost nineteen men,killed and wounded, and the Spanishcorvette forty-seven. Altogether, it wasa very creditable affair.

At two o'clock in the morning, thevessels were ready, everything had beendone that could be done in so short atime, and they stood under easy sailduring the night for Gibraltar, theNostra Signora del Carmen, under thecharge of Jolliffe, keeping company.Jolliffe had the advantage over his

shipmates, of first hearing Jack'sadventures, with which he was muchastonished as well as amused evenCaptain Wilson was not more happy tosee Jack than was the worthy master'smate. About nine o'clock the Harpyhove-to, and sent a boat on board forour hero and the men who had been solong with him in the prize, and thenhoisted out the pinnace to fetch onboard the dollars, which were of moreimportance. Jack, as he bade adieu toJolliffe, took out of his pocket, andpresented him with the articles of war,which, as they had been so useful tohim, he thought Jolliffe could not dowithout, and then went down the side:The men were already in the boat,

casting imploring looks upon Jack, toraise feelings of compassion, and Mestytook his seat by our hero in a very sulkyhumour, probably because he did notlike the idea of having again "to boil dekettle for de young gentlemen." EvenJack felt a little melancholy at resigninghis command, and he looked back atthe green petticoat, which blew outgracefully from the mast, for Jolliffehad determined that he would not hauldown the colours under which Jackhad fought so gallant an action.

Jack's narration, as may be imagined,occupied a large part of the forenoon;and although Jack did not attempt todeny that he had seen the recall signal

of Mr Sawbridge, yet, as his accountwent on, the captain became sointerested, that at the end of it he quiteforgot to point out to Jack theimpropriety of not obeying orders. Hegave Jack great credit for his conduct,and was also much pleased with that ofMesty. Jack took the opportunity ofstating Mesty's aversion to his presentemployment, and his recommendationwas graciously received. Jack alsosucceeded in obtaining the pardon ofthe men, in consideration of theirsubsequent good behaviour; butnotwithstanding this promise on thepart of Captain Wilson, they wereordered to be put in irons for thepresent. However, Jack told Mesty, and

Mesty told the men, that they would bereleased with a reprimand when theyarrived at Gibraltar, so that all the mencared for was a fair wind.

Captain Wilson informed Jack, thatafter his joining the Admiral he hadbeen sent to Malta with the prizes, andthat, supposing the cutter to have beensunk, he had written to his father,acquainting him with his son's death, atwhich our hero was much grieved, forhe knew what sorrow it wouldoccasion, particularly to his poormother. "But," thought Jack, "if she isunhappy for three months, she will beoverjoyed for three more when shehears that I am alive, so it will be all

square at the end of the six; and assoon as I arrive at Gibraltar I will write,and as the wind is fair, that will be to-morrow or next day."

After a long conversation Jack wasgraciously dismissed, Captain Wilsonbeing satisfied from what he had heardthat Jack would turn out a very goodofficer, and had already forgotten allabout equality and the rights of man;but there Captain Wilson was mistakentares sown in infancy are not so soonrooted out.

Jack went on deck as soon as thecaptain had dismissed him, and foundthe captain and officers of the Spanish

corvette standing aft, looking veryseriously at the Nostra Signora delCarmen. When they saw our hero,whom Captain Wilson had told themwas the young officer who had barredtheir entrance into Carthagena, theyturned their eyes upon him, not quiteso graciously as they might have done.

Jack, with his usual politeness, took offhis hat to the Spanish captain, and, gladto have an opportunity of sporting hisSpanish, expressed the usual wish, thathe might live a thousand years. TheSpanish captain, who had reason towish that Jack had gone to the devil atleast twenty-four hours before, wasequally complimentary, and then

begged to be informed what thecolours were that Jack had hoistedduring the action. Jack replied that theywere colours to which every Spanishgentleman considered it no disgrace tosurrender, although always ready toengage, and frequently attempting toboard. Upon which the Spanish captainwas very much puzzled. CaptainWilson, who understood a littleSpanish, then interrupted by observing

"By-the-bye, Mr Easy, what colours didyou hoist up We could not make themout. I see Mr Jolliffe still keeps them upat the peak."

"Yes, sir," replied Jack, rather puzzled

what to call them, but at last he replied,"that it was the banner of equality andthe rights of man."

Captain Wilson frowned, and Jack,perceiving that he was displeased, thentold him the whole story, whereuponCaptain Wilson laughed, and Jack thenalso explained, in Spanish, to theofficers of the corvette, who replied,"that it was not the first time, andwould not be the last, that men had gotinto a scrape through a petticoat."

The Spanish captain complimentedJack on his Spanish, which was reallyvery good (for in two months, withnothing else in the world to do, he had

made great progress), and asked himwhere he had learnt it.

Jack replied, "At the Zaffarine Islands."

"Zaffarine Isles," replied the Spanishcaptain; "they are not inhabited."

"Plenty of ground-sharks," replied Jack.The Spanish captain thought our hero avery strange fellow, to fight under agreen silk petticoat, and to take lessonsin Spanish from the ground-sharks.However, being quite as polite as Jack,he did not contradict him, but took ahuge pinch of snuff, wishing from thebottom of his heart that the ground-sharks had taken Jack before he had

hoisted that confounded greenpetticoat.

However, Jack was in high favour withthe captain, and all the ship's company,with the exception of his four enemiesthe master, Vigors, the boatswain, andthe purser's steward. As for Mr Vigors,he had come to his senses again, andhad put his colt in his chest until Jackshould take another cruise. LittleGossett, at any insulting remark madeby Vigors, pointed to the window ofthe berth and grinned; and the veryrecollection made Vigors turn pale, andawed him into silence.

In two days they arrived at Gibraltar Mr

Sawbridge rejoined the ship so did MrJolliffe they remained there a fortnight,during which Jack was permitted to becontinually on shore Mr Asperaccompanied him, and Jack drew aheavy bill to prove to his father that hewas still alive. Mr Sawbridge made ourhero relate to him all his adventures,and was so pleased with the conduct ofMesty that he appointed him to asituation which was particularly suitedto him, that of ship's corporal. MrSawbridge knew that it was an office oftrust, and provided that he could find aman fit for it, he was very indifferentabout his colour. Mesty walked andstrutted about at least three inches tallerthan he was before. He was always

clean, did his duty conscientiously, andseldom used his cane.

"I think, Mr Easy," said the firstlieutenant, "that as you are soparticularly fond of taking a cruise,"for Jack had told the whole truth, "itmight be as well that you improve yournavigation."

"I do think myself, sir," replied Jack,with great modesty, "that I am not yetquite perfect."

"Well, then, Mr Jolliffe will teach you;he is the most competent in this ship:the sooner you ask him the better, andif you learn it as fast as you have

Spanish, it will not give you muchtrouble."

Jack thought the advice good; the nextday he was very busy with his friendJolliffe, and made the importantdiscovery that two parallel linescontinued to infinity would never meet.

It must not be supposed that CaptainWilson and Mr Sawbridge receivedtheir promotion instanter. Promotion isalways attended with delay, as there is acertain routine in the service whichmust not be departed from. CaptainWilson had orders to return to Maltaafter his cruise. He therefore carried hisown despatches away from England

from Malta the despatches had to beforwarded to Toulon to the Admiral,and then the Admiral had to send toEngland to the Admiralty, whose replyhad to come out again. All this, withthe delays arising from vessels notsailing immediately, occupied aninterval of between five and six monthsduring which time there was noalteration in the officers and crew ofhis Majesty's sloop Harpy.

There had, however, been onealteration; the gunner, Mr Linus, whohad charge of the first cutter in thenight action in which our hero wasseparated from his ship, carelesslyloading his musket, had found himself

minus his right hand, which, upon themusket going off as he rammed down,had gone off too. He was invalidedand sent home during Jack's absence,and another had been appointed,whose name was Tallboys. Mr Tallboyswas a stout dumpy man, with red face,and still redder hands; he had red hairand red whiskers, and he had read agreat deal for Mr Tallboys consideredthat the gunner was the most importantpersonage in the ship. He had oncebeen a captain's clerk, and havingdistinguished himself very much incutting-out service, had applied for andreceived his warrant as a gunner. Hehad studied the "Art of Gunnery," apart of which he understood, but the

remainder was above hiscomprehension: he continued,however, to read it as before, thinkingthat by constant reading he shouldunderstand it at last. He had gonethrough the work from the title-page tothe finis at least forty times, and hadjust commenced it over again. He nevercame on deck without the gunner'svade mecum in his pocket, with hishand always upon it to refer to it in amoment.

But Mr Tallboys had, as we observedbefore, a great idea of the importanceof a gunner, and, among otherqualifications, he considered itabsolutely necessary that he should be a

navigator. He had at least ten instancesto bring forward of bloody actions, inwhich the captain and all thecommissioned officers had been killedor wounded and the command of theship had devolved upon the gunner.

"Now, sir," would he say, "if the gunneris no navigator, he is not fit to takecharge of his Majesty's ships. Theboatswain and carpenter are merelypractical men; but the gunner, sir, is, orought to be, scientific. Gunnery, sir, is ascience we have our own disparts andour lines of sight our windage, and ourparabolas, and projectile forces and ourpoint blank, and our reduction ofpowder upon a graduated scale. Now,

sir, there's no excuse for a gunner notbeing a navigator; for knowing his dutyas a gunner, he has the samemathematical tools to work with."Upon this principle, Mr Tallboys hadadded John Hamilton Moore to hislibrary, and had advanced about as farinto navigation as he had in gunnery,that is, to the threshold, where he stuckfast, with all his mathematical tools,which he did not know how to use. Todo him justice, he studied for two orthree hours every day, and it was not hisfault if he did not advance but his headwas confused with technical terms; hemixed all up together, and disparts,sines and cosines, parabolas, tangents,windage, seconds, lines of sight,

logarithms, projectiles, and traversesailing, quadrature, and Gunter's scales,were all crowded together, in a brainwhich had not capacity to receive therule of three. "Too much learning,"said Festus to the apostle, "hath madethee mad." Mr Tallboys had not witenough to go mad, but his learning laylike lead upon his brain: the more heread, the less he understood, at thesame time that he became moresatisfied with his supposedacquirements, and could not speak butin "mathematical parables". "Iunderstand, Mr Easy," said the gunnerto him one day, after they had sailed forMalta, "that you have entered into thescience of navigation at your age it was

high time."

"Yes," replied Jack, "I can raise aperpendicular, at all events, and box thecompass."

"Yes, but you have not yet arrived at thedispart of the compass."

"Not come to that yet," replied Jack.

"Are you aware that a ship sailingdescribes a parabola round the globe "

"Not come to that yet," replied Jack.

"And that any propelled body strikingagainst another flies off at a tangent "

"Very likely," replied Jack; "that is a'sine' that he don't like it."

"You have not yet entered into 'acute'trigonometry "

"Not come to that yet," replied Jack.

"That will require very sharp attention."

"I should think so," replied Jack.

"You will then find out how yourparallels of longitude and latitudemeet."

"Two parallel lines, if continued to

infinity will never meet," replied Jack.

"I beg your pardon," said the gunner.

"I beg yours," said Jack.

Whereupon Mr Tallboys brought up asmall map of the world, and showedJack that all the parallels of latitude metat a point at the top and the bottom.

"Parallel lines never meet," replied Jack,producing Hamilton Moore.Whereupon Jack and the gunner arguedthe point, until it was agreed to referthe case to Mr Jolliffe, who asserted,with a smile, "That those lines wereparallels, and not parallels."

As both were right, both were satisfied.It was fortunate that Jack would arguein this instance: had he believed all theconfused assertions of the gunner, hewould have been as puzzled as thegunner himself. They never metwithout an argument and a reference,and as Jack was put right in the end, heonly learnt the faster. By the time thathe did know something aboutnavigation, he discovered that hisantagonist knew nothing. Before theyarrived at Malta, Jack could fudge aday's work.

But at Malta Jack got into anotherscrape. Although Mr Smallsole could

not injure him, he was still Jack'senemy; the more so as Jack had becomevery popular: Vigors also submitted,planning revenge; but the parties in thisinstance were the boatswain andpurser's steward. Jack still continued hisforecastle conversations with Mesty:and the boatswain and purser's steward,probably from their respective ill-willtowards our hero, had become greatallies. Mr Easthupp now put on hisbest jacket to walk the dog-watcheswith Mr Biggs, and they took everyopportunity to talk at our hero.

"It's my peculiar hopinion," said MrEasthupp, one evening, pulling at thefrill of his shirt, "that a gentleman

should behave as a gentleman, and thatif a gentleman professes opinions ofinequality and such liberal sentiments,that he is bound as a gentleman to hactup to them."

"Very true, Mr Easthupp; he is boundto act up to them; and not because aperson, who was a gentleman as well ashimself, happens not to be on thequarter-deck, to insult him because heonly has perfessed opinions like hisown."

Hereupon Mr Biggs struck his rattanagainst the funnel, and looked at ourhero.

"Yes," continued the purser's steward,"I should like to see the fellow whowould have done so on shore; however,the time will come when I can hagainpull on my plain coat, and then theinsult shall be vashed out in blood, MrBiggs."

"And I'll be cursed if I don't some dayteach a lesson to the blackguard whostole my trousers."

"Vas hall your money right, Mr Biggs "inquired the purser's steward.

"I didn't count," replied the boatswainmagnificently. "No gentlemen arehabove that," replied Easthupp; "but

there are many light-fingered gentryabout. The quantity of vatches andharticles of value vich were lost ven Ivalked Bond Street in former times isincredible."

"I can say this, at all events," replied theboatswain, "that I should be alwaysready to give satisfaction to any personbeneath me in rank, after I had insultedhim. I don't stand upon my rank,although I don't talk about equality,damme no, nor consort with niggers."

All this was too plain for our hero notto understand, so Jack walked up to theboatswain, and taking his hat off, withthe utmost politeness, said to him

"If I mistake not, Mr Biggs, yourconversation refers to me."

"Very likely it does," replied theboatswain. "Listeners hear no good ofthemselves."

"It appears that gentlemen can'tconverse without being vatched,"continued Mr Easthupp, pulling up hisshirt collar.

"It is not the first time that you havethought proper to make very offensiveremarks, Mr Biggs; and as you appear toconsider yourself ill-treated in the affairof the trousers for I tell you at once

that it was I who brought them onboard I can only say," continued ourhero, with a very polite bow, "that Ishall be most happy to give yousatisfaction."

"I am your superior officer, Mr Easy,"replied the boatswain. "Yes, by the rulesof the service; but you just nowasserted that you would waive yourrank indeed, I dispute it on thisoccasion; I am on the quarter-deck, andyou are not."

"This is the gentleman whom you haveinsulted, Mr Easy," replied theboatswain, pointing to the purser'ssteward.

"Yes, Mr Heasy, quite as good agentleman as yourself although I av admisfortunes I ham of as old a family ashany in the country," replied MrEasthupp, now backed by theboatswain; "many the year did I valkBond Street, and I ave as good blood inmy weins as you, Mr Heasy, halthough Ihave been misfortunate I've hadAdmirals in my family."

"You have grossly insulted thisgentleman," said Mr Biggs, incontinuation; "and notwithstanding allyour talk of equality, you are afraid togive him satisfaction you shelteryourself under your quarter-deck."

"Mr Biggs," replied our hero, who wasnow very wroth, "I shall go on shoredirectly we arrive at Malta. Let you andthis fellow put on plain clothes, and Iwill meet you both and then I'll showyou whether I am afraid to givesatisfaction."

"One at a time," said the boatswain."No, sir, not one at a time, but both atthe same time I will fight both, or none.If you are my superior officer, youmust descend," replied Jack, with anironical sneer, "to meet me, or I will notdescend to meet that fellow, whom Ibelieve to have been little better than apickpocket."

This accidental hit of Jack's made thepurser's steward turn pale as a sheet,and then equally red. He raved andfoamed amazingly, although he couldnot meet Jack's indignant look, whothen turned round again.

"Now, Mr Biggs, is this to beunderstood, or do you shelter yourselfunder your forecastle "

"I'm no dodger," replied the boatswain,"and we will settle the affair at Malta."At which reply Jack returned to Mesty.

"Massa Easy, I look at um face, datfellow Eastop, he no like it. I go shore

wid you, see fair play, anyhow supposeI can "

Mr Biggs having declared that he wouldfight, of course had to look out for asecond, and he fixed upon Mr Tallboys,the gunner, and requested him to be hisfriend. Mr Tallboys, who had beenlatterly very much annoyed by Jack'svictories over him in the science ofnavigation, and therefore felt ill-willtowards him, consented; but he wasvery much puzzled how to arrange thatthree were to fight at the same time, forhe had no idea of there being twoduels; so he went to his cabin andcommenced reading. Jack, on the otherhand, dared not say a word to Jolliffe

on the subject; indeed there was no onein the ship to whom he could confidebut Gascoigne: he therefore went tohim, and although Gascoigne thoughtit was excessively 'infra dig' of Jack tomeet even the boatswain, as thechallenge had been given there was noretracting: he therefore consented, likeall midshipmen, anticipating fun, andquite thoughtless of the consequences.

The second day after they had beenanchored in Valette Harbour, theboatswain and gunner, Jack andGascoigne, obtained permission to goon shore. Mr Easthupp, the purser'ssteward, dressed in his best blue coat,with brass buttons and velvet collar, the

very one in which he had been takenup when he had been vowing andprotesting that he was a gentleman, atthe very time that his hand wasabstracting a pocket-book, went up onthe quarter-deck, and requested thesame indulgence, but Mr Sawbridgerefused, as he required him to returnstaves and hoops at the cooperage.Mesty also, much to his mortification,was not to be spared. This wasawkward, but it was got over byproposing that the meeting should takeplace behind the cooperage at a certainhour, on which Mr Easthupp mightslip out, and borrow a portion of thetime appropriated to his duty, to healthe breach in his wounded honour. So

the parties all went on shore, and putup at one of the small inns to make thenecessary arrangements.

Mr Tallboys then addressed MrGascoigne, taking him apart while theboatswain amused himself with a glassof grog, and our hero sat outsideteasing a monkey.

"Mr Gascoigne," said the gunner, "Ihave been very much puzzled how thisduel should be fought, but I have atlast found it out. You see that there arethree parties to fight; had there beentwo or four there would have been nodifficulty, as the right line or squaremight guide us in that instance; but we

must arrange it upon the triangle inthis."

Gascoigne stared; he could not imaginewhat was coming.

"Are you aware, Mr Gascoigne, of theproperties of an equilateral triangle "

"Yes," replied the midshipman, "that ithas three equal sides but what the devilhas that to do with the duel "

"Everything, Mr Gascoigne," repliedthe gunner; "it has resolved the greatdifficulty: indeed, the duel betweenthree can only be fought upon thatprinciple. You observe," said the

gunner, taking a piece of chalk out ofhis pocket, and making a triangle on thetable, "in this figure we have threepoints, each equidistant from eachother: and we have three combatants sothat, placing one at each point, it is allfair play for the three: Mr Easy, forinstance, stands here, the boatswainhere, and the purser's steward at thethird corner. Now, if the distance isfairly measured, it will be all right."

"But then," replied Gascoigne,delighted at the idea; "how are they tofire " "It certainly is not of muchconsequence," replied the gunner, "butstill, as sailors, it appears to me that theyshould fire with the sun; that is, Mr

Easy fires at Mr Biggs, Mr Biggs fires atMr Easthupp, and Mr Easthupp fires atMr Easy; so that you perceive that eachparty has his shot at one, and at thesame time receives the fire of another."

Gascoigne was in ecstasies at thenovelty of the proceeding, the more soas he perceived that Easy obtainedevery advantage by the arrangement.

"Upon my word, Mr Tallboys, I giveyou great credit; you have a profoundmathematical head, and I am delightedwith your arrangement. Of course, inthese affairs, the principals are boundto comply with the arrangements of theseconds, and I shall insist upon Mr

Easy consenting to your excellent andscientific proposal."

Gascoigne went out, and pulling Jackaway from the monkey, told him whatthe gunner had proposed, at which Jacklaughed heartily.

The gunner also explained it to theboatswain, who did not very wellcomprehend, but replied

"I dare say it's all right shot for shot,and d n all favours." The parties thenrepaired to the spot with two pairs ofship's pistols, which Mr Tallboys hadsmuggled on shore; and, as soon asthey were on the ground, the gunner

called Mr Easthupp out of thecooperage. In the meantime, Gascoignehad been measuring an equilateraltriangle of twelve paces and marked itout. Mr Tallboys, on his return with thepurser's steward, went over the ground,and finding that it was "equal anglessubtended by equal sides," declared thatit was all right. Easy took his station,the boatswain was put into his, and MrEasthupp, who was quite in a mystery,was led by the gunner to the thirdposition.

"But, Mr Tallboys," said the purser'ssteward, "I don't understand this. MrEasy will first fight Mr Biggs, will henot "

"No," replied the gunner, "this is a duelof three. You will fire at Mr Easy, MrEasy will fire at Mr Biggs, and Mr Biggswill fire at you. It is all arranged, MrEasthupp."

"But," said Mr Easthupp, "I do notunderstand it. Why is Mr Biggs to fireat me I have no quarrel with Mr Biggs."

"Because Mr Easy fires at Mr Biggs, andMr Biggs must have his shot as well."

"If you have ever been in the companyof gentlemen, Mr Easthupp," observedGascoigne, "you must know somethingabout duelling."

"Yes, yes, I've kept the best company,Mr Gascoigne, and I can give agentleman satisfaction; but "

"Then, sir, if that is the case, you mustknow that your honour is in the handsof your second, and that no gentlemanappeals."

"Yes, yes, I know that, Mr Gascoigne;but still I've no quarrel with Mr Biggs,and therefore, Mr Biggs, of course youwill not aim at me."

"Why you don't think that I am goingto be fired at for nothing," replied theboatswain; "no, no, I'll have my shot

anyhow."

"But at your friend, Mr Biggs "

"All the same, I shall fire at somebody;shot for shot, and hit the luckiest."

"Vel, gentlemen, I purtest against theseproceedings," replied Mr Easthupp; "Icame here to have satisfaction from MrEasy, and not to be fired at by MrBiggs."

"Don't you have satisfaction when youfire at Mr Easy " replied the gunner;"what more would you have "

"I purtest against Mr Biggs firing at

me."

"So you would have a shot withoutreceiving one," cried Gascoigne: "thefact is that this fellow's a confoundedcoward, and ought to be kicked intothe cooperage again."

At this affront Mr Easthupp rallied,and accepted the pistol offered by thegunner.

"You ear those words, Mr Biggs; prettylanguage to use to a gentleman. Youshall ear from me, sir, as soon as theship is paid off. I purtest no longer, MrTallboys; death before dishonour. I'm agentleman, damme!"

At all events, the swell was not a verycourageous gentleman, for he trembledmost exceedingly as he pointed hispistol.

The gunner gave the word, as if hewere exercising the great guns on boardship.

"Cock your locks!" "Take good aim atthe object!" "Fire!" "Stop your vents!"The only one of the combatants whoappeared to comply with the lattersupplementary order was Mr Easthupp,who clapped his hand to his trousersbehind, gave a loud yell, and thendropped down; the bullet having

passed clean through his seat ofhonour, from his having presented hisbroadside as a target to the boatswainas he faced towards our hero. Jack'sshot had also taken effect, havingpassed through both the boatswain'scheeks, without further mischief thanextracting two of his best upper doubleteeth, and forcing through the hole ofthe further cheek the boatswain's ownquid of tobacco. As for Mr Easthupp'sball, as he was very unsettled, and shuthis eyes before he fired, it had gone theLord knows where.

The purser's steward lay on the groundand screamed the boatswain spit hisdouble teeth and two or three

mouthfuls of blood out, and thenthrew down his pistols in a rage.

"A pretty business, by God," sputteredhe; "he's put my pipe out. How thedevil am I to pipe to dinner when I'mordered, all my wind escaping throughthe cheeks "

In the meantime, the others had goneto the assistance of the purser'ssteward, who continued hisvociferations. They examined him, andconsidered a wound in that part not tobe dangerous.

"Hold your confounded bawling,"cried the gunner, "or you'll have the

guard down here: you're not hurt."

"Han't hi " roared the steward: "Oh, letme die, let me die; don't move me!"

"Nonsense," cried the gunner, "youmust get up and walk down to theboat; if you don't we'll leave you holdyour tongue, confound you. You won'tthen I'll give you something to halloofor."

Whereupon Mr Tallboys commencedcuffing the poor wretch right and left,who received so many swinging boxesof the ear that he was soon reduced tomerely pitiful plaints of "Oh dear! suchinhumanity I purtest oh dear! must I

get up I can't, indeed."

"I do not think he can move, MrTallboys," said Gascoigne; "I shouldthink the best plan would be to call uptwo of the men from the cooperage,and let them take him at once to thehospital."

The gunner went down to thecooperage to call the men. Mr Biggs,who had bound up his face as if hehad a toothache, for the bleeding hadbeen very slight, came up to the purser'ssteward.

"What the hell are you making such ahowling about Look at me, with two

shot-holes through my figure head,while you have only got one in yourstem: I wish I could change with you,by heavens, for I could use my whistlethen now if I attempt to pipe, there willbe such a wasteful expenditure of hisMajesty's stores of wind, that I nevershall get out a note. A wicked shot ofyours, Mr Easy."

"I really am very sorry," replied Jack,with a polite bow, "and I beg to offermy best apology."

During this conversation, the purser'ssteward felt very faint, and thought hewas going to die.

"Oh dear! oh dear! what a fool I was; Inever was a gentleman only a swell: Ishall die; I never will pick a pocketagain never never God forgive me!"

"Why, confound the fellow," criedGascoigne, "so you were a pickpocket,were you "

"I never will again," replied the fellowin a faint voice. "Hi'll hamend and leada good life a drop of water oh! laggedat last!"

Then the poor wretch fainted away: andMr Tallboys coming up with the men,he was taken on their shoulders andwalked off to the hospital, attended by

the gunner and also the boatswain, whothought he might as well have a littlemedical advice before he went onboard.

"Well, Easy," said Gascoigne, collectingthe pistols and tying them up in hishandkerchief, "I'll be shot but we're in apretty scrape; there's no hushing thisup. I'll be hanged if I care, it's the bestpiece of fun I ever met with." And atthe remembrance of it Gascoignelaughed till the tears ran down hischeeks. Jack's mirth was not quite soexcessive, as he was afraid that thepurser's steward was severely hurt, andexpressed his fears.

"At all events, you did not hit him,"replied Gascoigne: "all you have toanswer for is the boatswain's mug, Ithink you've stopped his jaw for thefuture."

"I'm afraid that our leave will bestopped for the future," replied Jack.

"That we may take our oaths of,"replied Gascoigne.

"Then look you, Ned," said Easy; "I'velots of dollars we may as well behanged for a sheep as a lamb, as thesaying is, I vote that we do not go onboard."

"Sawbridge will send and fetch us,"replied Ned; "but he must find us first."

"That won't take long, for the soldierswill soon have our description and routus out. We shall be pinned in a coupleof days."

"Confound it, and they say that theship is to be hove down, and that weshall be here six weeks at least, coopedup on board in a broiling sun, andnothing to do but to watch the pilotfish playing round the rudder andmunch bad apricots. I won't go onboard. Look'ye, Jack," said Gascoigne,"have you plenty of money "

"I have twenty doubloons, besidesdollars," replied Jack.

"Well, then, we will pretend to be somuch alarmed at the result of this duelthat we dare not show ourselves lest weshould be hung. I will write a note andsend it to Jolliffe, to say that we havehid ourselves until the affair is blownover, and beg him to intercede with thecaptain and first lieutenant. I will tellhim all the particulars, and refer to thegunner for the truth of it; and then Iknow that, although we should bepunished, they will only laugh. But Iwill pretend that Easthupp is killed,and we are frightened out of our lives.That will be it, and then let's get on

board one of the speronares whichcome with fruit from Sicily, sail in thenight for Palermo, and then we'll have acruise for a fortnight, and when themoney is all gone we'll come back."

"That's a capital idea, Ned, and thesooner we do it the better. I will writeto the captain, begging him to get meoff from being hung, and telling himwhere we have fled to, and that lettershall be given after we have sailed."

They were two very nice lads our heroand Gascoigne.

CHAPTER XVIII

In which our hero sets off on anothercruise, in which he is not blown offshore.

Gascoigne and our hero were neitherof them in uniform, and they hastenedto Nix Mangare stairs, where they soonpicked up the padrone of a speronare.They went with him into a wine shop,and with the assistance of a littleEnglish from a Maltese boy, whoseshirt hung out of his trousers, theymade a bargain, by which it was agreedthat, for the consideration of twodoubloons, he would sail that eveningand land them at Gergentif or some

other town in Sicily, providing themwith something to eat and gregos tosleep upon. Our two midshipmen thenwent back to the tavern from whichthey had set off to fight the duel, andordering a good dinner to be served ina back room, they amused themselveswith killing flies, as they talked over theevents of the day and waited for theirdinner.

As Mr Tallboys did not himself thinkproper to go on board till the evening,and Mr Biggs also wished it to be darkbefore he went up the ship's side, theevents of the duel did not transpire tillthe next morning. Even then it was notknown from the boatswain or gunner,

but by a hospital mate coming onboard to inform the surgeon that therewas one of their men wounded undertheir charge, but that he was doing verywell.

Mr Biggs had ascended the side withhis face bound up. "Confound thatJack Easy," said he, "I have only beenon leave twice since I sailed fromPortsmouth. Once I was obliged tocome up the side without my trousers,and show my bare stem to the wholeship's company, and now I am comingup, and dare not show my figure head."He reported himself to the officer ofthe watch, and hastening to his cabinwent to bed and lay the whole night

awake from pain, thinking what excusehe could possibly make for not comingon deck next morning to his duty.

He was, however, saved this trouble, forMr Jolliffe brought the letter ofGascoigne up to Mr Sawbridge, and thecaptain had received that of our hero.

Captain Wilson came on board andfound that Mr Sawbridge couldcommunicate all the particulars ofwhich he had not been acquainted byJack; and after they had read overGascoigne's letter in the cabin, andinterrogated Mr Tallboys, who was sentdown under an arrest, they gave freevent to their mirth.

"Upon my soul, there's no end to MrEasy's adventures," said the captain. "Icould laugh at the duel, for after all it isnothing and he would have been let offwith a severe reprimand. But thefoolish boys have set off in a speronareto Sicily, and how the devil are we toget them back again "

"They'll come back, sir," repliedSawbridge, "when all their money'sgone." "Yes, if they do not get into anymore scrapes. That young scampGascoigne is as bad as Easy, and nowthey are together there's no saying whatmay happen. I dine at the Governor'sto-day; how he will laugh when I tell

him of this new way of fighting aduel!"

"Yes, sir, it is just the thing that willtickle old Tom." "We must find out ifthey have got off the island, Sawbridge,which may not be the case."

But it was the case. Jack and Gascoignehad eaten a ye good dinner, sent for themonkey to amuse them till it was dark,and there had waited till the padronecame to them.

"What shall we do with the pistols,Easy " "Take them with us, and loadthem before we go we may want them.Who knows but there may be a mutiny

on board of the speronare I wish wehad Mesty with us."

They loaded the pistols, took a paireach and put them in their waists,concealed under their clothes, dividedthe ammunition between them, andsoon afterwards the padrone came totell them all was ready.

Whereupon Messrs Gascoigne andEasy paid there bill and rose to depart,but the padrone informed them that heshould like to see the colour of theirmoney before they went on board. Jack,very indignant at the insinuation that hehad not sufficient cash, pulled out ahandful of doubloons, and tossing two

to the padrone, and asked him if hewas satisfied.

The padrone untied his sash, put in themoney, and with many thanks andprotestations of service, begged ouryoung gentlemen to accompany him;they did so, and in a few minutes wereclear of Nix Mangare stairs, and,passing close to his Majesty's shipHarpy, were soon out of the harbourof Valette.

Of all the varieties of vessels whichfloat upon the wave, there is not,perhaps, one that bounds over thewater so gracefully or so lightly as asperonare, or any one so picturesque

and beautiful to the eye of those whowatch its progress.

The night was clear, and the stars shoneout brilliantly as the light craft skimmedover the water, and a fragment of adesert and waning moon threw its softbeams upon the snow-white sail. Thevessel, which had no deck, was full ofbaskets, which had contained grapesand various fruits brought from theancient granary, of Rome, still as fertileand as luxuriant as ever. The crewconsisted of the padrone, two men anda boy; the three latter, with their gregos,or night great-coats with hoods, sittingforward before the sail, with their eyesfixed on the land as they flew past

point after point, thinking perhaps oftheir wives, or perhaps of theirsweethearts, or perhaps not thinking atall.

The padrone remained aft at the helm,offering every politeness to our twoyoung gentlemen, who only wished tobe left alone. At last they requested thepadrone to give them gregos to liedown upon, as they wished to go tosleep. He called the boy to take thehelm, procured them all they required,and then went forward. And our twomidshipmen laid down looking at thestars above them for some minutes,without exchanging a word. At last Jackcommenced

"I have been thinking, Gascoigne, thatthis is very delightful. My heart boundswith the vessel, and it almost appears tome as if the vessel herself was rejoicingin her liberty. Here she is capering overthe waves instead of being tied by thenose with a cable and anchor."

"That's a touch of the sentimental,Jack," replied Gascoigne; "but she is nomore free than she was when at anchor,for she now is forced to act inobedience to her steersman and go justwhere he pleases. You may just as wellsay that a horse, if taken out of thestable, is free, with the curb, and hisrider on his back."

"That's a touch of the rational, Ned,which destroys the illusion. Nevermind, we are free, at all events. Whatmachines we are on board of a man-of-war! we walk, talk, eat, drink, sleep, andget up, just like clock-work; we arewound up to go the twenty-four hours,and then wound up again; just like oldSmallsole does the chronometers."

"Very true, Jack; but it does not appearto me, that hitherto you have kept verygood time; you require a little moreregulating," said Gascoigne.

"How can you expect any piece ofmachinery to go well, so damnably

knocked about as a midshipman is "replied our hero.

"Very true, Jack; but sometimes youdon't keep any time, for you don't keepany watch. Mr Asper don't wind youup. You don't go at all."

"No; because he allows me to go down;but still I do go, Ned."

"Yes, to your hammock it's no go withold Smallsole, if I want a bit of caulk.But, Jack, what do you say shall wekeep watch to-night "

"Why, to tell you the truth, I have beenthinking the same thing I don't much

like the looks of the padrone hesquints."

"That's no proof of anything, Jack,except that his eyes are not straight: butif you do not like the look of him, Ican tell you that he very much liked thelook of your doubloons I saw himstart, and his eyes twinkled, and Ithought at the time it was a pity youhad not paid him in dollars."

"It was very foolish in me, but at allevents he has not seen all. He saw quiteenough, Ned."

"Very true, but you should have let himsee the pistols, and not have let him see

the doubloons."

"Well, if he wishes to take what he hasseen, he shall receive what he has notseen why, there are only four of them."

"Oh, I have no fear of them, only itmay be as well to sleep with one eyeopen."

"When shall we make the land "

"To-morrow evening with this wind,and it appears to be steady. Suppose wekeep watch and watch, and have ourpistols out ready, with the great-coatsjust turned over them, to keep themout of sight "

"Agreed it's about twelve o'clock nowwho shall keep the middle watch "

"I will, Jack, if you like it."

"Well, then, mind you kick me hard, forI sleep devilish sound. Good-night,and keep a sharp look-out."

Jack was fast asleep in less than tenminutes; and Gascoigne, with hispistols lying by him all ready for eachhand, sat up at the bottom of the boat.

There certainly is a peculiar providencein favour of midshipmen comparedwith the rest of mankind; they have

more lives than a cat always in thegreatest danger, but always escapingfrom it.

The padrone of the vessel had beencaptivated with the doubloons whichJack had so foolishly exposed to hisview, and he had, moreover, resolved toobtain them. At the very time that ourtwo lads were conversing aft, thepadrone was talking the matter overwith his two men forward, and it wasagreed that they should murder, rifle,and then throw them overboard.

About two o'clock in the morning, thepadrone came aft to see if they wereasleep, but found Gascoigne watching.

He returned aft again and again, butfound the young man still sitting up.Tired of waiting, anxious to possessthe money, and not supposing that thelads were armed, he went once moreforward and spoke to the men.Gascoigne had watched his motions; hethought it singular that, with three menin the vessel, the helm should beconfided to the boy and at last he sawthem draw their knives. He pushed ourhero, who woke immediately.Gascoigne put his hand over Jack'smouth, that he might not speak, andthen whispered his suspicions. Jackseized his pistols they both cockedthem without noise, and then waited insilence, Jack still lying down, while

Gascoigne continued to sit up at thebottom of the boat.

At last Gascoigne saw the three mencoming aft he dropped one of hispistols for a second to give Jack asqueeze of the hand, which wasreturned, and as Gascoigne watchedthem making their way through thepiles of empty baskets he leaned backas if he was slumbering. The padrone,followed by the two men, was at lastaft, they paused a moment before theystepped over the strengthening plank,which ran from side to side of the boatbetween them and the midshipmen,and as neither of them stirred, theyimagined that both were asleep

advanced and raised their knives, whenGascoigne and Jack, almost at the samemoment, each discharged their pistolsinto the breast of the padrone and oneof the men, who was with him inadvance, who both fell with the sendaft of the boat, so as to encumber themidshipmen with the weight of theirbodies. The third man started back.Jack, who could not rise, from thepadrone lying across his legs, took asteady aim with his second pistol, andthe third man fell. The boy at the helm,who, it appeared, either was aware ofwhat was to be done, or seeing the menadvance with their knives, had actedupon what he saw, also drew his knifeand struck at Gascoigne from behind;

the knife fortunately, after slightlywounding Gascoigne on the shoulder,had shut on the boy's hand Gascoignesprang up with his other pistol the boystarted back at the sight of it, lost hisbalance, and fell overboard.

Our two midshipmen took a fewseconds to breathe. "I say, Jack," saidGascoigne at last, "did you ever "

"No, I never " replied Jack.

"What's to be done now "

"Why, as we've got possession, Ned, wehad better put a man at the helm-forthe speronare is having it all her own

way."

"Very true," replied Gascoigne, "and asI can steer better than you, I suppose itmust be me."

Gascoigne went to the helm, broughtthe boat up to the wind, and then theyresumed their conversation.

"That rascal of a boy gave me a devilof a lick on the shoulder; I don't knowwhether he has hurt me at all events it'smy left shoulder, so I can steer just aswell. I wonder whether the fellows aredead."

"The padrone is, at all events," replied

Jack. "It was as much as I could do toget my legs from under him but we'llwait till daylight before we see to that inthe meantime, I'll load the pistolsagain."

"The day is breaking now it will be lightin half an hour or less. What a devil ofa spree, Jack!"

"Yes, but how can one help it We ranaway because two men are woundedand now we are obliged to kill four inself-defence."

"Yes, but that is not the end of it; whenwe get to Sicily what are we to do weshall be imprisoned by the authorities

perhaps hung."

"We'll argue that point with them,"replied Jack.

"We had better argue the point betweenourselves, Jack, and see what will be thebest plan to get out of our scrape."

"I think that we just have got out of itnever fear but we'll get out of the next.Do you know, Gascoigne, it appears tome very odd, but I can do nothing butthere's a bobbery at the bottom of it."

"You certainly have a great talent thatway, Jack. Don't I hear one of thosepoor fellows groan "

"I should think that not impossible."

"What shall we do with them "

"We will argue that point, Ned we musteither keep their bodies, or we mustthrow them overboard. Either tell thewhole story, or say nothing about it."

"That's very evident; in short, we mustdo something, for your argument goesno further. But now let us take up oneof your propositions."

"Well, then, suppose we keep thebodies on board, run into a seaport, goto the authorities, and state all the facts,

what then "

"We shall prove, beyond all doubt, thatwe have killed three men, if not four;but we shall not prove that we wereobliged so to do, Jack. And then we areheretics we shall be put in prison tillthey are satisfied of our innocence,which we never can prove, and there weshall remain until we have written toMalta, and a man-of-war comes toredeem us, if we are not stabbed orsomething else in the meantime."

"That will not be a very pleasantcruise," replied Jack. "Now let's arguethe point on the other side."

"There is some difficulty there supposewe throw their bodies overboard, tossthe baskets after them, wash the boatclean, and make for the first port. Wemay chance to hit upon the very spotfrom which they sailed, and then therewill be a pack of wives and children,and a populace with knives, asking uswhat has become of the men of theboat!"

"I don't much like the idea of that,"said Jack.

"And if we don't have such bad luck,still we shall be interrogated as to whowe are, and how we were adrift byourselves."

"There will be a difficulty about thatagain we must swear that it is a party ofpleasure, and that we are gentlemenyachting."

"Without a crew or provisions yachtsdon't sail with a clean swept hold, orgentlemen without a spare shirt wehave nothing but two gallons of waterand two pairs of pistols."

"I have it," said Jack "we are two younggentlemen in our own boat who wentout to Gozo with pistols to shoot sea-mews, were caught in a gale, and blowndown to Sicily that will excite interest."

"That's the best idea yet, as it willaccount for our having nothing in theboat. Well, then, at all events, we will getrid of the bodies; but suppose they arenot dead we cannot throw themoverboard alive, that will be murder."

"Very true," replied Jack, "then we mustshoot them first, and toss themoverboard afterwards."

"Upon my soul, Easy, you are an oddfellow: however, go and examine themen, and we'll decide that point by-and-bye: you had better keep yourpistol ready cocked, for they may beshamming."

"Devil a bit of sham here, anyhow,"replied Jack, pulling at the body of thepadrone, "and as for this fellow youshot, you might put your fist into hischest. Now for the third," continuedJack, stepping over the strengtheningpiece "he's all among the baskets. I say,my cock, are you dead " and Jackenforced his question with a kick in theribs. The man groaned. "That's unlucky,Gascoigne, but however, I'll soon settlehim," said Jack, pointing his pistol.

"Stop, Jack," cried Gascoigne, "it reallywill be murder."

"No such thing, Ned; I'll just blow hisbrains out, and then I'll come aft and

argue the point with you."

"Now do oblige me by coming aft andarguing the point first. Do, Jack, I begof you I entreat you."

"With all my heart," replied Jack,resuming his seat by Gascoigne; "Iassert, that in this instance killing's nomurder. You will observe, Ned, that bythe laws of society, any one whoattempts the life of another hasforfeited his own; at the same time, as itis necessary that the fact should beclearly proved, and justice be dulyadministered, the parties are tried,convicted, and then are sentenced tothe punishment."

"I grant all that."

"In this instance the attempt has beenclearly proved; we are the witnesses, andare the judges and jury, and society ingeneral, for the best of all possiblereasons, because there is nobody else.These men's lives, being thereforeforfeited to society, belong to us; and itdoes not follow because they were notall killed in the attempt, that thereforethey are not now to be brought out forpunishment. And as there is nocommon hangman here, we, of course,must do this duty as well as every other.I have now clearly proved that I amjustified in what I am about to do. But

the argument does not stop there self-preservation is the first law of nature,and if we do not get rid of this man,what is the consequence that we shallhave to account for his being wounded,and then, instead of judges, we shallimmediately be placed in the positionof culprits, and have to defendourselves without witnesses. Wetherefore risk our lives from amisplaced lenity towards a wretchunworthy to live."

"Your last argument is strong, Easy, butI cannot consent to your doing whatmay occasion you uneasiness hereafterwhen you think of it."

"Pooh! nonsense I am a philosopher."

"Of what school, Jack Oh, I presumeyou are a disciple of Mesty's. I do notmean to say that you are wrong, but stillhear my proposition. Let us lowerdown the sail, and then I can leave theto assist you. We will clear the vessel ofeverything except the man who is stillalive. At all events we may wait a little,and if at last there is no help for it, Iwill then agree with you to launch himoverboard, even if he is not quitedead."

"Agreed; even by your own making out,it will be no great sin. He is half deadalready I only do half the work of

tossing him over, so it will be onlyquarter murder on my part, and hewould have shown no quarter on his."Here Jack left off arguing and punning,and went forward and lowered downthe sail. "I've half a mind to take mydoubloons back," said Jack, as theylaunched over the body of thepadrone, "but he may have them Iwonder whether they'll ever turn upagain."

"Not in our time, Jack," repliedGascoigne. The other body, and all thebasket, lumber, etc, were then tossedover, and the boat was cleared of allbut the man who was not yet dead.

"Now let's examine the fellow, and seeif he has any chance of recovery," saidGascoigne. The man lay on his side;Gascoigne turned him over and foundthat he was dead.

"Over with him, quick," said Jack,"before he comes to life again." Thebody disappeared under the wave theyagain hoisted the sail. Gascoigne tookthe helm, and our hero proceeded todraw water and wash away the stains ofblood; he then cleared the boat ofvine-leaves and rubbish, with which itwas strewed, swept it clean fore and aft,and resumed his seat by his comrade.

"There," said Jack, "now we've swept

the decks, we may pipe to dinner. Iwonder whether there is anything to eatin the locker."

Jack opened it, and found some bread,garlic, sausages, a bottle of aquadente,and a jar of wine.

"So the padrone did keep his promise,after all."

"Yes, and had you not tempted himwith the sight of so much gold, mightnow have been alive."

"To which I reply, that if you had notadvised our going off in a speronare,he would now have been alive."

"And if you had not fought a duel, Ishould not have given the advice."

"And if the boatswain had not beenobliged to come on board without histrousers at Gibraltar, I should not havefought a duel."

"And if you had not joined the ship,the boatswain would have had histrousers on."

"And if my father had not been aphilosopher, I should not have gone tosea; so that it is all my father's fault, andhe has killed four men off the coast ofSicily without knowing it cause and

effect. After all, there's nothing likeargument; so, having settled that point,let us go to dinner."

Having finished their meal, Jack wentforward and observed the land ahead;they steered the same course for threeor four hours.

"We must haul our wind more," saidGascoigne; "it will not do to put intoany small town; we have now to choosewhether we shall land on the coast andsink the speronare, or land at somelarge town."

"We must argue that point," repliedJack.

"In the meantime, do you take thehelm, for my arm is quite tired," repliedGascoigne: "you can steer well enough:by-the-bye, I may as well look at myshoulder, for it is quite stiff." Gascoignepulled off his coat, and found his shirtbloody and sticking to the wound,which, as we before observed, wasslight. He again took the helm, whileJack washed it clean, and then bathed itwith aquadente.

"Now take the helm again," saidGascoigne; "I'm on the sick list."

"And as surgeon I'm an idler," repliedJack; "but what shall we do " continued

he; "abandon the speronare at nightand sink her, or run in for a town "

"We shall fall in with plenty of boatsand vessels if we coast it up toPalermo, and they may overhaul us."

"We shall fall in with plenty of peopleif we go on shore, and they willoverhaul us."

"Do you know, Jack, that I wish wewere back and alongside of the Harpy,I've had cruising enough."

"My cruises are so unfortunate," repliedJack; "they are too full of adventure;but then I have never yet had a cruise

on shore. Now, if we could only get toPalermo, we should be out of all ourdifficulties."

"The breeze freshens, Jack," repliedGascoigne; "and it begins to look verydirty to windward. I think we shall havea gale."

"Pleasant I know what it is to be short-handed in a gale; however, there's onecomfort, we shall not be blown off-shore this time."

"No, but we may be wrecked on a leeshore. She cannot carry her whole sail,Easy; we must lower it down, and takein a reef; the sooner the better, for it

will be dark in an hour. Go forwardand lower it down, and then I'll helpyou."

Jack did so, but the sail went into thewater, and he could not drag it in."Avast heaving," said Gascoigne, "till Ithrow her up and take the wind out ofit."

This was done: they reefed the sail, butcould not hoist it up: if Gascoigne leftthe helm to help Jack, the sail filled; ifhe went to the helm and took the windout of the sail, Jack was not strongenough to hoist it. The wind increasedrapidly, and the sea got up; the sunwent down, and with the sail half

hoisted, they could not keep to thewind, but were obliged to run right forthe land. The speronare flew, rising onthe crest of the waves with half herkeel clear of the water: the moon wasalready up, and gave them light enoughto perceive that they were not five milesfrom the coast, which was lined withfoam.

"At all events they can't accuse us ofrunning away with the boat," observedJack; "for she's running away with us."

"Yes," replied Gascoigne, dragging atthe tiller with all his strength; "she hastaken the bit between her teeth."

"I wouldn't care if I had a bit betweenmine," replied Jack; "for I feel devilishhungry again. What do you say, Ned "

"With all my heart," replied Gascoigne;"but, do you know, Easy, it may be thelast meal we ever make."

"Then I vote it's a good one but whyso, Ned "

"In half an hour, or thereabouts, weshall be on shore."

"Well, that's where we want to go."

"Yes, but the sea runs high, and theboat may be dashed to pieces on the

rocks."

"Then we shall be asked no questionsabout her or the men."

"Very true, but a lee shore is no joke;we may be knocked to pieces as well asthe boat even swimming may not helpus. If we could find a cove or sandybeach, we might perhaps manage to geton shore."

"Well," replied Jack, "I have not beenlong at sea, and, of course, cannotknow much about these things. I havebeen blown off shore, but I never havebeen blown on. It may be as you say,but I do not see the great danger let's

run her right up on the beach at once."

"That's what I shall try to do," repliedGascoigne, who had been four years atsea, and knew very well what he wasabout.

Jack handed him a huge piece of breadand sausage.

"Thank ye, I cannot eat."

"I can," replied Jack, with his mouthfull. Jack ate while Gascoigne steered;and the rapidity with which thesperonare rushed to the beach wasalmost frightful. She darted like anarrow from wave to wave, and

appeared as if mocking their attemptsas they curled their summits almostover her narrow stern. They werewithin a mile of the beach, when Jack,who had finished his supper, and waslooking at the foam boiling on thecoast, exclaimed

"That's very fine very beautiful, uponmy soul!"

"He cares for nothing," thoughtGascoigne; "he appears to have no ideaof danger." "Now, my dear fellow," saidGascoigne, "in a few minutes we shallbe on the rocks. I must continue at thehelm, for the higher she is forced upthe better chance for us; but we may

not meet again, so if we do not, good-bye and God bless you."

"Gascoigne," said Jack, "you are hurt,and I am not; your shoulder is stiff, andyou can hardly move your left arm.Now I can steer for the rocks as well asyou. Do you go to the bow, and thereyou will have a better chance By-the-bye," continued he, picking up hispistols, and sticking them into his waist,"I won't leave them, they've served ustoo good a turn already. Gascoigne,give me the helm."

"No, no, Easy."

"I say yes," replied Jack, in a loud,

authoritative tone, "and what's more, Iwill be obeyed, Gascoigne. I have nerve,if I haven't knowledge, and at all eventsI can steer for the beach. I tell you, giveme the helm. Well, then, if you won't, Imust take it."

Easy wrested the tiller from Gascoigne'shand, and gave him a shove forward.

"Now do you look out ahead, and tellme how to steer." Whatever may havebeen Gascoigne's feelings at thisbehaviour of our hero's, it immediatelyoccurred to him that he could not dobetter than to run the speronare to thesafest point, and that therefore he wasprobably more advantageously

employed than if he were at the helm.He went forward and looked at therocks, covered at one moment with thetumultuous waters, and then pouringdown cascades from their sides as thewaves recoiled. He perceived a chasmright ahead, and he thought if the boatwas steered for that, she must bethrown up so as to enable them to getclear of her, for, at every other part,escape appeared impossible.

"Starboard a little that'll do. Steady portit is port-Steer small, for your life, Easy.Steady now mind the yard don't hityour head hold on."

The speronare was at this moment

thrown into a large cleft in a rock, thesides of which were nearlyperpendicular; nothing else could havesaved them, as, had they struck the rockoutside, the boat would have beendashed to pieces, and its fragments havedisappeared in the undertow. As it was,the cleft was not four feet more thanthe width of the boat, and as the waveshurled her up into it, the yard of thesperonare was thrown fore and aft withgreat violence, and had not Jack beenwarned, he would have been struckoverboard without a chance of beingsaved; but he crouched down and itpassed over him. As the water receded,the boat struck, and was nearly drybetween the rocks, but another wave

followed, dashing the boat further up,but, at the same time, filling it withwater. The bow of the boat was nowseveral feet higher than the stem, whereJack held on; and the weight of thewater in her, with the force of thereturning waves, separated her rightacross abaft the mast. Jack perceivedthat the after part of the boat wasgoing out again with the wave; hecaught hold of the yard which hadswung fore and aft, and as he clung toit, the part of the boat on which he hadstood disappeared from under him, andwas swept away by the returningcurrent.

Jack required the utmost of his strength

to maintain his position until anotherwave floated him, and dashed himhigher up: but he knew his lifedepended on holding on to the yard,which he did, although under water,and advanced several feet. When thewave receded, he found footing on therock, and still clinging, he walked till hehad gained the fore part of the boat,which was wedged firmly into a narrowpart of the cleft. The next wave was notvery large, and he had gained so muchthat it did not throw him off his legs.He reached the rock, and as he climbedup the side of the chasm to gain theledge above, he perceived Gascoignestanding above him, and holding outhis hand to his assistance.

"Well," says Jack, shaking himself to getrid of the water, "here we are ashore, atlast I had no idea of anything like this.The rush back of the water was sostrong that it has almost tom my armsout of their sockets. How very lucky Isent you forward with your disabledshoulder! By-the-bye, now that it's allover, and you must see that I was right,I beg to apologise for my rudeness."

"There needs no apology for saving mylife, Easy," replied Gascoigne, tremblingwith the cold; "and no one but youwould ever have thought of makingone at such a moment."

"I wonder whether the ammunition'sdry," said Jack; "I put it all in my hat."Jack took off his hat, and found thecartridges had not suffered. "Now,then, Gascoigne, what shall we do "

"I hardly know," replied Gascoigne.

"Suppose then, we sit down and arguethe point."

"No, I thank you, there will be toomuch cold water thrown upon ourarguments I'm half dead; let us walkon."

"With all my heart," said Jack, "it'sdevilish steep, but I can argue up hill or

down hill, wet or dry I'm used to it for,as I told you before, Ned, my father is aphilosopher, and so am I."

"By the Lord! you are," repliedGascoigne, as he walked on.

CHAPTER XIX

In which our hero follows his destinyand forms a tableau.

Our hero and his comrade climbed theprecipice, and, after some minutes'severe toil, arrived at the summit, whenthey sat down to recover themselves.

The sky was clear, although the galeblew strong. They had an extensiveview of the coast, lashed by the angrywaves.

"It's my opinion, Ned," said Jack, as hesurveyed the expanse of troubledwater, "that we're just as well out ofthat."

"I agree with you, Jack; but it's also myopinion that we should be just as wellout of this, for the wind blows throughone. Suppose we go a little furtherinland, where we may find some sheltertill the morning."

"It's rather dark to find anything,"

rejoined our hero; "but however, awesterly gale on the top of a mountainwith wet clothes in the middle of thenight, with nothing to eat or drink, isnot the most comfortable position inthe world, and we may change for thebetter."

They proceeded over a flat of ahundred yards, and then descended thechange in the atmosphere wasimmediate. As they continued theirmarch inland, they came to a high road,which appeared to run along the shore,and they turned into it; for, as Jack saidvery truly, a road must lead tosomething. After a quarter of an hour'swalk, they again heard the rolling of

the surf, and perceived the white wallsof houses.

"Here we are at last," said Jack. "Iwonder if any one will turn out to takeus in, or shall we stow away for thenight in one of those vessels hauled upon the beach "

"Recollect this time, Easy," saidGascoigne, "not to show your money;that is, show only a dollar, and say youhave no more; or promise to pay whenwe arrive at Palermo; and if they willneither trust us, nor give to us, we mustmake it out as we can."

"How the cursed dogs bark! I think we

shall do very well this time, Gascoigne;we do not look as if we were worthrobbing, at all events, and we have thepistols to defend ourselves with if weare attacked. Depend upon it I willshow no more gold. And now let usmake our arrangements. Take you onepistol and take half the gold I have itall in my right-hand pocket my dollarsand pistarenes in my left. You shall takehalf of them too. We have silverenough to go on with till we are in asafe place."

Jack then divided the money in thedark, and also gave Gascoigne a pistol."Now, then, shall we knock foradmittance Let's first walk through the

village, and see if there's anything likean inn. Those yelping curs will soon beat our heels; they come nearer andnearer every time. There's a cart, and it'sfull of straw suppose we go to bed tillto-morrow morning we shall be warm,at all events."

"Yes," replied Gascoigne, "and sleepmuch better than in any of the cottages.I have been in Sicily before, and youhave no idea how the fleas bite."

Our two midshipmen climbed up intothe cart, nestled themselves into thestraw, or rather Indian corn leaves, andwere soon fast asleep. As they had notslept for two nights, it is not to be

wondered at that they slept soundly sosoundly, indeed, that about two hoursafter they had got into theircomfortable bed, the peasant, who hadbrought to the village some casks ofwine to be shipped and taken down thecoast in a felucca, yoked his bullocks,and not being aware of his freight,drove off, without in any waydisturbing their repose, although theroads in Sicily are not yet macadamised.

The jolting of the roads ratherincreased than disturbed the sleep ofour adventurers; and, although therewere some rude shocks, it only had theeffect of making them fancy in theirdreams that they were again in the boat,

and that she was still dashing againstthe rocks. In about two hours, the cartarrived at its destination the peasantunyoked his bullocks and led themaway. The same cause will oftenproduce contrary effects: the stoppingof the motion of the cart disturbed therest of our two midshipmen; theyturned round in the straw, yawned,spread out their arms, and then awoke.Gascoigne, who felt considerable painin his shoulder, was the first to recallhis scattered senses.

"Easy," cried he, as he sat up and shookoff the corn leaves.

"Port it is," said Jack, half dreaming.

"Come, Easy, you are not on boardnow. Rouse and bit." Jack then sat upand looked at Gascoigne. The forage inthe cart was so high round them thatthey could not see above it; theyrubbed their eyes, yawned, and lookedat each other.

"Have you any faith in dreams " saidJack to Gascoigne, "because I had avery queer one last night."

"Well, so had I," replied Gascoigne. "Idreamt that the cart rolled by itself intothe sea, and went away with us right inthe wind's eye back to Malta; andconsidering that it never was built for

such service, she behaved uncommonlywell. Now, what was your dream "

"Mine was, that we woke up and foundourselves in the very town from whichthe speronare had sailed, and that theyhad found the fore part of thesperonare among the rocks, hadrecognised her, and picked up one ofour pistols. That they had laid hold ofus, and had insisted that we had beenthrown on shore in the boat, and askedus what had become of the crew theywere just seizing us, when I awoke."

"Your dream is more likely to cometrue than mine, Easy; but still I thinkwe need not fear that. At the same time,

we had better not remain here anylonger; and it occurs to me, that if wetore our clothes more, it would beadvisable we shall, in the first place,look more wretched; and, in the nextplace, can replace them with the dressof the country, and so travel withoutexciting suspicion. You know that I canspeak Italian pretty well."

"I have no objection to tear my clothesif you wish," replied Jack; "at the sametime give me your pistol; I will draw thecharges and load them again. Theymust be wet."

Having reloaded the pistols and renttheir garments, the two midshipmen

stood up in the cart and looked aboutthem.

"Halloo! why how's this, Gascoigne lastnight we were close to the beach, andamong houses, and now where thedevil are we You dreamt nearer themark than I did, for the cart hascertainly taken a cruise."

"We must have slept like midshipmen,then," replied Gascoigne: "surely itcannot have gone far."

"Here we are, surrounded by hills onevery side, for at least a couple of miles.Surely some good genius hastransported us into the interior, that we

might escape from the relatives of thecrew whom I dreamt about," said Jack,looking at Gascoigne.

As it afterwards was known to them,the speronare had sailed from the veryseaport in which they had arrived thatnight, and where they had got into thecart. The wreck of the speronare hadbeen found, and had been recognised,and it was considered by theinhabitants that the padrone and hiscrew had perished in the gale. Had theyfound our two midshipmen andquestioned them, it is not improbablethat suspicion might have been excited,and the results have been such as ourhero had conjured up in his dream.

But, as we said before, there is apeculiar providence for midshipmen.

On a minute survey, they found thatthey were in an open space which,apparently, had been used for thrashingand winnowing maize, and that the cartwas standing under a clump of trees inthe shade.

"There ought to be a househereabouts," said Gascoigne, "I shouldthink that behind the trees we shall findone. Come, Jack, you are as hungry as Iam, I'll answer for it: we must look outfor a breakfast somewhere."

"If they won't give us something to eat,

or sell it," replied Jack, who wasravenous, clutching his pistol, "I shalltake it I consider it no robbery. Thefruits of the earth were made for us all,and it never was intended that one manshould have a superfluity and anotherstarve. The laws of equality "

"May appear very good arguments to astarving man, I grant, but still won'tprevent his fellow-creatures fromhanging him," replied Gascoigne."None of your confounded nonsense,Jack; no man starves with money in hispocket, and as long as you have that,leave those that have none to talk aboutequality and the rights of man."

"I should like to argue that point withyou, Gascoigne." "Tell me, do youprefer sitting down here to argue, or tolook out for some breakfast, Jack "

"Oh, the argument may be put off, buthunger cannot."

"That's very good philosophy, Jack, solet's go on." They went through thecopse of wood, which was very thick,and soon discovered the wall of a largehouse on the other side.

"All right," said Jack; "but still let usreconnoitre. It's not a farmhouse; itmust belong to a person of someconsequence all the better they will see

that we are gentlemen, notwithstandingour tattered dress. I suppose we are tostick to the story of the sea-mews atGozo "

"Yes," replied Gascoigne; "I can thinkof nothing better. But the English arewell received in this island; we havetroops at Palermo."

"Have we I wish I was sitting down atthe mess-table but what's that a womanscreaming Yes, by heavens! come along,Ned." And away dashed Jack towardsthe house followed by Gascoigne. Asthey advanced the screams redoubled;they entered the porch, burst into theroom from whence they proceeded,

and found an elderly gentlemandefending himself against two youngmen, who were held back by an elderlyand a young lady. Our hero and hiscomrade had both drawn their pistols,and just as they burst open the door,the old gentleman who defendedhimself against such odds had fallendown. The two others burst from thewomen, and were about to pierce himwith their swords, when Jack seized oneby the collar of his coat and held himfast, pointing the muzzle of the pistolto his ear: Gascoigne did the same tothe other. It was a very dramatictableau. The two women flew to theelderly gentleman and raised him up;the two assailants being held just as

dogs hold pigs by the ear, tremblingwith fright, with the points of theirrapiers dropped, looked at themidshipmen and the muzzles of theirpistols with equal dismay; at the sametime, the astonishment of the elderlygentleman and the women, at such anunexpected deliverance, was equallygreat. There was a silence for a fewseconds.

"Ned," at last said Jack, "tell these chapsto drop their swords, or we fire."Gascoigne gave the order in Italian, andit was complied with. The midshipmenthen possessed themselves of therapiers, and gave the young men theirliberty.

The elderly gentleman at last broke thesilence. "It would appear, signors, thatthere was a special interference ofProvidence, to prevent you fromcommitting a foul and unjust murder.Who these are who have soopportunely come to my rescue, Iknow not, but thanking them as I donow, I think that you will yourselves,when you are calm, also thank them forhaving prevented you from committingan act which would have loaded youwith remorse, and embittered yourfuture existence. Gentleman, you arefree to depart: you, Don Silvio, haveindeed disappointed me; your gratitudeshould have rendered you incapable of

such conduct: as for you, Don Scipio,you have been misled; but you bothhave, in one point, disgracedyourselves. Ten days back my sons wereboth here, why did you not come thenIf you sought revenge on me, youcould not have inflicted it deeper thanthrough my children, and at least youwould not have acted the part ofassassins in attacking, an old man. Takeyour swords, gentlemen, and use thembetter henceforth. Against futureattacks I shall be well prepared."

Gascoigne, who perfectly understoodwhat was said, presented the sword tothe young gentleman from whom hehad taken it our hero did the same. The

two young men returned them to theirsheaths, and quitted the room withoutsaying a word.

"Whoever you are, I owe to you andthank you for my life," said the elderlygentleman, scanning the outwardappearance of our two midshipmen.

"We are," replied Gascoigne, "officersin the English navy, and gentlemen; wewere wrecked in our boat last night,and have wandered here in the dark,seeking for assistance, and food, andsome conveyance to Palermo, where weshall find friends, and the means ofappearing like gentlemen."

"Was your ship wrecked, gentlemen "inquired the Sicilian, "and many liveslost "

"No, our ship is at Malta; we were in aboat on a party of pleasure, werecaught by a gale, and driven on thecoast. To satisfy you of the truth,observe that our pistols have the king'smark, and that we are not paupers weshow you gold." Gascoigne pulled outhis doubloons and Jack did the same,coolly observing,

"I thought we were only to show silver,Ned!"

"It needed not that," replied the

gentleman; "your conduct in this affair,your manners and address, fullyconvince me that you are what yourepresent; but were you commonpeasants, I am equally indebted to youfor my life, and you may command me.Tell me in what way I can be ofservice."

"In giving us something to eat, for wehave had nothing for many, manyhours. After that we may, perhaps,trespass a little more upon your kindoffices."

"You must, of course, be surprised atwhat has passed, and curious to knowthe occasion," said the gentleman; "you

have a right to be informed of it, andshall be, as soon as you are morecomfortable; in the meantime, allow meto introduce myself as Don Rebiera deSilva."

"I wish," said Jack, who, from hisknowledge of Spanish, couldunderstand the whole of the last partof the Don's speech, "that he wouldintroduce us to his breakfast."

"So do I," said Gascoigne; "but wemust wait a little he ordered the ladiesto prepare something instantly."

"Your friend does not speak Italian,"said Don Rebiera. "No, Don Rebiera,

he speaks French and Spanish." "If hespeaks Spanish, my daughter canconverse with him; she has but shortlyarrived from Spain. We are closelyunited with a noble house in thatcountry."

Don Rebiera then led the way toanother room, and in a short time therewas a repast brought in, to which ourmidshipmen did great justice.

"I will now," said the Don, "relate toyou, sir, for the information ofyourself and friend, the causes whichproduced this scene of violence, whichyou so opportunely defeated. But first,as it must be very tedious to your

friend, I will send for Donna Clara andmy daughter Agnes to talk to him; mywife understands a little Spanish, andmy daughter, as I said before, has butjust left the country, where, fromcircumstances, she remained someyears."

As soon as Donna Clara and DonnaAgnes made their appearance and wereintroduced, Jack, who had not beforepaid attention to them, said to himself,"I have seen a face like that girl'sbefore." If so, he had never seen manylike it, for it was the quintessence ofbrunette beauty, and her figure wasequally perfect; although, not having yetcompleted her fifteenth year, it required

still a little more development.

Donna Clara was extremely gracious,and as, perhaps, she was aware that hervoice would drown that of herhusband, she proposed to our hero towalk in the garden, and in a fewminutes they took their seats in apavilion at the end of it. The old ladydid not talk much Spanish, but when ata loss for a word, she put in an Italianone, and Jack understood her perfectlywell. She told him her sister hadmarried a Spanish nobleman manyyears since, and that before the warbroke out between the Spanish and theEnglish they had gone over with alltheir children to see her; that when they

wished to return, her daughter Agnes,then a child, was suffering under alingering complaint, and it was thoughtadvisable, as she was very weak, to leaveher under the charge of her aunt, whohad a little girl of nearly the same age;that they were educated together at aconvent, near Tarragona, and that shehad only returned two months ago; thatshe had a very narrow escape, as theship in which her uncle, and aunt, andcousins, as well as herself, were onboard, returning from Genoa, whereher brother-in-law had been obliged togo to secure a succession to someproperty bequeathed to him, had beencaptured in the night by the English;but the officer, who was very polite,

had allowed them to go away next day,and very handsomely permitted themto take all their effects.

"Oh, oh," thought Jack; "I thought Ihad seen her face before; this then wasone of the girls in the corner of thecabin now I'll have some fun."

During the conversation with themother, Donna Agnes had remainedsome paces behind, picking now andthen a flower, and not attending towhat passed.

When our hero and her mother satdown in the pavilion she joined then,when Jack addressed her with his usual

politeness.

"I am almost ashamed to be sitting byyou, Donna Agnes, in this ragged dressbut the rocks of your coast have norespect for persons."

"We are under great obligations, signor,and do not regard such trifles."

"You are all kindness, signora," repliedJack; "I little thought this morning ofmy good fortune, I can tell the fortunesof others, but not my own."

"You can tell fortunes!" replied the oldlady.

"Yes, madame, I am famous for it shallI tell your daughter hers " DonnaAgnes looked at our hero, and smiled.

"I perceive that the young lady does notbelieve me; I must prove my art, bytelling her of what has alreadyhappened to her. The signora will thengive me credit."

"Certainly, if you do that," repliedAgnes.

"Oblige me, by showing me the palmof your hand."

Agnes extended her little hand, andJack felt so very polite, that he was

nearly kissing it. However, he restrainedhimself, and examining the lines

"That you were educated in Spain thatyou arrived here but two months agothat you were captured and released bythe English, your mother has alreadytold me; but to prove to you that Iknew all that, I must now be moreparticular. You were in a ship mountingfourteen guns was it not so "

Donna Agnes nodded her head. "Inever told the signor that," cried DonnaClara.

"She was taken by surprise in the night,and there was no fighting. The next

morning the English burst open thecabin-door; your uncle and your cousinfired their pistols."

"Holy Virgin!" cried Agnes, withsurprise.

"The English officer was a young man,not very good-looking."

"There you are wrong, signor he wasvery handsome."

"There is no accounting for taste,signora. You were frightened out ofyour wits, and with your cousin youcrouched down in the corner of thecabin. Let me examine that little line

closer. You had yes, it's no mistake youhad very little clothes on."

Agnes tore away her hand and coveredher face. "E vero, e vero; Holy Jesus!how could you know that " Of asudden Agnes looked at our hero, andafter a minute appeared to recognisehim. "Oh, mother, 'tis he I recollectnow, 'tis he!"

"Who, my child " replied Donna Clara,who had been struck dumb with Jack'sastonishing power of fortune-telling.

"The officer who captured us and wasso kind." Jack burst out into a laughternot to be controlled for some minutes,

and then acknowledged that she haddiscovered him.

"At all events, Donna Agnes," said he atlast, "acknowledge that, ragged as I am,I have seen you in a much greaterdishabille."

Agnes sprang up, and took to her heels,that she might hide her confusion, andat the same time go to her father andtell him who he had as his guest.

Although Don Rebiera had not yetfinished his narrative, thisannouncement of Agnes, who ran inbreathless to communicate it,immediately brought all the parties

together, and Jack received their thanks.

"I little thought," said the Don, "that Ishould have been so doubly indebtedto you, sir. Command my services asyou please, both of you. My sons are atPalermo, and I trust you will allowthem the pleasure of your friendshipwhen you are tired of remaining withus."

Jack made his politest bow, and thenwith a shrug of his shoulders lookeddown upon his habiliments, which, toplease Gascoigne, he had torn intoribands, as much as to say, "We are notprovided for a lengthened stay."

"My brothers' clothes will fit them, Ithink," said Agnes to her father; "theyhave left plenty in their wardrobes."

"If the signors will condescend to wearthem till they can replace their own."Midshipmen are very condescending.They followed Don Rebiera, andcondescended to put on clean shirtsbelonging to Don Philip and DonMartin. Also to put on their trousers, toselect their best waistcoats and coats; inshort, they condescended to have aregular fit-out and it so happened thatthe fit-out was not far from a regularfit.

Having condescended, they then

descended, and the intimacy betweenall parties became so great that itappeared as if they not only wore theyoung men's clothes but also stood intheir shoes. Having thus madethemselves presentable, Jack presentedhis hand to both ladies and led theminto the garden, that Don Rebieramight finish his long story toGascoigne without furtherinterruption, and resuming their seatsin the pavilion, he entertained the ladieswith a history of his cruise in the shipafter her capture. Agnes soon recoveredfrom her reserve, and Jack had theforbearance not to allude again to thescene in the cabin, which was the onlything she dreaded. After dinner, when

the family, according to custom, hadretired for the siesta, Gascoigne andJack, who had slept enough in the cartto last for a week, went out together inthe garden.

"Well, Ned," said Jack, "do you wishyourself on board the Harpy again "

"No," replied Gascoigne, "we havefallen on our feet at last, but still notwithout first being knocked about likepeas in a rattle. What a lovely littlecreature that Agnes is! How strange thatyou should fall in with her again! Howodd that we should come here!"

"My good fellow, we did not come

here. Destiny brought us in a cart. Shemay take us to Tyburn in the sameway."

"Yes, if you sport your philosophy asyou did when we awoke this morning."

"Nevertheless, I'll be hanged if I'm notright. Suppose we argue the point "

"Right or wrong, you will be hanged,Jack; so instead of arguing the point,suppose I tell you what the Don madesuch a long story about."

"With all my heart let us go to thepavilion." Our hero and his friend tooktheir seats, and Gascoigne then

communicated the history of DonRebiera, to which we shall dedicate theensuing chapter.

CHAPTER XX

A long story, which the reader mustlisten to, as well as our hero.

"I have already made you acquaintedwith my name, and I have only to addthat it is one of the most noble inSicily, and that there are few familieswho possess such large estates. Myfather was a man who had no pleasurein the pursuits of most of the young

men of his age; he was of a weaklyconstitution, and was with difficultyreared to manhood. When his studieswere completed he retired to hiscountry seat belonging to our family,which is about twenty miles fromPalermo, and shutting himself up,devoted himself wholly to literarypursuits.

"As he was an only son, his parentswere naturally very anxious that heshould marry; the more so as his healthdid not promise him a very extendedexistence. Had he consulted his owninclinations he would have declined,but he felt that it was his duty tocomply with their wishes; but he did

not trouble himself with the choice,leaving it wholly to them. They selecteda young lady of high family andcertainly of most exquisite beauty. Ionly wish I could say more in herfavour for she was my mother but it isimpossible to narrate the historywithout exposing her conduct. Themarriage took place, and my fatherhaving woke up, as it were, at thecelebration again returned to his closet,to occupy himself in abstruse studiesthe results of which have beenpublished, and have fully establishedhis reputation as a man of superiortalent and deep research. But, howevermuch the public may appreciate theworks of a man of genius, whether

they be written to instruct or to amuse,certain it is that a literary man requiresin his wife either a mind congenial tohis own, or that pride in her husband'stalents which induces her to sacrificemuch of her own domestic enjoymentto the satisfaction of having his nameextolled abroad. I mention this point assome extenuation of my mother'sconduct. She was neglected mostcertainly, but not neglected forfrivolous amusements, or becauseanother form had captivated his fancy;but in his desire to instruct others, andI may add his ambition for renown, heapplied himself to his literary pursuits,became abstracted, answered withouthearing, and left his wife to amuse

herself in any way she might please. Aliterary husband is, without exceptionalthough always at home the leastdomestic husband in the world, andmust try the best of tempers not byunkindness, for my father was kind andindulgent to excess, but by that state ofperfect abstraction and indifferencewhich he, showed to everything exceptthe favourite pursuit which absorbedhim. My mother had but to speak, andevery wish was granted a refusal wasunknown. You may say, what could shewant more I reply, that anything to awoman is preferable to indifference.The immediate consent to every wishtook away, in her opinion, all merit inthe grant the value of everything is only

relative, and in proportion to thedifficulty of obtaining it. Theimmediate assent to every opinion wastantamount to insult it implied that hedid not choose to argue with her.

"It is true that women like to have theirown way but they like at the same timeto have difficulties to surmount and toconquer; otherwise half thegratification is lost. Although tempestsare to be deplored, still a certain degreeof oscillation an motion are requisite tokeep fresh and clear the lake ofmatrimony, the waters of whichotherwise soon stagnate and becomefoul, and without some contrarycurrents of opinion between a married

couple such a stagnation must takeplace.

"A woman permitted always andinvariably to have her own way withoutcontrol is much in the same situation asthe child who insists upon a wholeinstead of half a holiday, and beforethe evening closes is tired of himselfand everything about him. In short, alittle contradiction, like salt at dinner,seasons and appetises the repast; buttoo much, Eke the condiment inquestion, spoils the whole, and itbecomes unpalatable in proportion toits excess.

"My mother was a vain woman in every

sense of the word vain of her birth andof her beauty, and accustomed toreceive that homage to which sheconsidered herself entitled. She hadbeen spoiled in her infancy, and as shegrew up had leant nothing, because shewas permitted to do as she pleased; shewas therefore frivolous, and could notappreciate what she could notcomprehend. There never was a moreill-assorted union."

"I have always thought that such mustbe the case," replied Gascoigne, "inCatholic countries, where a youngperson is taken out of a convent andmated according to what her family orher wealth may consider as the most

eligible connection."

"On that subject there are manyopinions, my friend," replied DonRebiera. "It is true, that when amarriage of convenience is arranged bythe parents, the dispositions of theparties are made a secondary point; butthen, again, it must be remembered,that when a choice is left to the partiesthemselves, it is at an age at which thereis little worldly consideration: and, ledaway, in the first place, by theirpassions, they form connections withthose inferior in their station which areattended with eventual unhappiness; or,in the other, allowing that they dochoose in their own rank of life, they

make quite as bad or often a worsechoice than if their partners wereselected for them."

"I cannot understand that," repliedGascoigne.

"The reason is, because there are nomeans, or, if means, no wish, to studyeach other's disposition. A young manis attracted by person, and he admires;the young woman is flattered by theadmiration, and is agreeable; if she hasany faults she is not likely to displaythem not concealing them fromhypocrisy, but because they are notcalled out. The young man falls in love,so does the young woman: and when

once in love, they can no longer seefaults; they marry, imagining that theyhave found perfection. In the blindnessof love each raises the other to astandard of perfection which humannature can never attain, and eachbecomes equally annoyed on finding,by degrees, that they were in error. There-action takes place, and they thenunder-rate, as much as before they hadover-rated, each other. Now, if twoyoung people marry without thisviolence of passion, they do not expectto find each other perfect, and perhapshave a better chance of happiness."

"I don't agree with you," thoughtGascoigne; "but as you appear to be as

fond of argument as my friend Jack, Ishall make no reply, lest there be no endto the story."

Don Rebiera proceeded. "My mother,finding that my father preferred hiscloset and his books to gaiety anddissipation, soon left him to himself,and amused herself after her ownfashion, but not until I was born,which was ten months after theirmarriage. My father was confiding, and,pleased that my mother should beamused, he indulged her in everything.Time flew on, and I had arrived at myfifteenth year, and came home from mystudies, it being intended that I shouldenter the army, which you are aware is

generally the only profession embracedin this country by the heirs of noblefamilies. Of course, I knew little ofwhat had passed at home, but still I hadoccasionally heard my mother spokenlightly of, when I was not supposed tobe present, and I always heard myfather's name mentioned withcompassion, as if an ill-used man, but Iknew nothing more: still this was quitesufficient for a young man, whoseblood boiled at the idea of anythinglike a stigma being cast upon his family.I arrived at my father's I found him athis books; I paid my respects to mymother, I found her with her confessor.I disliked the man at first sight; he washandsome, certainly: his forehead was

high and white, his eyes large and fiery,and his figure commanding; but therewas a dangerous, proud look about himwhich disgusted me, nothing likehumility or devotion. I might haveadmired him as an officer commandinga regiment of cavalry, but as achurchman he appeared to be mostmisplaced. She named me withkindness, but he appeared to treat mewith disdain; he spoke authoritativelyto my mother, who appeared to yieldimplicitly, and I discovered that he waslord of the whole household. Mymother, too, it was said, had given upgaieties and become devout. I soonperceived more than a commonintelligence between them, and before I

had been two months at home I hadcertain proofs of my father'sdishonour; and, what was still moreunfortunate for me, they were awarethat such was the case.

"My first impulse was to acquaint myfather; but, on consideration, I thoughtit better to say nothing, provided Icould persuade my mother to dismissFather Ignatio. I took an opportunitywhen she was alone to express myindignation at her conduct, and todemand his immediate dismissal, as acondition of my not divulging hercrime. She appeared frightened, andgave her consent; but I soon found thather confessor had more power with her

than I had, and he remained. I nowresolved to acquaint my father, and Iroused him from his studies that hemight listen to his shame. I imaginedthat he would have acted calmly anddiscreetly; but, on the contrary, hisviolence was without bounds, and Ihad the greatest difficulty frompreventing his rushing with his swordto sacrifice them both. At last hecontented himself by turning FatherIgnatio out of the house in the mostignominious manner, and desiring mymother to prepare for seclusion in aconvent for the remainder of her days.But he fell their victim; three daysafterwards, as my mother was, by hisdirections, about to be removed, he was

seized with convulsions, and died.

"I need hardly say that he was carriedoff by poison; this, however, could notbe established till long afterwards.Before he died he seemed to be almostsupernaturally prepared for an eventwhich never came into my thoughts. Hesent for another confessor, who drewup his confession in writing at his ownrequest, and afterwards inserted it in hiswill. My mother remained in the house,and Father Ignatio had the insolence toreturn. I ordered him away, and heresisted. He was turned out by theservants. I had an interview with mymother, who defied me, and told methat I should soon have a brother to

share in the succession. I felt that, if so,it would be the illegitimate progeny ofher adultery, and told her my opinion.She expressed her rage in the bitterestcurses, and I left her. Shortly afterwardsshe quitted the house and retired toanother of our country seats, where shelived with Father Ignatio as before.About four months afterwards, formalnotice was sent to me of the birth of abrother; but as when my father's willwas opened, he there had inserted hisconfession, or the substance of it, inwhich he stated, that aware of mymother's guilt, and supposing thatconsequences might ensue, he solemnlydeclared before God that he had foryears lived apart, I cared little for this

communication. I contented myselfwith replying that as the child belongedto the church, it had better be dedicatedto its service.

"I had, however, soon reason toacknowledge the vengeance of mymother and her paramour. One night Iwas attacked by bravos; and had I notfortunately received assistance, I shouldhave forfeited my life; as it was, Ireceived a severe wound.

"Against attempts of that kind I tookevery precaution in future, but stillevery attempt was made to ruin mycharacter, as well as to take my life. Ayoung sister disappeared from a

convent in my neighbourhood, and onthe ground near the window fromwhich she descended was found a hat,recognised to be mine. I was proceededagainst, and notwithstanding thestrongest interest, it was with difficultythat the affair was arranged, although Ihad incontestably proved an alibi.

"A young man of rank was foundmurdered, with a stiletto, known to bemine, buried in his bosom, and it waswith difficulty that I could establish myinnocence.

"Part of a banditti had been seized, andon being asked the name of their chief,when they received absolution, they

confessed that I was the chief of theband.

"Everything that could be attemptedwas put into practice; and if I did notlose my life, at all events I was avoidedby almost everybody as a dangerousand doubtful character.

"At last a nobleman of rank, the fatherof Don Scipio, whom you disarmed,was assassinated; the bravos were taken,and they acknowledged that I was theperson who hired them. I defendedmyself, but the king imposed upon mea heavy fine and banishments I had justreceived the order, and was crying outagainst the injustices and lamenting my

hard fate, as I sat down to dinner.Latterly, aware of what my enemieswould attempt, I had been accustomedto live much alone. My faithful valetPedro was my only attendant. I waseating my dinner with little appetite,and had asked for some wine. Pedrowent to the buffet behind him to giveme what I required. Accidentally I liftedup my head, and there being a largepier-glass opposite to me, I saw thefigure of my valet, and that he waspouring a powder in the flagon ofwine which he was about to present tome. I recollected the hat being found atthe nunnery, and also the stiletto in thebody of the young man.

"Like lightning it occurred to me, that Ihad been fostering the viper who hadassisted to destroy me. He brought methe flagon. I rose, locked the door, anddrawing my sword, I addressed him'Villain! I know thee; down on yourknees, for your life is forfeited.'

"He turned pale, trembled, and sankupon his knees. 'Now then,' continuedI, 'you have but one chance either drinkoff this flagon of wine, or I pass mysword through your body.' Hehesitated, and I put the point to hisbreast, even pierced the flesh a quarterof an inch.

"'Drink,' cried I, 'is it so very unjust an

order to tell you to drink old wineDrink,' continued I, 'or my sword doesits duty.'

"He drank, and would then havequitted the room. 'No, no,' said I, 'youremain here, and the wine must have itseffect. If I have wronged you I willmake amends to you but I amsuspicious.'

"In about a quarter of an hour, duringwhich time I paced up and down theroom, with my sword drawn, myservant fell down, and cried in mercy tolet him have a priest. I sent for my ownconfessor, and he then acknowledgedthat he was an agent of my mother and

Father Ignatio, and had been the meansof making it appear that I was thecommitter of all the crimes andmurders which had been perpetrated bythem, with a view to my destruction. Astrong emetic having been administeredto him, he partially revived, and wastaken to Palermo, where he gave hisevidence before he expired.

"When this was made known, the kingrevoked his sentence, apologised to me,and I found that once more I wasvisited and courted by everybody. Mymother was ordered to be shut up in aconvent, where she died, I trust, ingrace; and Father Ignatio fled to Italy,and I have been informed is since dead.

"Having thus rid myself of myprincipal enemies, I considered myselfsafe. I married the lady whom you havejust seen, and before my eldest son wasborn, Don Silvio, for such was thename given to my asserted legitimatebrother, came of age, and demandedhis succession. Had he asked me for aproper support, as my uterine brother, Ishould not have refused; but that theson of Friar Ignatio, who had so oftenattempted my life, should, in case ofmy decease, succeed to the title andestates, was not to be borne. A lawsuitwas immediately commenced, whichlasted four or five years, during whichDon Silvio married, and had a son, that

young man whom you heard meaddress by the same name; but aftermuch litigation, it was decided that myfather's confessor and will had provedhis illegitimacy, and the suit was in myfavour. From that time to this, there hasbeen a constant enmity. Don Silviorefused all my offers of assistance, andfollowed me with a pertinacity whichoften endangered my life. At last he fellby the hands of his own agents, whomistook him for me. Don Silvio diedwithout leaving any provision for hisfamily; his widow I pensioned, and hisson I have had carefully brought up,and have indeed treated most liberally,but he appears to have imbibed thespirit of his father, and no kindness has

been able to embue him with gratitude.

"He had lately been placed by me in thearmy, where he found out my two sons,and quarrelled with them both uponslight pretence; but, in both instances,he was wounded and carried off thefield.

"My two sons have been staying withme these last two months, and did notleave till yesterday. This morning DonSilvio, accompanied by Don Scipio,came to the house, and after accusingme of being the murderer of both theirparents, drew their rapiers to assassinateme. My wife and child, hearing thenoise, came down to my assistance you

know the rest."

CHAPTER XXI

In which our hero is brought up allstanding under a press of sail.

Our limits will not permit us to relateall that passed during our hero's stay ofa fortnight at Don Rebiera's. He andGascoigne were treated as if they werehis own sons, and the kindness of thefemale part of the family was equallyremarkable. Agnes, naturally perhaps,showed a preference or partiality forJack: to which Gascoigne willingly

submitted, as he felt that our hero had aprior and stronger claim, and duringthe time that they remained a feeling ofattachment was created between Agnesand the philosopher, which, if not love,was at least something very near akin toit, but the fact was, that they were bothmuch too young to think of marriage;and, although they walked and talked,and laughed, and played together, theywere always at home in time for theirdinner. Still, the young lady thought shepreferred our hero, even to herbrothers, and Jack thought that theyoung lady was the prettiest and kindestgirl that he had ever met with. At theend of the fortnight, our twomidshipmen took their leave, furnished

with letters of recommendation tomany of the first nobility in Palermo,and mounted on two fine mules withbell bridles. The old Donna kissedthem both the Don showered down hisblessings of good wishes, and DonnaAgnes' lips trembled as she bade themadieu; and, as soon as they were gone,she went up to her chamber and wept.Jack also was very grave, and his eyesmoistened at the thoughts of leavingAgnes. Neither of them were aware,until the hour of parting, how muchthey had wound themselves together.

The first quarter of an hour our twomidshipmen followed their guide insilence. Jack wished to be left to his

own thoughts, and Gascoigneperceived it.

"Well, Easy," said Gascoigne, at last, "ifI had been in your place, constantly incompany of, and loved by, thatcharming girl, I could never have tornmyself away."

"Loved by her, Ned!" replied Jack,"what makes you say that " "Because Iam sure it was the case; she lived but inyour presence. Why, if you were out ofthe room, she never spoke a word, butsat there as melancholy as a sickmonkey the moment you came in again,she beamed out as glorious as the sun,and was all life and spirit."

"I thought people were alwaysmelancholy when they were in love,"replied Jack.

"When those that they love are out oftheir presence."

"Well, then, I am out of her presence,and I feel very melancholy, so Isuppose, by your argument, I am inlove. Can a man be in love withoutknowing it "

"I really cannot say, Jack; I never was inlove myself, but I've seen many othersspoony. My time will come, I suppose,by-and-bye. They say, that for every

man made, there is a woman also madeto fit him, if he could only find her.Now, it's my opinion that you havefound yours I'll lay my life she's cryingat this moment."

"Do you really think so, Ned let's goback poor little Agnes let's go back; Ifeel I do love her, and I'll tell her so.""Pooh, nonsense! it's too late now; youshould have told her that before, whenyou walked with her in the garden."

"But I did not know it, Ned. However,as you say, it would be foolish to turnback, so I'll write to her from Palermo."

Here an argument ensued upon love,

which we shall not trouble the readerwith, as it was not very profound, bothsides knowing very little on the subject.It did, however, end with our herobeing convinced that he wasdesperately in love, and he talked aboutgiving up the service as soon as hearrived at Malta. It is astonishing whatsacrifices midshipmen will make for theobjects of their adoration.

It was not until late in the evening thatour adventurers arrived at Palermo. Assoon as they were lodged at the hotel,Gascoigne sat down and wrote a letterin their joint names to Don Rebiera,returning him many thanks for his greatkindness, informing him of their safe

arrival, and trusting that they shouldsoon meet again: and Jack took up hispen, and indicted a letter in Spanish toAgnes, in which he swore that neithertide nor time, nor water, nor air, norheaven, nor earth, nor the firstlieutenant, nor his father, nor absence,nor death itself, should prevent himfrom coming back and marrying her,the first convenient opportunity,begging her to refuse a thousand offers,as come back he would, although therewas no saying when. It was a perfectlove letter, that is to say, it was theessence of nonsense; but that made itperfect, for the greater the love thegreater the folly.

These letters were consigned to theman who was sent as their guide, andalso had to return with the mules. Hewas liberally rewarded; and, as Jack toldhim to be very careful of his letter, theItalian naturally concluded that it wasto be delivered clandestinely, and hedelivered it accordingly, at a time whenAgnes was walking in the gardenthinking of our hero. Nothing wasmore opportune than the arrival of theletter; Agnes ran to the pavilion, read itover twenty times, kissed it twentytimes, and hid it in her bosom; sat for afew minutes in deep and placidthought, took the letter out of itsreceptacle, and read it over and overagain. It was very bad Spanish, and very

absurd, but she thought it delightful,poetical, classical, sentimental,argumentative, convincing,incontrovertible, imaginative and evengrammatical; for if it was not goodSpanish, there was no Spanish half sogood. Alas! Agnes was indeedunsophisticated, to be in such ecstasieswith a midshipman's love letter. Oncemore she hastened to her room toweep, but it was from excess of joy anddelight. The reader may think Agnessilly, but he must take intoconsideration the climate, and that shewas not yet fifteen.

Our young gentlemen sent for a tailor,and each ordered a new suit of clothes;

they delivered their letters ofrecommendation, and went to thebanker to whom they were addressedby Don Rebiera.

"I shall draw for ten pounds, Jack," saidGascoigne, "on the strength of theshipwreck; I shall tell the truth, allexcept that we forgot to ask for leave,which I shall leave out; and I am surethe story will be worth ten pounds.What shall you draw for, Jack "

"I shall draw for two hundred pounds,"replied Jack; "I mean to have a goodcruise while I can."

"But will your Governor stand that,

Easy "

"To be sure he will."

"Then you're right he is a philosopher Iwish he'd teach mine, for he hates thesight of a bill."

"Then don't you draw, Ned I haveplenty for both. If every man had hisequal share and rights in the world, youwould be as able to draw as much as I;and as you cannot, upon the principlesof equality you shall have half."

"I really shall become a convert to yourphilosophy, Jack; it does not appear tobe so nonsensical as I thought it. At all

events, it has saved my old Governorten pounds, which he can ill afford, as acolonel on half-pay."

On their return to the inn, they foundDon Philip and Don Martin, to whomDon Rebiera had written, whowelcomed them with open arms. Theywere two very fine young men ofeighteen and nineteen, who werefinishing their education in the army.Jack asked them to dinner, and they andour hero soon became inseparable.They took him to all the theatres, theconversaziones of all the nobility, andas Jack lost his money with goodhumour, and was a very handsomefellow, he was everywhere well received

and was made much of: many ladiesmade love to him, but Jack was onlyvery polite, because he thought moreand more of Agnes every day. Threeweeks passed away like lightning, andneither Jack nor Gascoigne thought ofgoing back. At last, one fine day H.M.frigate Aurora anchored in the bay, andJack and Gascoigne, who were at aparty at the Duke of Pentaro's, metwith the captain of the Aurora, whowas also invited. The Duchessintroduced them to Captain Tartar,who imagining them, from their beingin plain clothes, to be youngEnglishmen of fortune on their travels,was very gracious and condescending.Jack was so pleased with his urbanity

that he requested the pleasure of hiscompany to dinner the next day:Captain Tartar accepted the invitation,and they parted shaking hands, withmany expressions of pleasure in havingmade his acquaintance. Jack's party wasrather large, and the dinner sumptuous.The Sicilian gentlemen did not drinkmuch wine: but Captain Tartar liked hisbottle, and although the rest of thecompany quitted the table to go to aball given that evening by the MarquesaNovara, Jack was too polite not to sit itout with the captain: Gascoigne closedhis chair to Jack's, who, he was afraid,being a little affected with the wine,would "let the cat out of the bag."

The captain was amazingly entertaining.Jack told him how happy he should beto see him at Forest Hill, whichproperty the captain discovered tocontain six thousand acres of land, andalso that Jack was an only son; andCaptain Tartar was quite respectfulwhen he found that he was in such veryexcellent company. The captain of thefrigate inquired of Jack what broughthim out here, and Jack, whoseprudence was departing, told him thathe came in his Majesty's ship Harpy.Gascoigne gave Jack a nudge, but it wasof no use, for as the wine got intoJack's brain, so did his notions ofequality.

"Oh! Wilson gave you a passage; he's anold friend of mine."

"So he is of ours," replied Jack; "he's adevilish good sort of a fellow, Wilson."

"But where have you been since youcame out " inquired Captain Tartar.

"In the Harpy," replied Jack; "to besure, I belong to her."

"You belong to her! in what capacity,may I ask " inquired Captain Tartar in amuch less respectful and confidentialtone.

"Midshipman," replied Jack; "so is Mr

Gascoigne."

"Umph! you are on leave then "

"No, indeed," replied Jack; "I'll tell youhow it is, my dear fellow."

"Excuse me for one moment," repliedCaptain Tartar, rising up; "I must givesome directions to my servant which Iforgot."

Captain Tartar hailed his coxswain outof the window, gave orders just outsideof the door, and then returned to thetable. In the meantime, Gascoigne, whoexpected a breeze, had been cautioningJack, in a low tone, at intervals, when

Captain Tartar's back was turned: but itwas useless; the extra quantity of winehad got into Jack's head, and he carednothing for Gascoigne's remonstrance.When the captain resumed his seat atthe table, Jack gave him the truenarrative of all that had passed, towhich his guest paid the greatestattention. Jack wound up hisconfidence by saying, that in a week orso he should go back to Don Rebieraand propose for Donna Agnes.

"Ah!" exclaimed Captain Tartar,drawing his breath with astonishment,and compressing his lip.

"Tartar, the wine stands with you," said

Jack, "allow me to help you." CaptainTartar threw himself back in his chair,and let all the air out of his chest with asort of whistle, as if he could hardlycontain himself.

"Have you had wine enough " saidJack, very politely; "if so, we will go tothe Marquesa's."

The coxswain came to the door,touched his hat to the captain, andlooked significantly.

"And so, sir," cried Captain Tartar, in avoice of thunder, rising from his chair,"you're a d -d runaway midshipman,who, if you belonged to my ship,

instead of marrying Donna Agnes, Iwould marry you to the gunner'sdaughter, by G d; two midshipmensporting plain clothes in the bestsociety in Palermo, and having theimpudence to ask a post-captain todine with them! To ask me and addressme as 'Tartar,' and 'my dear fellow!' youinfernal young scamps!" continuedCaptain Tartar, now boiling with rage,and striking his fist on the table so as toset all the glasses waltzing.

"Allow me to observe, sir," said Jack,who was completely sobered by theaddress, 'that we do not belong to yourship, and that we are in plain clothes.'

"In plain clothes midshipmen in muftiyes, you are so: a couple of youngswindlers, without a sixpence in yourpocket, passing yourselves off as youngmen of fortune, and walking offthrough the window without payingyour bill."

"Do you mean to call me a swindler,sir," replied Jack.

"Yes, sir, you "

"Then you lie!" exclaimed our hero in arage. "I am a gentleman, sir I am sorry Icannot pay you the same compliment."

The astonishment and rage of Captain

Tartar took away his breath. He tried tospeak, but could not he gasped, andgasped, and then sat or almost felldown in his chair at last he recoveredhimself.

"Matthews Matthews!"

"Sir," replied the coxswain, who hadremained at the door.

"The sergeant of marines."

"Here he is, sir." The sergeant entered,and raised the back of his hand to hishat.

"Bring your marines in take charge of

these two. Directly you are on board,put them both legs in irons."

The marines with their bayonets walkedin and took possession of our heroand Gascoigne.

"Perhaps, sir," replied Jack, who wasnow cool again, "you will permit us topay our bill before we go on board. Weare no swindlers, and it is rather a heavyone or, as you have taken possession ofour persons, you will, perhaps, do usthe favour to discharge it yourself"; andJack threw on the table a heavy purseof dollars. "I have only to observe,Captain Tartar, that I wish to be veryliberal to the waiters."

"Sergeant, let them pay their bill," saidCaptain Tartar in a more subdued tone,taking his hat and sword, and walkingout of the room.

"By heavens, Easy, what have you doneyou will be tried by a court-martial, andturned out of the service."

"I hope so," replied Jack; "I was a foolto come into it. But he called me aswindler, and I would give the sameanswer to-morrow."

"If you are ready, gentlemen," said thesergeant who had been long enoughwith Captain Tartar to be aware that to

be punished by him was no proof offault having been committed.

"I will go and pack up our things, Easy,while you pay the bill," said Gascoigne."Marine, you had better come with me."

In less than half an hour, our hero andhis comrade, instead of findingthemselves at the Marquesa's ball,found themselves very comfortably inirons under the half-deck of hisMajesty's frigate, Aurora.

We shall leave them, and return toCaptain Tartar, who had proceeded tothe ball, to which he had been invited.On his entering he was accosted by

Don Martin and Don Philip, whoinquired what had become of our heroand his friend. Captain Tartar who wasin no very good humour, repliedbriskly, "that they were on board hisship in irons."

"In irons! for what " exclaimed DonPhilip. "Because, sir, they are a coupleof young scamps who have introducedthemselves into the best company,passing themselves off as people ofconsequence, when they are only acouple of midshipmen who have runaway from their ship."

Now the Rebieras knew very well thatJack and his friend were midshipmen;

but this did not appear to them anyreason why they should not beconsidered as gentlemen, and treatedaccordingly.

"Do you mean to say, signor," said DonPhilip, "that you have accepted theirhospitality, laughed, talked, walkedarm-in-arm with them, pledged them inwine, as we have seen you this evening,and after they have confided in you thatyou have put them in irons "

"Yes, sir, I do," replied Captain Tartar.

"Then, by Heaven, you have mydefiance, and you are no gentleman!"replied Don Philip, the elder.

"And I repeat my brother's words, sir,"cried Don Martin. The two brothersfelt so much attachment for our hero,who had twice rendered such signalservice to their family, that their angerwas without bounds.

In every other service but the Englishnavy there is not that power of grosslyinsulting and then sheltering yourselfunder your rank; nor is it necessary forthe discipline of any service. To theseyoung officers, if the power did exist,the use of such power under suchcircumstances appeared monstrous, andthey were determined, at all events, toshow to Captain Tartar that in society,

at least, it could be resented. Theycollected their friends, told them whathad passed, and begged them tocirculate it through the room. This wassoon done, and Captain Tartar foundhimself avoided. He went up to theMarquesa and spoke to her, she turnedher head the other way. He addressed acount he had been conversing with thenight before he turned short roundupon his heel, while Don Philip andDon Martin walked up and downtalking, so that he might hear what theysaid, and looking at him with eyesflashing with indignation. CaptainTartar left the ballroom and returned tothe inn, more indignant than ever.When he rose the next morning he was

informed that a gentleman wished tospeak with him; he sent up his card asDon Ignatio Verez, colonelcommanding the fourth regiment ofinfantry. On being admitted, heinformed Captain Tartar that DonPhilip de Rebiera wished to have thepleasure of crossing swords with him,and requested to know when it wouldbe convenient for Captain Tartar tomeet him.

It was not in Captain Tartar's nature torefuse a challenge; his courage wasunquestionable, but he felt indignantthat a midshipman should be the causeof his getting into such a scrape. Heaccepted the challenge, but having no

knowledge of the small sword, refusedto fight unless with pistols. To this thecolonel raised no objections, andCaptain Tartar despatched his coxswainwith a note to his second lieutenant, forhe was not on good terms with hisfirst. The meeting took place at the firstfire the ball of Don Philip passedthrough Captain Tartar's brain, and heinstantly fell dead. The secondlieutenant hastened on board to reportthe fatal result of the meeting, andshortly after, Don Philip and hisbrother, with many of their friends,went off in the Governor's barge tocondole with our hero.

The first lieutenant, now captain "pro

tempore," received them graciously, andlistened to their remonstrances relativeto our hero and Gascoigne.

"I have never been informed by thecaptain of the grounds of complaintagainst the young gentlemen," repliedhe, "and have therefore no charge toprefer against them. I shall thereforeorder them to be liberated. But as Ilearn that they are officers belonging toone of his Majesty's ships lying atMalta, I feel it my duty, as I sailimmediately, to take them there andsend them on board of their ownship."

Jack and Gascoigne were then taken

out of irons and permitted to see DonPhilip, who informed them that he hadrevenged the insult, but Jack andGascoigne did not wish to go on shoreagain after what had passed. After anhour's conversation, and assurances ofcontinued friendship, Don Philip, hisbrother, and their friends, took leave ofour two midshipmen, and rowed onshore.

And now we must be serious. We donot write these novels merely to amuse,we have always had it in our view toinstruct, and it must not be supposedthat we have no other end in view thanto make the reader laugh. If we were towrite an elaborate work, telling truths,

and plain truths, confining ourselvesonly to point out errors and to demandreform, it would not be read; we havetherefore selected this light and triflingspecies of writing, as it is by manydenominated, as a channel throughwhich we may convey wholesomeadvice in a palatable shape. If wewould point out an error, we draw acharacter, and although that characterappears to weave naturally into the taleof fiction, it becomes as much abeacon as it is a vehicle of amusement.We consider this to be the true art ofnovel writing, and that crime and follyand error can be as severely lashed asvirtue and morality can be upheld, by aseries of amusing causes and effects,

that entice the reader to take amedicine, which, although renderedagreeable to the palate, still producesthe same internal benefit, as if it hadbeen presented to him in its crude state,in which it would either be refused ornauseated.

In our naval novels, we have oftenpointed out the errors which haveexisted, and still do exist, in a servicewhich is an honour to its country; forwhat institution is there on earth that isperfect, or into which, if it once wasperfect, abuses will not creepUnfortunately, others have written todecry the service, and many have raisedup their voices against our writings,

because they felt that, in exposing error,we were exposing them. But to this wehave been indifferent; we felt that wewere doing good, and we havecontinued. To prove that we are correctin asserting that we have done good,we will, out of several, state one singlecase.

In "The King's Own," a captain, whenrequested to punish a man instanter fora fault committed, replies that he neverhas and never will punish a man untiltwenty-four hours after the offence,that he may not be induced by theanger of the moment to award a severerpunishment than in his coolermoments he might think

commensurate and that he wished thatthe Admiralty would give out an orderto that effect.

Some time after the publication of thatwork, the order was given by theAdmiralty, forbidding the punishmentuntil a certain time had elapsed after theoffence; and we had the pleasure ofknowing from the first lord of theAdmiralty of the time, that it was inconsequence of the suggestion in thenovel.

If our writings had effected nothingelse, we might still lay down our penwith pride and satisfaction: but theyhave done more, much more; and while

they have amused the reader, they haveimproved the service: they have held upin their characters a mirror, in whichthose who have been in error may seetheir own deformity, and many hintswhich have been given have afterwardsreturned to the thoughts of those whohave had an influence, have beenconsidered as their own ideas, and havebeen acted upon. The conduct ofCaptain Tartar may be considered as alibel on the service is it not The faultof Captain Tartar was not in sendingthem on board, or even putting them inirons as deserters, although, under thecircumstances, he might have shownmore delicacy. The fault was instigmatising a young man as a swindler,

and the punishment awarded to theerror is intended to point out themoral, that such an abuse of powershould be severely visited. The greatesterror now in our service, is thedisregard shown to the feelings of thejunior officers in the language of theirsuperiors: that an improvement hastaken place I grant, but that it stillexists, to a degree injurious to theservice, I know too well. The articles ofwar, as our hero was informed by hiscaptain, were equally binding onofficers and crew; but what a dead letterdo they become if officers arepermitted to break them with impunity!The captain of a ship will turn thehands up to punishment, read the

article of war for the transgressing ofwhich the punishment is inflicted, andto show at that time their high respectfor the articles of war, the captain andevery officer take off their hats. Themoment the hands are piped down, thesecond article of war, which forbids allswearing, etc, in derogation of God'shonour is immediately disregarded. Weare not strait-laced, we care little aboutan oath as a mere expletive; we refernow to swearing at others, to insultingtheir feelings grossly by coarse andintemperate language. We would neverinterfere with a man for d -g his owneyes, but we deny the right of his d -gthose of another.

The rank of a master in the service isabove that of a midshipman, but stillthe midshipman is a gentleman bybirth, and the master, generallyspeaking, is not. Even at this moment,in the service, if the master were to d nthe eyes of a midshipman, and tell himthat he was a liar, would there be anyredress, or if so, would it becommensurate to the insult If amidshipman were to request a court-martial, would it be granted certainlynot. And yet this is a point of moreimportance than may be conceived.Our service has been wonderfullyimproved since the peace, and thosewho are now permitted to enter it mustbe gentlemen. We know that even now

there are many who cry out against thisas dangerous, and injurious to theservice; as if education spoilt an officer,and the scion of an illustrious housewould not be more careful to upholdan escutcheon without blemish forcenturies than one who has little morethan brute courage; but those whoargue thus are the very people who areinjurious to the service, for they canhave no other reason, except that theywish that the juniors may be tyrannisedover with impunity.

Be it remembered that these are not theobservations of a junior officer,smarting under insult they are the resultof deep and calm reflection. We have

arrived to that grade, that, although wehave the power to inflict, we are toohigh to receive insult, but we have notforgotten how our young blood hasboiled when wanton, reckless, and crueltorture has been heaped upon ourfeelings, merely because, as a juniorofficer, we were not in a position toretaliate, or even to reply. And anotherevil is, that this great error isdisseminated. In observing on it, in oneof our works, called "Peter Simple," wehave put the following true observationin the mouth of O'Brien. Peterobserves, in his simple, right-mindedway

"I should think, O'Brien, that the very

circumstance of having had yourfeelings so often wounded by suchlanguage when you were a juniorofficer would make you doubly carefulnot to use it towards others, when youhad advanced in the service."

"Peter, that's just the first feeling, whichwears away after a time, till at last yourown sense of indignation becomesblunted, and becomes indifferent to it:you forget, also, that you wound thefeelings of others, and carry the habitwith you, to the great injury anddisgrace of the service."

Let it not be supposed that in makingthese remarks we want to cause

litigation, or insubordination. On thecontrary, we assert that this error is thecause, and eventually will be muchmore the cause, of insubordination; foras the junior officers who enter theservice are improved, so will they resistit. The complaint here is more againstthe officers than the captains, whosepower has been perhaps already toomuch curtailed by late regulations: thatpower must remain, for although theremay be some few who are so pervertedas to make those whom they commanduncomfortable, in justice to the servicewe are proud to assert, that the majorityacknowledge, by their conduct, that thegreatest charm attached to power is tobe able to make so many people happy.

CHAPTER XXII

Our hero is sick with the service, butrecovers with proper medicine. Anargument, ending, as most do, in a blowup. Mesty lectures upon craniology.

The day after the funeral, H.M. shipAurora sailed for Malta, and on herarrival the acting captain sent our twomidshipmen on board the Harpywithout any remark, except "victualledthe day discharged," as they had beenborne on the ship's books assupernumeraries.

Mr James, who was acting in theAurora, was anxious to join theAdmiral at Toulon, and intended to sailthe next day. He met Captain Wilson atthe Governor's table, and stated thatJack and Gascoigne had been put inirons by order of Captain Tartar; hissuspicions, and the report, that the duelhad in consequence taken place; butGascoigne and Jack had both agreedthat they would not communicate theevents of their cruise to anybody onboard of the Aurora; and thereforenothing else was known, except thatthey must have made powerful friendssomehow or another; and thereappeared in the conduct of Captain

Tartar, as well as in the wholetransaction, somewhat of a mystery.

"I should like to know what happenedto my friend Jack, who fought theduel," said the Governor, who hadlaughed at it till he held his sides;"Wilson, do bring him here to-morrowmorning, and let us have his story."

"I am afraid of encouraging him, SirThomas, he is much too wild already. Itold you of his first cruise. He hasnothing but adventures, and they allend too favourably."

"Well, but you can send for him hereand blow him up just as well as in your

own cabin, and then we will have thetruth out of him."

"That you certainly will," repliedCaptain Wilson, "for he tells it plainlyenough."

"Well, to oblige me, send for him. Idon't see he was much to blame inabsconding, as it appears he thought hewould be hung. I want to see the lad."

"Well, Governor, if you wish it,"replied Captain Wilson, who wrote anote to Mr Sawbridge, requesting hewould send Mr Easy to him at theGovernor's house at ten o'clock in themorning.

Jack made his appearance in hisuniform he did not much care for whatwas said to him, as he was resolved toleave the service. He had been put inirons, and the iron had entered into hissoul.

Mr Sawbridge had gone on shore aboutan hour before Jack had been sent onboard, and he had remained on shoreall the night. He did not therefore seeJack but for a few minutes, andthinking it his duty to say nothing tohim at first, or to express hisdispleasure, he merely observed to himthat the captain would speak to him assoon as he came on board. As

Gascoigne and our hero did not knowhow far it might be safe, even at Malta,to acknowledge to what occurred onboard the speronare, which might getwind, they did not even tell theirmessmates, resolving only to confide itto the captain.

When Jack was ushered into thepresence of the captain, he found himsitting with the Governor, and thebreakfast on the table ready for them.Jack walked in with courage, butrespectfully. He was fond of CaptainWilson, and wished to show himrespect. Captain Wilson addressed him,pointed out that he had committed agreat error in fighting a duel a greater

error in demeaning himself by fightingthe purser's steward, and still greater inrunning away from his ship. Jacklooked respectfully to Captain Wilson,acknowledged that he had done wrong,and promised to be more carefulanother time, if Captain Wilson wouldlook over it.

"Captain Wilson, allow me to plead forthe young gentleman," said theGovernor; "I am convinced that it hasonly been an error in judgment."

"Well, Mr Easy, as you express yourcontrition, and the Governor interferesin your behalf, I shall take no morenotice of this. But recollect, Mr Easy,

that you have occasioned me a greatdeal of anxiety by your mad pranks,and I trust another time you willremember that I am too anxious foryour welfare not to be uncomfortablewhen you run such risks. You may nowgo on board to your duty, and tell Mr.Gascoigne to do the same; and pray letus hear of no more duels or runningaway."

Jack, whose heart softened at this kindtreatment, did not venture to speak; hemade his bow and was about to quitthe room, when the Governor said

"Mr Easy, you have not breakfasted "

"I have, sir," replied Jack, "before Icame on shore."

"But a midshipman can always eat twobreakfasts, particularly when his owncomes first; so sit down and breakfastwith us it's all over now."

"Even if it was not," replied CaptainWilson, laughing,

"I doubt whether it would spoil MrEasy's breakfast. Come, Mr Easy, sitdown."

Jack bowed, and took his chair, andproved that his lecture had not takenaway his appetite. When breakfast was

over, Captain Wilson observed

"Mr Easy, you have generally a fewadventures to speak of when youreturn, will you tell the Governor andme what has taken place since you leftus "

"Certainly, sir," replied Jack; "but Iventure to request that it may be underthe promise of secrecy, for it's ratherimportant to me and Gascoigne."

"Yes, if secrecy is really necessary, myboy; but I'm the best judge of that,"replied the Governor.

Jack then entered into a detail of his

adventures, which we have alreadydescribed, much to the astonishmentof the Governor and his captain, andconcluded his narration by stating thathe wanted to leave the service; hehoped that Captain Wilson woulddischarge him and send him home.

"Pooh, nonsense!" said the Governor,"you shan't leave the Mediterraneanwhile I am here. No, no you must havemore adventures, and come back andtell them to me. And recollect, my lad,that whenever you come to Malta, thereis a bed at the Governor's house, and aseat at his table, always ready for you."

"You are very kind, Sir Thomas,"

replied Jack, "but " "No buts at all, siryou shan't leave the service! Besides,recollect that I can ask for leave ofabsence for you to go and see DonnaAgnes. Ay, and send you there, too."

Captain Wilson also remonstrated withour hero, and he gave up the point. Itwas harsh treatment which made himform the resolution it was kindnesswhich overcame it.

"With your permission, CaptainWilson, Mr Easy shall dine with us to-day, and bring Gascoigne with him.You shall first scold him, and I'llconsole him with a good dinner. And,boy, don't be afraid to tell your story

everywhere. Sit down and tell it at NixMangare stairs, if you please. I'mGovernor here!"

Jack made his obeisance, and departed."The lad must be treated kindly,Captain Wilson," said the Governor;"he would be a loss to the service.Good heavens, what adventures, andhow honestly he tells everything! I shallask him to stay with me for the timeyou are here, if you will allow me: Iwant to make friends with him he mustnot leave the service."

Captain Wilson, who felt that kindnessand attention would be more effectualwith our hero than any other measures,

gave his consent to the Governor'sproposition. So Jack ate at theGovernor's table, and took lessons inSpanish and Italian until the Harpy hadbeen refitted, after heaving down.Before she was ready a vessel arrivedfrom the fleet, directing Captain Wilsonto repair to Mahon and send atransport, lying there, to procure livebullocks for the fleet. Jack did not joinhis ship very willingly, but he hadpromised the Governor to remain inthe service, and he went on board theevening before she sailed. He had beenliving so well that he had, at first, ahorror of midshipman's fare, but agood appetite seasons everything, andJack soon complained that there was

not enough. He was delighted to seeJolliffe and Mesty after so long anabsence; he laughed at the boatswain'scheeks, inquired after the purser'ssteward's shot-holes, shook hands withGascoigne and his other messmates,gave Vigors a thrashing, and then satdown to supper.

"Ah, Massa Easy, why you take a cruisewithout me " said Mesty; "dat veryshabby. By de power, but I wish I wasthere. You ab too much danger, MassaEasy, without Mesty, anyhow."

The next day the Harpy sailed, and Jackwent to his duty. Mr Asper borrowedten pounds, and our hero kept as much

watch as he pleased, which, as watchingdid not please him, was very little. MrSawbridge had long conversations withour hero, pointing out to him thenecessity of discipline and obedience inthe service, and that there was no suchthing as equality, and that the rights ofman secured to everyone the propertywhich he held in possession.

"According to your ideas, Mr Easy, aman has no more right to his wife thananything else, and any other man mayclaim her."

Jack thought of Agnes, and he madematrimony an exception, as hecontinued to argue the point; but

although he argued, still his philosophywas almost upset at the idea of any onedisputing with him the rights of man,with respect to Agnes.

The Harpy made the African coast, thewind continued contrary, and they werebaffled for many days; at last theyespied a brig under the land, aboutsixteen miles off; her rig andappearance made Captain Wilsonsuspect that she was a privateer ofsome description or another, but it wascalm, and they could not approach her.Nevertheless Captain Wilson thought ithis duty to examine her; so at teno'clock at night the boats were hoistedout: as this was merely intended for a

reconnoitre, for there was no sayingwhat she might be, Mr Sawbridge didnot go. Mr Asper was in the sick list, soMr Smallsole the master had thecommand of the expedition.

Jack asked Mr Sawbridge to let himhave charge of one of the boats. MrJolliffe and Mr Vigors went in thepinnace with the master. The gunnerhad the charge of one cutter, and ourhero had the command of the other.Jack, although not much more thanseventeen, was very strong and tall forhis age; indeed he was a man grown,and shaved twice a-week. His onlyobject in going was to have a yarn forthe Governor when he returned to

Malta. Mesty went with him, and, as theboat shoved off, Gascoigne slipped in,telling Jack that he was come to takecare of him, for which consideratekindness Jack expressed his warmestthanks. The orders to the master werevery explicit; he was to reconnoitre thevessel, and if she proved heavily armednot to attack, for she was embayed, andcould not escape the Harpy as soon asthere was wind. If not armed he was toboard her, but he was to do nothing tillthe morning: the reason for sending theboats away so soon was, that the menmight not suffer from the heat of thesun during the daytime, which wasexcessive, and had already put manymen on the sick list. The boats were to

pull to the bottom of the bay, not to goso near as to be discovered, and thendrop their grapnels till daylight. Theorders were given to Mr Smallsole inpresence of the other officers whowere appointed to the boats, that theremight be no mistake, and the boatsthen shoved off.

After a three hours' pull, they arrived towhere the brig lay becalmed, and, asthey saw no lights moving on board,they supposed they were not seen. Theydropped their grapnels in about sevenfathoms water and waited for daylight.When Jack heard Captain Wilson'sorders that they were to lie at anchor tilldaylight, he had sent down Mesty for

fishing-lines, as fresh fish is alwaysagreeable in a midshipman's berth: heand Gascoigne amused themselves thisway, and as they pulled up the fish theyentered into an argument, and MrSmallsole ordered them to be silent.The point which they discussed wasrelative to boat service; Gascoigneinsisted that the boats should all boardat once while our hero took it into hishead that it was better they shouldcome up one after another; a novelidea, but Jack's ideas on most pointswere singular.

"If you throw your whole force uponthe decks at once, you overpowerthem," observed Gascoigne; "if you do

not you are beaten in detail."

"Very true," replied Jack, "supposingthat you have an overpowering force, orthey are not prepared; but recollect, thatif they are, the case is altered; forinstance, as to fire-arms they fire theirsat the first boat, and they have not timeto re-load, when the second comes upwith its fire reserved; every fresh boatarriving adds to the courage of thosewho have boarded, and to the alarm ofthose who defend; the men come onfresh and fresh. Depend upon it,Gascoigne, there is nothing like a 'corpsde reserve'."

"Will you keep silence in your boat, Mr

Easy, or will you not " cried the master;"you're a disgrace to the service, sir."

"Thank ye, sir," replied Jack, in a lowtone. "I've another bite Ned." Jack andhis comrade continued to fish in silencetill the day broke. The mist rolled offthe stagnant water, and discovered thebrig, who, as soon as she perceived theboats, threw out the French tricolour,and fired a gun of defiance.

Mr Smallsole was undecided; the gunfired was not a heavy one, and so MrJolliffe remarked; the men, as usual,anxious for the attack, asserted thesame, and Mr Smallsole, afraid ofretreating from the enemy and being

afterwards despised by the ship'scompany, ordered the boats to weightheir grapnels.

"Stop a moment, my lads," said Jack tohis men, "I've got a bite." The menlaughed at Jack's taking it so easy, buthe was their pet; and they did stop forhim to pull up his fish, intending topull up to the other boats and recovertheir loss of a few seconds.

"I've hooked him now," said Jack; "youmay up with the grapnel while I upwith the fish." But this delay gave theother boats a start of a dozen strokesof their oars, which was a distance noteasy to be regained.

"They will be aboard before us, sir,"said the coxswain.

"Never mind that", replied Jack;"someone must be last."

"But not the boat I am in," repliedGascoigne; "if I could help it."

"I tell you," replied Jack, "we shall bethe 'corps de reserve,' and have thehonour of turning the scale in ourfavour."

"Give way, my lads," cried Gascoigne,perceiving the other boats still kepttheir distance ahead of them, which

was about a cable's length.

"Gascoigne, I command the boat," saidJack, "and I do not wish my men toboard without any breath in theirbodies that's a very unwise plan. Asteady pull, my lads, and not too muchexertion."

"By heavens, they'll take the vesselbefore we get alongside."

"Even if they should, I am right, am Inot, Mesty "

"Yes, Massa Easy, you very rightsuppose they take vessel without you,they no want you suppose they want

you, you come." And the negro, whohad thrown his jacket off, bared hisarm, as if he intended mischief.

The first cutter, commanded by thegunner, now gained upon the launch,and was three boat's-lengths ahead ofher when she came alongside. The brigpoured in her broadside it was welldirected, and down went the boat.

"Cutter's sunk," exclaimed Gascoigne;"by heavens! give way, my men."

"Now, don't you observe, that had weall three been pulling up together, thebroadside would have sunk us all " saidJack, very composedly.

"There's board in the launch give way,my men, give way," said Gascoigne,stamping with impatience.

The reception was evidently warm; bythe time that the launch had poured inher men, the second cutter was closeunder the brig's quarter two morestrokes and she was alongside; when ofa sudden, a tremendous explosion tookplace on the deck of the vessel, andbodies and fragments were hurled up inthe air. So tremendous was theexplosion, that the men of the secondcutter, as if transfixed, simultaneouslystopped pulling, their eyes directed tothe volumes of smoke which poured

through the ports, and hid the wholeof the masts and rigging of the vessel.

"Now's your time, my lads, give way,and alongside," cried our hero. Themen, reminded by his voice, obeyed butthe impetus already given to the boatwas sufficient. Before they could droptheir oars in the water they grazedagainst the vessel's sides, and, followingJack, were in a few seconds on thequarter-deck of the vessel. A dreadfulsight presented itself the whole deckwas black, and corpses lay strewed;their clothes on them still burning, andamong the bodies lay fragments ofwhat once were men.

The capstern was unshipped andturned over on its side the binnacleswere in remnants, and many of theropes ignited. There was not oneperson left on deck to oppose them.

As they afterwards learned from someof the men who had saved their livesby remaining below, the French captainhad seen the boats before theyanchored, and had made everypreparation; he had filled a largeammunition chest with cartridges forthe guns, that they might not have tohand them up. The conflict betweenthe men of the pinnace and the crewof the vessel was carried on near thecapstern, and a pistol fired had

accidentally communicated with thepowder, which blew up in the verycentre of the dense and desperatestruggle.

The first object was to draw water andextinguish the flames, which werespreading over the vessel; as soon asthat was accomplished, our hero wentaft to the taffrail, and looked for thecutter which had been sunk."Gascoigne, jump into the boat withfour men I see the cutter floats aquarter of a mile astern: there may besomeone alive yet. I think now I see ahead or two."

Gascoigne hastened away, and soon

returned with three of the cutter's men;the rest had sunk, probably killed orwounded by the discharge of thebroadside.

"Thank God, there's three saved!" saidJack, "for we have lost too many. Wemust now see if any of these poorfellows are yet alive, and clear the decksof the remnants of those who havebeen blown to pieces. I say, Ned, whereshould we have been if we hadboarded with the pinnace "

"You always fall upon your feet, Easy,"replied Gascoigne; "but that does notprove that you are right."

"I see there's no convincing you, Ned,you are so confoundedly fond ofargument. However, I've no time toargue now we must look to these poorfellows; some are still alive."

Body after body was thrown throughthe ports, the habiliments, in mostcases, enabling them to distinguishwhether it was that of a departed friendor foe.

Jack turned round, and observed Mestywith his foot on a head which had beenblown from the trunk.

"What are you about, Mesty "

"Massa Easy, I look at dis, and I tink itMassa Vigors' head, and den I tink disskull of his enemy nice present make tolittle Massa Gossett; and den I tinkagain, and I say, no, he dead and nebberthrash any more so let him gooverboard."

Jack turned away, forgiving Vigors inhis heart; he thought of the pettyanimosities of a midshipman's berth, ashe looked at the blackened portion ofa body half an hour before possessingintellect.

"Massa Easy," said Mesty, "I tink yousay right, anyhow, when you say forgive:den, Massa Vigors," continued Mesty,

taking up the head by the singed hair,and tossing it out of the port; "youreally very bad man but Ashanteeforgive you."

"Here's somebody alive," saidGascoigne to Jack, examining a body,the face of which was black as a cinderand not to be recognised, "and he isone of our men, too, by his dress."

Our hero went up to examine, and toassist Gascoigne in disengaging thebody from a heap of ropes and half-burnt tarpaulings with which it wasentangled. Mesty followed, and lookingat the lower extremities said, "MassaEasy, dat Massa Jolliffe; I know him

trousers; marine tailor say he patch umfor ever, and so old dat de thread nohold; yesterday he had dis patch put in,and marine tailor say he be d n if hepatch anymore, please nobody."

Mesty was right; it was poor Jolliffe,whose face was burnt as black as a coalby the explosion. He had also lost threefingers of the left hand, but as soon ashe was brought out on the deck heappeared to recover, and pointed to hismouth for water, which was instantlyprocured.

"Mesty," said Jack, "I leave you incharge of Mr Jolliffe; take every care ofhim till I can come back."

The investigation was then continued,and four English sailors found whomight be expected to recover, as well asabout the same number of Frenchmen;the remainder of the bodies were thenthrown overboard. The hat only of themaster was picked up between theguns, and there were but elevenFrenchmen found below.

The vessel was the Franklin, a Frenchprivateer of ten guns and sixty-fivemen, of which, eight men were away inprizes. The loss on the part of thevessel was forty-six killed andwounded. On that of the Harpy, it wasfive drowned in the cutter, and eighteen

blown up belonging to the pinnace, outof which total of twenty-three, theyhad only Mr Jolliffe and five seamenalive.

"The Harpy is standing in with a breezefrom the offing," said Gascoigne toEasy.

"So much the better, for I am sick ofthis, Ned; there is something sohorrible in it, and I wish I was onboard again. I have just been to Jolliffe;he can speak a little; I think he willrecover. I hope so, poor fellow; he willthen obtain his promotion, for he is thecommanding officer of all us who areleft."

"And if he does," replied Gascoigne,"he can swear that it was by havingbeen blown up which spoilt his beautybut here comes the Harpy. I have beenlooking for an English ensign to hoistover the French, but cannot find one;so I hoist a wheft over it, that will do."

The Harpy was soon hove-to close tothe brig, and Jack went on board in thecutter to report what had taken place.Captain Wilson was much vexed andgrieved at the loss of so many men:fresh hands were put in the cutter toman the pinnace, and he and Sawbridgeboth went on board to witness thehorrible effects of the explosion as

described by our hero.

Jolliffe and the wounded men weretaken on board, and all of themrecovered. We have before stated howdisfigured the countenance of poor MrJolliffe had been by the small-pox soseverely was it burned that the wholeof the countenance came off in threeweeks like a mask, and every onedeclared that, seamed as it still was, MrJolliffe was better looking than he wasbefore. It may be as well here to state,that Mr Jolliffe not only obtained hispromotion, but a pension for hiswounds, and retired from the service.He was still very plain, but as it wasknown that he had been blown up, the

loss of his eye as well as the scars onhis face were all put down to the sameaccident, and he excited interest as agallant and maimed officer. He married,and lived contented and happy to agood old age.

The Harpy proceeded with her prize toMahon. Jack, as usual, obtained a greatdeal of credit; whether he deserved it,or whether, as Gascoigne observed, healways fell upon his feet, the reader maydecide from our narrative; perhapsthere was a little of both. The seamenof the Harpy, if summoned in a hurry,used very often to reply, "Stop aminute, I've got a bite": as for Jack, heoften said to himself, "I have a famous

good yarn for the Governor."

CHAPTER XXIIII

Jack goes on another cruise Love anddiplomacy Jack proves himself as cleverfor three, and upsets all thearrangements of the high contractingpowers.

A few days after the arrival of theHarpy at Port Mahon a cutter came inwith despatches from the Admiral.Captain Wilson found that he wasposted into the Aurora frigate, in whicha vacancy had been made by the result

of our hero's transgressions.

Mr Sawbridge was raised to the rank ofcommander, and appointed to thecommand of the Harpy. The Admiralinformed Captain Wilson that he mustdetain the Aurora until the arrival ofanother frigate, hourly expected, andthen she would be sent down toMahon for him to take the commandof her. Further, he intimated that asupply of live bullocks would be veryagreeable, and begged that he wouldsend to Tetuan immediately.

Captain Wilson had lost so manyofficers that he knew not whom tosend: indeed, now he was no longer in

command of the Harpy, and there wasbut one lieutenant and no master ormaster's mate. Gascoigne and Jack werethe only two serviceable midshipmen,and he was afraid to trust them on anyexpedition in which expedition wasrequired.

"What shall we do, Sawbridge shall wesend Easy or Gascoigne, or both, orneither for if the bullocks are notforthcoming, the Admiral will not letthem off as we do."

"We must send somebody, Wilson,"replied Captain Sawbridge, "and it isthe custom to send two officers, as onereceives the bullocks on board, while

the other attends to the embarkation."

"Well, then send both, Sawbridge, butlecture them well first." "I don't thinkthey can get into any mischief there,"replied Sawbridge; "and it's such a holethat they will be glad to get away fromit."

Easy and Gascoigne were summoned,listened very respectfully to all CaptainSawbridge said, promised to conductthemselves with the utmost propriety,received a letter to the vice-consul, andwere sent with their hammocks andchests in the cabin on board the Eliza,Ann, brig, of two hundred and sixteentons, chartered by government the

master and crew of which were all busyforward heaving up their anchors.

The master of the transport came aft toreceive them: he was short, red-hairedyoung man, with hands as broad as theflappers of a turtle; he was broad-faced, broad-shouldered, well freckled,and pug-nosed; but if not veryhandsome he was remarkably goodhumoured. As soon as the chests andhammocks were on deck, he told themthat when he could get the anchor upand make sail, he would give themsome bottled porter. Jack proposed thathe should get the porter up, and theywould drink it while he got the anchorup, as it would save time.

"It may save time, mayhap, but it won'tsave porter," replied the master;"however, you shall have it."

He called the boy, ordered him to bringup the porter, and then went forward.Jack made the boy bring up two chairs,put the porter on the companion hatch,and he and Gascoigne sat down. Theanchor was weighed, and the transportran out under her foretopsail, as theywere light-handed, and had to securethe anchor. The transport passed withinten yards of the Harpy, and CaptainSawbridge, when he perceived the twomidshipmen taking it so very easy,sitting in their chairs with their legs

crossed, arms folded, and their porterbefore them, had a very great mind toorder the transport to heave-to, but hecould spare no other officer, so hewalked away saying to himself, "There'llbe another yarn for the Governor, orI'm mistaken."

As soon as sail was made on thetransport, the master, whose name wasHogg, came up to our hero, and askedhim how he found the porter. Jackdeclared that he never could venture anopinion upon the first bottle "So,Captain Hogg, we'll trouble you for asecond" after which they troubled himfor a third begged for a fourth mustdrink his health in a fifth and finally

pointed out the propriety of making upthe half-dozen. By this time they foundthemselves rather light-headed; so,desiring Captain Hogg to keep a sharplook-out, and not to call them on anyaccount whatever, they retired to theirhammocks.

The next morning they awoke late; thebreeze was fresh and fair: theyrequested Captain Hogg not toconsider the expense, as they would payfor all they ate and drank, and all hedid, into the bargain, and promised hima fit-out when they got to Tetuan.

What with this promise and calling himcaptain, our hero and Gascoigne won

the master's heart, and being a verygood tempered fellow, they did whatthey pleased. Jack also tossed adoubloon to the men for them to drinkon their arrival, and all the men of thetransport were in a transport at Jack'scoming to "reign over them." It mustbe acknowledged that Jack's reign was,for the most part of it, "happy andglorious." At last they arrived at Tetuan,and our Pylades and Orestes went onshore to call upon the vice-consul,accompanied by Captain Hogg. Theyproduced their credentials, anddemanded bullocks.

The vice-consul was a very young man,short and thin, and light-haired; his

father had held the situation beforehim, and he had been appointed hissuccessor because nobody else hadthought the situation worth applyingfor. Nevertheless, Mr Hicks wasimpressed with the immenseresponsibility of his office. It was,however, a place of some littleemolument at this moment, and MrHicks had plenty on his hands besideshis sister, who, being the only Englishlady there, set the fashion of the place,and usurped all the attention of thegentlemen mariners who occasionallycame for bullocks. But Miss Hicksknew her own importance, and hadsuccessively refused three midshipmen,one master's mate, and an acting purser.

African bullocks were plentiful atTetuan, but English ladies were scarce;moreover, she had a pretty little fortuneof her own, to wit, three hundreddollars in a canvas bag, left her by herfather, and entirely at her own disposal.

Miss Hicks was very like her brother,except that she was more dumpling inher figure, with flaxen hair; her featureswere rather pretty, and her skin very fair.As soon as the preliminaries had beenentered into, and arrangements made ina small room with bare walls, which MrHicks denominated his office, theywere asked to walk into the parlour tobe introduced to the vice-consul'ssister. Miss Hicks tossed her head at the

two midshipmen, but smiled mostgraciously at Captain Hogg. She knewthe relative ranks of midshipman andcaptain. After a short time sherequested the honour of CaptainHogg's company to dinner, and beggedthat he would bring his midshipmenwith him, at which Jack and Gascoignelooked at each other and burst out in alaugh, and Miss Hicks was very nearrescinding the latter part of herinvitation.

As soon as they were out of the house,they told the captain to go on boardand get all ready whilst they walkedround the town. Having peeped intoevery part of it, and stared at Arabs,

Moors, and Jews, till they were tired,they proceeded to the landing-place,where they met the captain, whoinformed them that he had donenothing, because the men were alldrunk with Jack's doubloon. Jackreplied that a doubloon would not lastfor ever, and that the sooner they drankit out the better. They then returned tothe vice-consul's, whom they requestedto procure for them fifty dozen offowls, twenty sheep, and a great manyother articles which might be obtainedat the place; for, as Jack said, they wouldlive well going up to Toulon, and ifthere were any of the stock left theywould give them to the Admiral, forJack had taken the precaution to put his

father's philosophy once more to theproof before he quitted Mahon. AsJack gave such a liberal order, and thevice-consul cheated him out of at leastone-third of what he paid, Mr Hicksthought he could do no less than offerbeds to our midshipmen as well as toCaptain Hogg; so, as soon as dinnerwas over, they ordered Captain Hogg togo on board and bring their things onshore, which he did.

As the time usual for transportsremaining at Tetuan before they couldbe completed with bullocks was threeweeks, our midshipmen decided uponstaying at least so long if they couldfind anything to do; or if they could

not, doing nothing was infinitelypreferable to doing duty. So they tookup their quarters at the vice-consul's,sending for porter and other thingswhich were not to be had but from thetransport; and Jack, to prove that hewas not a swindler, as Captain Tartarhad called him, gave Captain Hogg ahundred dollars on account, forCaptain Hogg had a large stock ofporter and English luxuries, which hehad brought out as a venture, and ofwhich he had still a considerableportion left. As, therefore, ourmidshipmen not only were cheated bythe vice-consul, but they also suppliedhis table. Mr Hicks was very hospitable,and everything was at their service

except Miss Julia, who turned up hernose at a midshipman, even upon fullpay; but she made great advances to thecaptain, who, on his part, wasdesperately in love: so the mate and themen made all ready for the bullocks,Jack and Gascoigne made themselvescomfortable, and Captain Hogg madelove, and thus passed the first week.

The chamber of Easy and Gascoignewas at the top of the house, andfinding it excessively warm, Gascoignehad forced his way up to the flat roofabove (for the houses are all built inthat way in most Mahomedancountries, to enable the occupants toenjoy the cool of the evening, and

sometimes to sleep there). Those roofs,where houses are built next to eachother, are divided by a wall of severalfeet, to insure that privacy which theMahomedan customs demand.

Gascoigne had not been long up therebefore he heard the voice of a female,singing a plaintive air in a low tone, onthe other side of the wall. Gascoignesang well himself, and having a veryfine ear, he was pleased with thecorrectness of the notes, although hehad never heard the air before. He leantagainst the wall, smoked his cigar, andlistened. It was repeated again andagain at intervals; Gascoigne sooncaught the notes, which sounded so

clear and pure in the silence of thenight.

At last they ceased, and having waitedanother half-hour in vain, ourmidshipman returned to his bed,humming the air which had so pleasedhis ear. It haunted him during his sleep,and rang in his ears when he awoke, asit is well known any new air that pleasesus will do. Before breakfast was ready,Gascoigne had put English words to it,and sang them over and over again. Heinquired of the vice-consul who livedin the next house, and was answered,that it was an old Moor, who wasreported to be wealthy, and to have adaughter, whom many of the people

had asked in marriage, but whether forher wealth or for her beauty he couldnot tell; he had, however, heard that shewas very handsome. Gascoigne madeno further inquiries, but went out withJack and Captain Hogg, and on boardto see the water got in for the bullocks.

"Where did you pick up that air,Gascoigne It is very pretty, but I neverheard you sing it before."

Gascoigne told him, and also what hehad heard from Mr Hicks. "I amdetermined, Jack, to see that girl if Ican. Hicks can talk Arabic fast enough;just ask him the Arabic for these words'Don't be afraid I love you I cannot

speak your tongue', and put them downon paper as they are pronounced."

Jack rallied Gascoigne upon his fancy,which could end in nothing. "Perhapsnot," replied Gascoigne; "and I shouldhave cared nothing about it, if she hadnot sung so well. I really believe theway to my heart is through my ear;however, I shall try to-night, and soonfind if she has the feeling which I thinkshe has. Now let us go back; I'm tiredof looking at women with garments upto their eyes, and men in dirt up to theirforeheads."

As they entered the house they heard analtercation between Mr and Miss Hicks.

"I shall never give my consent, Julia;one of those midshipmen you turnyour nose up at is worth a dozenHoggs."

"Now, if we only knew the price of ahog in this country," observed Easy,"we should be able to calculate ourexact value, Ned."

"A hog, being an unclean animal, is not"

"Hush," said Jack.

"Mr Hicks," replied Miss Julia, "I ammistress of myself and my fortune, andI shall do as I please."

"Depend upon it, you shall not, Julia. Iconsider it my duty to prevent youfrom making an improper match: and,as his Majesty's representative here, Icannot allow you to marry this youngman."

"Mercy on us!" said Gascoigne, "hisMajesty's representative!"

"I shall not ask your consent," repliedthe lady.

"Yes, but you shall not marry withoutmy consent. I have, as you know, Julia,from my situation here, as one of hisMajesty's 'corps diplomatick,' great

power, and I shall forbid the banns; infact, it is only I who can marry you."

"Then I'll marry elsewhere."

"And what will you do on board of thetransport until you are able to bemarried "

"I shall do as I think proper," repliedthe lady; "and I'll thank you for noneof your indelicate insinuations."

So saying, the lady bounced out of theroom into her own, and ourmidshipmen then made a noise in thepassage to intimate that they had comein. They found Mr Hicks looking very

red and vice-consular indeed, but herecovered himself; and Captain Hoggmaking his appearance, they went todinner; but Miss Julia would not makeher appearance, and Mr Hicks wasbarely civil to the captain, but he wassoon afterwards called out, and ourmidshipmen went into the office toenable the two lovers to meet. Theywere heard then talking together, andafter a time they said less, and theirlanguage was more tender.

"Let us see what's going on, Jack," saidGascoigne; and they walked softly, so asto perceive the two lovers, who weretoo busy to be on the look-out.

Captain Hogg was requesting a lock ofhis mistress's hair. The plump Juliacould deny him nothing; she let fall herflaxen tresses, and taking out thescissors cut off a thick bunch from herhair behind, which she presented to thecaptain; it was at least a foot and a halflong, and an inch in circumference. Thecaptain took it in his immense hand,and thrust it into his coat-pocketbehind, but one thrust down to thebottom would not get it in, so he thrustagain and again until it was all coiledaway like a cable in a tier.

"That's a liberal girl," whispered Jack,"she gives by wholesale what it will takesome time to retail. But here comes Mr

Hicks, let's give them warning; I likeHogg, and as she fancies pork, she shallhave it, if I can contrive to help them."

That night Gascoigne went again onthe roof, and after waiting some timeheard the same air repeated: he waiteduntil it was concluded, and then, in avery low tone, sung it himself to thewords he had arranged for it. For sometime all was silent, and then the singingrecommenced, but it was not to thesame air. Gascoigne waited until thenew air had been repeated several times,and then, giving full scope to his finetenor voice, sang the first air again. Itechoed through the silence of the nightair, and then he waited, but in vain; the

soft voice of the female was heard nomore, and Gascoigne retired to rest.

This continued for three or four nights,Gascoigne singing the same airs theensuing night that he had heard thepreceding, until at last it appeared thatthe female had no longer any fear, butchanged the airs so as to be amusedwith the repetition of them nextevening. On the fifth night she sang thefirst air, and our midshipmanresponding, she then sang another,until she had sung them all, waitingeach time for the response. The wallwas not more than eight feet high, andGascoigne now determined, with theassistance of Jack, to have a sight of his

unknown songstress. He asked CaptainHogg to bring on shore some inch line,and he contrived to make a ladder withthree or four poles which were upstairs,used for drying linen. He fixed themagainst the wall without noise, all readyfor the evening. It was a beautiful, clearmoonlight night, when he went up,accompanied by Jack. The air was againsung, and repeated by Gascoigne, whothen softly mounted the ladder, held byJack, and raised his head above the wall;he perceived a young Moorish girl,splendidly dressed, half-lying on anottoman, with her eyes fixed upon themoon, whose rays enabled him toobserve that she was indeed beautiful.She appeared lost in contemplation;

and Gascoigne would have given theworld to have divined her thoughts.Satisfied with what he had seen, hedescended, and singing one of the airs,he then repeated the words, "Do not beafraid I love you I cannot speak yourlanguage." He then sang another of theairs, and after he had finished he againrepeated the words in Arabic; but therewas no reply. He sang the third air, andagain repeated the words, when, to hisdelight, he heard an answer in LinguaFranca.

"Can you speak in this tongue "

"Yes," replied Gascoigne, "I can, Allahbe praised! Be not afraid I love you."

"I know you not; who are you you arenot of my people."

"No, but I will be anything that youwish. I am a Frank, and an Englishofficer."

At this reply of Gascoigne there was apause.

"Am I then despised " said Gascoigne.

"No, not despised; but you are not ofmy people, or of my land; speak nomore, or you will be heard."

"I obey," replied Gascoigne, "since you

wish it; but I shall pine till to-morrow'smoon. I go to dream of you. Allahprotect you!"

"How amazingly poetical you were inyour language, Ned," said Easy, whenthey went down into their room.

"To be sure, Jack, I've read the ArabianNights. You never saw such eyes inyour life; what a houri she is!"

"Is she as handsome as Agnes, Ned "

"Twice as handsome by moonlight."

"That's all moonshine, and so will beyour courting, for it will come to

nothing."

"Not if I can help it."

"Why, Gascoigne, what would you dowith a wife "

"Just exactly what you would do, Jack."

"I mean, my dear Ned, can you affordto marry "

"Not while the old Governor lives, butI know he has some money in thefunds. He told me one day that I couldnot expect more than three thousandpounds. You know I have sisters."

"And before you come into that you'llhave three thousand children."

"That's a large family, Jack," repliedGascoigne, bursting out into laughter,in which our hero joined.

"Well, you know I only wanted to arguethe point with you."

"I know that, Jack. But I think we'recounting our chickens before they arehatched, which is foolish."

"In every other case except when weventure upon matrimony."

"Why, Jack, you're becoming quite

sensible."

"My wisdom is for my friends, my follyfor myself. Good-night." But Jack didnot go to sleep.

"I must not allow Gascoigne to dosuch a foolish thing," thought he."Marry a dark girl on midshipman'spay, if he succeeds get his throat cut ifhe does not."

As Jack said, his wisdom was for hisfriends, and he was so generous that hereserved none for his own occasions.

Miss Julia Hicks, as we before observed,set the fashions at Tetuan, and her style

of dress was not unbecoming. TheMoorish women wore large veils, orthey may be called what you will, fortheir head-dresses descend to theirheels at times and cover the wholebody, leaving an eye to peep with, andhiding everything else. Now Miss Hicksfound this much more convenient thanthe bonnet, as she might walk out inthe heat of the sun without burningher fair skin, and stare at everybody andeverything without being stared at inreturn. She therefore never went outwithout one of these overalls,composed of several yards of finemuslin. Her dress in the house wasusually of coloured sarcenet, for asmall vessel came into the port one day

during her father's lifetime, unloaded agreat quantity of bales of goods withEnglish marks, and, as the vessel hadgone out in ballast, there was a surmiseon his part by what means they cameinto the captain's possession. Hetherefore cited the captain up to theGovernor, but the affair was amicablyarranged by the vice-consul receivingabout one quarter of the cargo in balesof silks and muslins. Miss Hicks hadtherefore all her dresses of blue, green,and yellow sarcenet, which, with thewhite muslin overall, made her asconspicuous as the only Frankish ladyin the town had a right to be, and therewas not a dog which barked in Tetuanwhich did not know the sister of the

vice-consul, although few had seen herface.

Now it occurred to Jack, as Gascoignewas determined to carry on his amour,that in case of surprise it would be aswell if he dressed himself as MissHicks. He proposed it to Gascoigne thenext morning, who approved of theidea, and in the course of the day, whenMiss Hicks was busy with CaptainHogg, he contrived to abstract one ofher dresses and muslin overalls, whichhe could do in safety, as there wereplenty of them, for Miss Hicks was nottroubled with mantua-makers' bills.

When Gascoigne went up on the roof

the ensuing night, he put on the apparelof Miss Hicks, and looked very like heras far as figure went, although a littletaller. He waited for the Moorish girl tosing, but she did not; so he crept up theladder and looked over the wall, whenhe observed that she was reclining asbefore in deep thought. His head,covered with the muslin, caught hereye, and she gave a faint scream.

"Fear not, lady," said Gascoigne, "it isnot the first time that I have beheld thatsweet face. I sigh for a companion.What would I not give to be sitting byyour side! I am not of your creed, 'tistrue, but does it therefore follow thatwe should not love each other "

The Moorish girl was about to reply,when Gascoigne received an answerfrom a quarter whence he littleexpected it. It was from the Moorhimself, who, hearing his daughter'sscream, had come swiftly up to theroof.

"Does the Frankish lily wish to mingleher perfumes with the dark violet " saidhe; for he had often seen the sister ofthe vice-consul, and he imagined it wasshe who had come on the roof andascended the wall to speak with hisdaughter.

Gascoigne had presence of mind to

avail himself of this fortunate mistake."I am alone, worthy Moor," replied he,pulling the muslin over his face, "and Ipine for a companion. I have beencharmed by the nightingale on the roofof your dwelling; but I thought not tomeet the face of a man when I tookcourage to climb this ladder."

"If the Frankish lily will have courageto descend, she can sit by the side ofthe dark violet."

Gascoigne thought it advisable to makeno reply.

"Fear not," said the old Moor; "what isan old man but a woman!" and the

Moor brought a ladder, which heplaced against the wall.

After a pause Gascoigne said, "It is myfate"; and he then descended, and wasled by the Moor to the mattress uponwhich his daughter reclined. The Moorthen took his seat near them, and theyentered into conversation. Gascoigneknew quite enough of the vice-consuland his sister to play his part, and hethought proper to tell the Moor thather brother wished to give her as wifeto the captain of the ship, whom sheabhorred, and would take her to a coldand foggy climate; that she had beenborn here, and wished to live and diehere, and would prefer passing her life

in his women's apartments to leavingthis country. At which, Abdel Faza, forsuch was his name, felt very amorous.He put his hand to his forehead,salaamed, and told Gascoigne that hiszenana, and all that were in it, werehers, as well as his house and himself.After an hour's conversation, in whichAzar, his daughter, did not join, the oldMoor asked Gascoigne to descend intothe women's apartment; and observinghis daughter's silence, said to her

"Azar, you are angry that this Frankishhouri should come to the apartmentsof which you have hitherto been solemistress. Fear not, you will soon beanother's, for Osman Ali has asked thee

for his wife, and I have listened to hisrequest."

Now Osman Ali was as old as herfather, and Azar hated him. She offeredher hand tremblingly, and ledGascoigne into the zenana. The Moorattended them to the threshold, bowed,and left them.

That Gascoigne had time to press hissuit, and that he did not lose such agolden opportunity, may easily beimagined, and her father'scommunication relative to Osman Alivery much assisted our midshipman'scause.

He left the zenana, like mostmidshipmen, in love; that is, a littleabove quicksilver boiling heat. Jack,who had remained in a state of somesuspense all this time, was not sorry tohear voices in an amicable tone, and ina few minutes afterwards he perceivedthat Gascoigne was ascending theladder. It occurred to our hero that itwas perhaps advisable that he shouldnot be seen, as the Moor in hisgallantry might come up the ladderwith his supposed lady. He was right,for Abdel Faza not only followed herup the ladder on his side but assistedher to descend on the other, and withgreat ceremony took his leave.

Gascoigne hastened to Jack, who hadbeen peeping, and gave him a detail ofwhat had passed, describing Azar as themost beautiful, fascinating, and fondcreature that ever was created. Afterhalf an hour's relation he stoppedshort, because he discovered that Jackwas fast asleep.

The visits of Gascoigne were repeatedevery night; old Abdel Faza becameevery time more gallant, and ourmidshipman was under the necessity ofassuming a virtue if he had it not. Hepretended to be very modest.

In the meantime Captain Hoggcontinued his attentions to the real

Miss Hicks. The mate proceeded to getthe bullocks on board, and as morethan three weeks had already passedaway, it was time to think of departingfor Toulon; but Captain Hogg was toomuch in love; and as for Gascoigne, heintended, like all midshipmen in love,to give up the service. Jack reasonedwith the captain, who appeared to listento reason, because Miss Hicks hadagreed to follow his fortunes, andcrown his transports in the transportMary Ann. He therefore proposed thatthey should get away as fast as theycould, and as soon as they had weighedthe anchor he would come on shore,take off Miss Hicks, and make all sailfor Toulon.

Jack might have suffered this; thedifficulty was with Gascoigne, whowould not hear of going away withouthis lovely Azar. At last Jack planned ascheme which he thought wouldsucceed, and which would be a goodjoke to tell the Governor. He thereforeappeared to consent to Gascoigne'scarrying off his little Moor, and theycanvassed how it was to be managed.Jack then told Gascoigne that he hadhit upon a plan which would succeed.

"I find," said he, "from Captain Hogg,that he has an intention of carrying offMiss Hicks, and when I sounded himas to his having a lady with him, he

objected to it immediately, saying, thathe must have all the cabin to himselfand his intended. Now, in the firstplace, I have no notion of giving upthe cabin to Miss Hicks or Mrs Hogg.It will be very uncomfortable to beshut out, because he wishes to makelove; I therefore am determined that heshall not take off Miss Hicks. He hasproposed to me that he shall go onboard, and get the brig under way,leaving me with a boat on shore to signthe vouchers, and that Miss Hicks shallslip into the boat when I go off atdusk. Now I will not bring off MissHicks; if he wants to marry her, let himdo it when I am not on board. I havepaid for everything, and I consider the

cabin as mine.

"Look you, Ned, if you wish to carryoff your little Moor, there is but oneway, and that is a very simple one; leaveher a dress of Miss Hicks's when yougo there to-morrow night, and tell herto slip down at dusk, and come out ofthe house: all the danger will be in herown house, for as soon as she is out,she will be supposed to be the vice-consul's sister, and will not be observedor questioned. I will look out for andbring her on board instead of MissHicks. Hogg will have the brig underway, and will be too happy to make allsail, and she shall lock the cabin inside,so that the mistake shall not be

discovered till the next morning, andwe shall have a good laugh at CaptainHogg."

Gascoigne pronounced that Jack'sscheme was capital, and agreed to it,thanking him, and declaring that he wasthe best friend that he ever had. "So Iwill be," thought Jack, "but you will notacknowledge it at first." Jack then wentto Captain Hogg, and appeared to enterwarmly into his views, but told himthat Hicks suspected what was goingon, and had told him so, at the sametime declaring that he would not losesight of his sister until after Hogg wason board.

"Now," says Jack, "you know youcannot do the thing by main force; sothe best plan will be for you to go onboard and get under way, leaving me tobring off Miss Hicks, when her brotherwill imagine all danger to be over."

"Many thanks, Mr Easy," repliedCaptain Hogg; "it will be capital, andI'll arrange it all with my Sophy. Howvery kind of you!"

"But, Hogg, will you promise mesecrecy "

"Yes," replied the captain.

"That Gascoigne is a very silly fellow,

and wants to run away with a girl hehas made acquaintance with here; andwhat do you think he has proposedthat after the ship was under way, that Ishall carry her off in the boat; and hehas borrowed one of the dresses ofMiss Hicks, that it may appear to be her.I have agreed to it, but as I amdetermined that he shall not commitsuch a folly, I shall bring off MissHicks instead; and, observe, Hogg, he isthat sort of wild fellow, that if he wasto find that I had cheated him, hewould immediately go on shore and beleft behind; therefore we must handMiss Hicks down in the cabin, and shewill lock the door all night, so that hemay not observe the trick till the next

morning, and then we shall have a finelaugh at him."

Captain Hogg replied it would be anexcellent joke, as Gascoigne did beforehim.

Now it must be observed, that thewater and the bullocks, and the sheepand fowls, were all on board; and MrHicks, having received his money fromJack, had very much altered his manner;he was barely civil, for as he had got allhe could out of our hero, he wasanxious to get rid of him as well as ofCaptain Hogg. Our hero was veryindignant at this, but as it would notsuit his present views, pretended not to

notice it on the contrary, he professedthe warmest friendship for the vice-consul, and took an opportunity ofsaying that he could not return hiskindness in a better way than byinforming him of the plot which hadbeen arranged. He then told him of theintended escape of his sister, and thathe was the person intended to bring heroff.

"Infamous, by heavens!" cried the vice-consul; "I shall write to the foreignoffice on the subject."

"I think," said Jack, "it will be muchbetter to do what I shall propose,which will end in a hearty laugh, and to

the confusion of Captain Hogg. Doyou dress yourself in your sister'sclothes, and I will bring you off insteadof her. Let him imagine that he hasyour sister secure; I will hand youdown to the cabin, and do you lockyourself in. He cannot sail without myorders, and I will not sign the vouchers.The next morning we will open thecabin-door and have a good laugh athim. Desire your boat to be off atdaylight to take you on shore, and I willthen make him proceed to Toulonforthwith. It will be a capital joke."

So thought the vice-consul, as well asGascoigne and Captain Hogg. Heshook hands with Jack, and was as civil

to him as before.

That night Gascoigne left one of MissHicks's many dresses with Azar, whoagreed to follow his fortunes, and whopacked up all the jewels and money shecould lay her hands upon. Poor littlechild, she trembled with fear anddelight. Miss Hicks smuggled, as shethought, a box of clothes on board,and in the box was her fortune of threehundred dollars. Mr Hicks laughed inhis sleeve, so did Jack; and every onewent to bed with expectations that theirwishes would be realised. After an earlydinner, Captain Hogg and Gascoignewent on board, both squeezing Jack'shand as if they were never to see him

again, and looks of intelligence passedbetween all the parties.

As soon as they were out of the doorthe vice-consul chuckled and MissHicks, who thought he chuckled at theidea of having rid himself of CaptainHogg, chuckled still more as shelooked at our hero, who was herconfidant; and our hero, for reasonsknown to the reader, chuckled morethan either of them.

A little before dark, the boat was senton shore from the brig, which was nowunder way, and Mr Hicks, as had beenagreed, said that he should go into theoffice and prepare the vouchers that is,

put on his sister's clothes. Miss Hicksimmediately rose, and wishing our heroa pleasant voyage, as had been agreed,said that she should retire for the night,as she had a bad headache she wishedher brother good-night, and went intoher room to wait another hour, whenour hero, having shoved off the boat todeceive the vice-consul, was to return,meet her in the garden, and take her offto the brig. Our hero then went into theoffice and assisted the vice-consul, whotook off all his own clothes and tiedthem up in a handkerchief, intending toresume them after he had gone into thecabin.

As soon as he was ready, Jack carried

his bundle and led the supposed MissHicks down to the boat. They shovedoff in a great hurry, and Jack took anopportunity of dropping Mr Hicks'sbundle overboard. As soon as theyarrived alongside, Mr Hicks ascended,and was handed by Jack down into thecabin: he squeezed Jack's hand as heentered, saying in a whisper, "To-morrow morning what a laugh we shallhave!" and then he locked the door. Inthe meantime the boat was hooked onand hoisted up, and Jack took theprecaution to have the dead lightslowered, that Mr Hicks might not beable to ascertain what was going on.Gascoigne came up to our hero andsqueezed his hand.

"I'm so much obliged to you, Jack. Isay, to-morrow morning what a laughwe shall have!"

As soon as the boat was up, and themainyard filled, Captain Hogg alsocame up to our hero, shaking him bythe hand and thanking him; and he tooconcluded by saying, "I say, Mr Easy,to-morrow morning what a laugh weshall have!"

"Let those laugh who win," thoughtJack. The wind was fair, the watch wasset, the course was steered, and all wentdown to their hammocks, and went tosleep, waiting for to-morrow morning.

Mr Hicks, also, having nothing better todo, went to sleep, and by the morningdawn, the transport Mary Ann wasmore than a hundred miles from theAfrican shore.

CHAPTER XXIV

Our hero plays the very devil.

We must leave the reader to imagine theeffect of the next morning'sdenouement. Everyone was in a furyexcept Jack, who did nothing but laugh.The captain wanted to return to obtainMiss Hicks, Gascoigne to obtain Azar,

and the vice-consul to obtain his libertybut the wind was foul for their return,and Jack soon gained the captain on hisside. He pointed out to him that, in thefirst place, if he presumed to return, hewould forfeit his charter bond; in thesecond, he would have to pay for all thebullocks that died; in the third, that ifhe wished to take Miss Hicks as hiswife, he must not first injure hercharacter by having her on boardbefore the solemnity; and lastly, that hecould always go and marry herwhenever he pleased; the brother couldnot prevent him. All this was very goodadvice, and the captain became quitecalm and rational, and set his studding-sails below and aloft.

As for Gascoigne, it was no usereasoning with him, so it was agreedthat he should have satisfaction as soonas they could get on shore again. MrHicks was the most violent; he insistedthat the vessel should return, whileboth Jack and the captain refused,although he threatened them with thewhole foreign office. He insisted uponhaving his clothes, but Jack replied thatthey had tumbled overboard as theypulled from the shore. He thencommanded the mate and men to takethe vessel back, but they laughed at himand his woman's clothes. "At all events,I'll have you turned out of the service,"said he to our hero in his fury. "I shall

be extremely obliged to you," said Jackand Captain Hogg was so muchamused with the vice-consul'sappearance in his sister's clothes, that hequite forgot his own disappointment inlaughing at his intended brother-in-law.He made friends again with Jack, whoregained his ascendancy, and orderedout the porter on the capstern-head.They had an excellent dinner, but MrHicks refused to join them, whichhowever did not spoil the appetite ofJack or the captain: as for Gascoigne, hecould not eat a mouthful, but he drankto excess, looking over the rim of histumbler, as if he could devour ourhero, who only laughed the more.

Mr Hicks had applied to the men tolend him some clothes, but Jack hadforeseen that, and he was omnipotent.There was not a jacket or a pair oftrousers to be had for love or money.Mr Hicks then considered it advisableto lower his tone, and he applied toCaptain Hogg, who begged to beexcused without he consented to hismarriage with his sister, to which MrHicks gave an indignant negative. Hethen applied to Gascoigne, who toldhim in a very surly tone to go to h l. Atlast he applied to our hero, wholaughed, and said that he would seehim d -d first. So Mr Hicks sat down inhis petticoats and vowed revenge.Gascoigne, who had drunk much and

eaten nothing, turned in and went tosleep while Captain Hogg and our herodrank porter on the capstern.

Thus passed the first day, and the windwas famously fair the bullocks lowed,the cocks crew, the sheep baa'd, and theMary Ann made upwards of twohundred miles. Jack took possession ofthe other berth in the cabin, and hisMajesty's representative was obliged tolie down in his petticoats upon atopsail which lay between decks, with abullock on each side of him, who everynow and then made a dart at him withtheir horns, as if they knew that it wasto him that they were indebted for theirembarkation and being destined to

drive the scurvy out of the Toulonfleet.

We cannot enter into the details of thepassage, which, as the wind was fair,was accomplished in ten days withoutthe loss of a bullock. During this timeMr Hicks condescended to eat withoutspeaking, imagining that the hour ofretribution would come when theyjoined the Admiral. Gascoignegradually recovered himself, but didnot speak to our hero, who continuedto laugh and drink porter. On theeleventh morning they were in themidst of the Toulon fleet, and MrHicks smiled exultingly as he passedour hero in his petticoats, and

wondered that Jack showed no signs oftrepidation.

The fleet hove-to, Jack ran under theAdmiral's stern, lowered down his boat,and went on board, showed hiscredentials, and reported his bullocks.The general signal was made, there wasa fair division of the spoil, and then theAdmiral asked our hero whether themaster of the transport had any otherstock on board. Jack replied that he hadnot; but that, having been told by theGovernor of Malta that they might beacceptable, he had bought a few sheepand some dozen of fowls, which weremuch at his service, if he would acceptof them. The Admiral was much

obliged to the Governor, and also toJack, for thinking of him, but wouldnot, of course, accept of the stockwithout paying for them. He requestedhim to send all of them on board thathe could spare, and then asked Jack todine with him, for Jack had put on hisbest attire, and looked very much of agentleman.

"Mr Easy," said the flag-captain, whohad been looking at the transport withhis glass, "is that the master's wife onboard "

"No, sir," replied Jack; "it's the vice-consul."

"What, in petticoats! the vice-consul "

"Yes, the vice-consul of Tetuan. Hecame on board in that dress when thebrig was under way, and I considered itmy duty not to delay, being aware howvery important it was that the fleetshould be provided with fresh beef."

"What is all this, Mr Easy " said theAdmiral; "there has been some trickhere. You will oblige me by coming intothe cabin."

Easy followed the Admiral and flag-captain into the cabin, and then boldlytold the whole story how he trickedthem all. It was impossible for either of

them to help laughing, and when theybegan to laugh, it was almost asimpossible to stop.

"Mr Easy," said the Admiral at last, "Ido not altogether blame you; it appearsto me the captain of the transportwould have delayed sailing because hewas in love and that Mr Gascoignewould have stayed behind because hewas infatuated, independent of the ill-will against the English which wouldhave been excited by the abduction ofthe girl. But I think you might havecontrived to manage all that withoutputting the vice-consul in petticoats."

"I acted to the best of my judgment,

sir," replied Jack, very humbly.

"And altogether you have done well.Captain Malcolm, send a boat for thevice-consul."

Mr Hicks was too impatient to tell hiswrongs to care for his being in hissister's clothes: he came on board, andalthough the tittering was great, heimagined that it would soon be all inhis favour, when it was known that hewas a diplomatic. He told his story, andwaited for the decision of the Admiral,which was to crush our hero, whostood with the midshipmen on the leeside of the deck; but the Admiralreplied, "Mr Hicks, in the first place,

this appears to me to be a family affairconcerning the marriage of your sister,with which I have nothing to do. Youwent on board of your own free will inwoman's clothes. Mr Easy's orders werepositive, and he obeyed them. It was hisduty to sail as soon as the transport wasready. You may forward your complaintif you please, but, as a friend, I tell youthat it will probably occasion yourdismissal; for these kind of pranks arenot understood at the foreign office.You may return to the transport, which,after she has touched at Mahon, willproceed again to Tetuan. The boat isalongside, sir."

Mr Hicks, astonished at the want of

respect paid to a vice-consul, shovedhis petticoats between his legs, andwent down the side amidst the laughterof the whole of the ship's company.Our hero dined with the Admiral, andwas well received. He got his orders tosail that night for Minorca, and as soonas dinner was over he returned onboard, where he found Captain Hoggvery busy selling his porter Gascoignewalking the deck in a brown study andMr Hicks solus abaft, sulking in hispetticoats.

As soon as they were clear of the boats,the Mary Ann hoisted her ensign andmade sail, and as all the porter was notyet sold, Jack ordered up a bottle.

Jack was much pleased with the resultof his explanation with the Admiral,and he felt that, for once, he had notonly got into no scrape himself, butthat he had prevented others.Gascoigne walked the deck gloomily;the fact was, that he was very unhappy:he had had time to reflect, and nowthat the first violence had subsided, hefelt that our hero had done him a realservice, and had prevented him fromcommitting an act of egregious folly;and yet he had summoned this friendto meet him in the field and such hadbeen his gratitude. He would havegiven the world to recall what hadpassed, and to make friends, but he felt

ashamed, as most people do, toacknowledge his error; he had,however, almost made up his mind toit, and was walking up and downthinking in what manner he mightcontrive it, when Jack, who was sitting,as usual, in a chair by the capstern withhis porter by him, said to himself,"Now I'll lay my life that Ned wants tomake friends, and is ashamed to speakfirst; I may be mistaken, and he may flyoff at a tangent; but even if I am, at allevents it will not be I who am wrongI'll try him." Jack waited till Gascoignepassed him again, and then said,looking kindly and knowingly in hisface,

"I say, Ned, will you have a glass ofporter "

Gascoigne smiled, and Jack held out hishand; the reconciliation was effected ina moment, and the subject of quarrelwas not canvassed by either party.

"We shall be at Minorca in a day ortwo," observed Jack, after a while; "nowI shall be glad to get there. Do youknow, Ned, that I feel very muchsatisfied with myself; I have got into noscrape this time, and I shall,notwithstanding, have a good story totell the Governor when I go to Malta."

"Partly at my expense," replied

Gascoigne.

"Why, you will figure a little in it, butothers will figure much more."

"I wonder what has become of thatpoor girl," observed Gascoigne, whocould not refrain from mentioning her;"what hurts me most is, that she mustthink me such a brute."

"No doubt of that, Ned, take anotherglass of porter."

"Her father gave me this largediamond."

"The old goat sell it, and drink his

health with it."

"No, I'll keep it in memory of hisdaughter." Here Gascoigne fell into amelancholy reverie, and Jack thoughtof Agnes.

In two days they arrived at Mahon, andfound the Aurora already there, in thecommand of Captain Wilson. MrHicks had persuaded Captain Hogg tofurnish him with clothes, Jack havingtaken off the injunction as soon as hehad quitted the Admiral. Mr Hicks wasaware, that if the Admiral would notlisten to his complaint, it was no usespeaking to a captain: so he remainedon board a pensioner upon Captain

Hogg, and after our midshipmenquitted the transport they became verygood friends. Mr Hicks consented tothe match, and Captain Hogg was madehappy. As for poor Azar, she hadwandered about until she was tired, inMiss Hicks's dress, and at last returnedbroken hearted to her father's, and wasadmitted by Abdel Faza himself; heimagined it was Miss Hicks, and was intransports he discovered it was hisdaughter, and he was in a fury. The nextday she went to the zenana of OsmanAli.

When Jack reported himself he did nottell the history of the elopements, thathe might not hurt the feelings of

Gascoigne. Captain Wilson wassatisfied with the manner in which hehad executed his orders, and asked him,"whether he preferred staying in theHarpy, or following him into theAurora."

Jack hesitated. "Speak frankly, Mr Easy;if you prefer Captain Sawbridge to me,I shall not be affronted."

"No, sir," replied Easy, "I do not preferCaptain Sawbridge to you; you haveboth been equally kind to me, but Iprefer you. But the fact is, sir, that I donot much like to part with Gascoigneor "

"Or who " said the captain, smiling.

"With Mesty, sir; you may think me veryfoolish, but I should not be alive at thismoment, if it had not been for him."

"I do not consider gratitude to befoolish, Mr Easy," replied CaptainWilson. "Mr Gascoigne I intend to takewith me, if he chooses to come, as Ihave a great respect for his father, andno fault to find with him, that is,generally speaking; but as for Mestywhy he is a good man, and as you havebehaved yourself very well, perhaps Imay think of it."

The next day Mesty was included

among the boat's crew taken with himby Captain Wilson, according to theregulations of the service, andappointed to the same situation underthe master at arms of the Aurora.Gascoigne and our hero were alsodischarged into the frigate.

As our hero never has shown anyremarkable predilection for duty, thereader will not be surprised at hisrequesting from Captain Wilson a fewdays on shore, previous to his going onboard of the Aurora. Captain Wilsonallowed the same licence to Gascoigne,as they had both been cooped up forsome time on board of a transport.Our hero took up his quarters at the

only respectable hotel in the town, andwhenever he could meet an officer ofthe Aurora, he very politely begged thepleasure of his company to dinner.Jack's reputation had gone before him,and the midshipmen drank his wineand swore he was a trump. Not thatJack was to be deceived, but, upon theprinciples of equality, he argued that itwas the duty of those who couldafford dinners to give them to thosewho could not. This was a sad error onJack's part; but he had not yet learnt thevalue of money; he was such a fool asto think that the only real use of it wasto make other people happy. It must,however, be offered in his extenuationthat he was a midshipman and a

philosopher, and not yet eighteen.

At last Jack had remained so long onshore, keeping open house, and thefirst lieutenant of the Aurora found theofficers so much more anxious forleave, now that they were at little or noexpense, that he sent him a very politemessage, requesting the pleasure of hiscompany on board that evening. Jackreturned an equally polite answer,informing the first lieutenant that notbeing aware that he wished to see him,he had promised to accompany somefriends to a masquerade that night, butthat he would not fail to pay hisrespects to him the next day. The firstlieutenant admitted the excuse, and our

hero, after having entertained half-a-dozen of the Auroras, for the Harpyhad sailed two days before, dressedhimself for the masquerade, which washeld in a church about two miles and ahalf from Mahon.

Jack had selected the costume of thedevil, as being the most appropriate,and mounting a jackass, he rode downin his dress to the masquerade. But, asJack was just going in, he perceived ayellow carriage, with two footmen ingaudy liveries, draw up, and with hisusual politeness, when the footmenopened the door, offered his arm tohand out a fat old dowager coveredwith diamonds; the lady looked up, and

perceiving Jack covered with hair, withhis trident and his horns, and long tail,gave a loud scream, and would havefallen had it not been for CaptainWilson, who, in his full uniform, wascoming in, and caught her in his arms:while the old lady thanked him, andCaptain Wilson bowed, Jack hastilyretreated. "I shall make no conqueststo-night," thought he; so he entered thechurch, and joined the crowd; but itwas so dense that it was hardly possibleto move, and our hero soon got tiredof flourishing his trident, and stickingit into people, who wondered what thedevil he meant.

"This is stupid work," thought Jack, "I

may have more fun outside": so Jackput on his cloak, left the masquerade,and went out in search of adventures.He walked into the open country,about half a mile, until he came to asplendid house, standing in a garden oforange trees, which he determined toreconnoitre. He observed that awindow was open and lights were inthe room; and he climbed up to thewindow, and just opened the whitecurtain and looked in. On a bed lay anelderly person, evidently dying, and bythe side of the bed were three priests,one of whom held the crucifix in hishand, another the censer, and a thirdwas sitting at a table with a paper, pen,and ink. As Jack understood Spanish,

he listened, and heard one of thepriests say:

"Your sins have been enormous, myson, and I cannot give you extremeunction or absolution unless you makesome amends."

"I have," answered the moribund, "leftmoney for ten thousand masses to besaid for my soul."

"Five hundred thousand masses are notsufficient: how have you gained yourenormous wealth by usury and robbingthe poor."

"I have left a thousand dollars to be

distributed among the poor on the dayof my funeral."

"One thousand dollars is nothing youmust leave all your property to holychurch."

"And my children!" replied the dyingman, faintly.

"What are your children compared toyour salvation reply not: either consent,or not only do I refuse you theconsolation of the dying, but Iexcommunicate "

"Mercy, holy father, mercy!" said the oldman, in a dying voice.

"There is no mercy, you are damned forever and ever. Amen. Now hear:excommunicabo te "

"Stop stop have you the paper ready "

"Tis here, all ready, by which yourevoke all former wills, and endow theholy church with your property. We willread it, for God forbid that it should besaid that the holy church received aninvoluntary gift."

"I will sign it," replied the dying man,"but my sight fails me; be quick,absolve me." And the paper was signed,with difficulty, as the priests supported

the dying man. "And now absolve me."

"I do absolve thee," replied the priest,who then went through the ceremony.

"Now this is a confounded rascallybusiness," said Jack to himself; whothen dropped his cloak, jumped uponthe window-sill, opened wide thewindow-curtains with both hands, anduttered a yelling kind of "ha! ha! ha!ha!"

The priests turned round, saw thedemon as they imagined dropped thepaper on the table, and threwthemselves with their faces on the floor.

"Exorciso te," stammered one. "Ha! ha!ha! ha!" repeated Jack, entering theroom, and taking up the paper whichhe burnt by the flame of the candle.Our hero looked at the old man on thebed; his jaw had fallen, his eyes wereturned. He was dead. Jack then gaveone more "ha! ha! ha! ha!" to keep thepriests in their places, blew out thecandles, made a spring out of thewindow, caught up his cloak, anddisappeared as fast as his legs couldcarry him.

Jack ran until he was out of breath, andthen he stopped, and sat down by theside of the road. It was broadmoonlight, and Jack knew not where he

was: "but Minorca has not many highroads," thought Jack, "and I shall findmy way home. Now, let me see, I havedone some good this evening. I haveprevented those rogues fromdisinheriting a family. I wonder whothey are; they ought to be infinitelyobliged to me. But if the priests findme out, what shall I do I never darecome on shore again they'd have me inthe Inquisition. I wonder where I am,"said Jack; "I will get on that hill, and seeif I can take a departure."

The hill was formed by the road beingcut perpendicularly almost through it,and was perhaps some twelve orfourteen feet high. Jack ascended it, and

looked about him. "There is the sea, atall events, with the full moon silveringthe waves," said Jack, turning from theroad, "and here is the road; then thatmust be the way to Port Mahon. Butwhat comes here it's a carriage. Why, it'sthe yellow carriage of that old lady withher diamonds, and her two splashyfootmen!"

Jack was watching it as it passed theroad under him, when of a sudden, heperceived about a dozen men rush out,and seize the horses' heads, a dischargeof fire-arms, the coachman droppedoff the box, and the two footmendropped from behind. The robbersthen opened the door, and were

hauling out the fat old lady coveredwith diamonds. Jack thought a secondit occurred to him, that although hecould not cope with so many, he mightfrighten them, as he had frightened oneset of robbers already that night. Theold lady had just been tumbled out ofthe carriage-door, like a large bundle ofclothes tied up for the wash, when Jack,throwing off his cloak, and advancingto the edge of the precipice, with thefull moon behind him throwing out hisfigure in strong relief, raised his trident,and just as they were raising theirknives, yelled a most unearthly "ha, ha,ha, ha!"

The robbers looked up, and forgetting

the masquerade, for there is a doubletremor in guilt, screamed with fear;most of them ran away, and droppedafter a hundred yards; others remainedparalysed and insensible. Jackdescended the hill, went to theassistance of the old lady, who hadswooned, and had to put her into thecarriage; but although our hero wasvery strong, this was a work of nosmall difficulty. After one or twoattempts, he lowered down the stepsand contrived to bump her on the first,from the first he purchased her on thesecond, and from the second he at lastseated her at the door of the carriage.

Jack had no time to be over-polite. He

then threw her back into the bottom ofthe carriage, her heels went up to thetop, Jack shoved in her petticoats as fastas he could, for decency, and thenshutting the door seized the reins, andjumped upon the box. "I don't knowthe way," thought Jack, "but we mustneeds go when the devil drives"; sosticking his trident into the horses, theyset off at a rattling pace, passing overthe bodies of the two robbers, who hadheld the reins, and who both lay beforehim in a swoon. As soon as he hadbrought the horses into a trot, heslackened the reins, for, as Jack wiselyargued, they will be certain to go homeif I let them have their own way Thehorses, before they arrived at the town,

turned off, and stopped at a largecountry house.

That he might not frighten the people,Jack had put on his cloak, and takenoff his mask and head-piece, which hehad laid beside him on the box. At thesound of the carriage-wheels theservants came out, when Jack, in fewwords, told them what had happened.Some of the servants ran in, and ayoung lady made her appearance, whilethe others were helping the old lady outof the carriage, who had recovered hersenses, but had been so muchfrightened that she had remained in theposture in which Jack had put her.

As soon as she was out, Jack descendedfrom the coach-box and entered thehouse. He stated to the young ladywhat had taken place, and howopportunely he had frightened awaythe robbers, just as they were about tomurder her relation; and also suggestedthe propriety of sending after theservants who had fallen in the attack;which was immediately done by astrong and well-armed party collectedfor the occasion. Jack, having made hisspeech, made a very polite bow andtook his leave, stating that he was anEnglish officer belonging to a frigate inthe harbour. He knew his way back,and in half an hour was again at theinn, and found his comrades. Jack

thought it advisable to keep his ownsecret, and therefore merely said, that hehad taken a long walk in the country;and soon afterwards went to bed.

The next morning our hero, who wasalways a man of his word, packed uphis portmanteau, and paid his bill. Hehad just completed this heavyoperation, when somebody wanted tospeak to him, and a sort of half-clerical,half-legal sort of looking gentlemanwas introduced, who, with a starchedface and prim air, said that he came torequest in writing the name of theofficer who was dressed as a devil, inthe masquerade of the night before.

Jack looked at his interrogator, andthought of the priests and theInquisition. "No, no," thought he, "thatwon't do; a name I must give, but itshall be one that you dare not meddlewith. A midshipman you might gethold of, but it's more than the wholeisland dare to touch a post-captain ofone of his Majesty's frigates." So Jacktook the paper and wrote CaptainHenry Wilson, of his Majesty's shipAurora.

The prim man made a prim bow, foldedup the paper and left the room.

Jack threw the waiter half a doubloon,lighted his cigar, and went on board.

CHAPTER XXV

In which the old proverb is illustrated,"That you must not count yourchickens before they are hatched."

The first lieutenant of the Aurora was avery good officer in many respects, but,as a midshipman, he had contracted thehabit of putting his hands in hispockets, and could never keep themout, even when the ship was in a galeof wind; and hands are of some use ina heavy lurch. He had more than oncereceived serious injury from falling on

these occasions, but habit was toopowerful; and, although he had oncebroken his leg by falling down thehatchway, and had moreover a largescar on his forehead, received frombeing thrown to leeward against one ofthe guns, he still continued the practice;indeed, it was said that once when itwas necessary for him to go aloft, hehad actually taken the two first roundsof the Jacob's ladder withoutwithdrawing them, until, losing hisbalance, he discovered that it was notquite so easy to go aloft with his handsin his pockets. In fact, there was nogetting up his hands, even when allhands were turned up.

He had another peculiarity, which was,that he had taken a peculiar fancy to aquack medicine, called Enouy'sUniversal Medicine for all Mankind;and Mr Pottyfar was convinced in hisown mind that the label was no libel,except from the greatness of its truth.In his opinion, it cured everything, andhe spent one of his quarterly bills everyyear in bottles of this stuff; which henot only took himself every time hewas unwell, but occasionally whenquite well, to prevent his falling sick.He recommended it to everybody in theship, and nothing pleased him so muchas to give a dose of it to everyone whocould be persuaded to take it. Theofficers laughed at him, but it was

generally behind his back, for hebecame very angry if contradictedupon this one point, upon which hecertainly might be considered to be alittle cracked. He was indefatigable inmaking proselytes to his creed, andexpatiated upon the virtues of themedicine, for an hour running, provingthe truth of his assertions by apamphlet, which, with his hands, healways carried in his trousers' pocket.

Jack reported himself when he came onboard, and Mr Pottyfar, who was on thequarter-deck at the time, expressed ahope that Mr Easy would take his shareof the duty, now that he had had sucha spell on shore; to which Jack very

graciously acceded, and then wentdown below, where he foundGascoigne and his new messmates, withmost of whom he was alreadyacquainted.

"Well, Easy," said Gascoigne, "have youhad enough of the shore "

"Quite," replied Jack, recollecting that,after the events of the night before, hewas just as well on board; "I don'tintend to ask for any more leave."

"Perhaps it's quite as well, for MrPottyfar is not very liberal on that score,I can tell you; there is but one way ofgetting leave from him."

"Indeed!" replied Jack; "and what is that"

"You must pretend that you are notwell, take some of his quack medicine,and then he will allow you a run onshore to work it off."

"Oh! that's it, is it well then, as soon aswe anchor in Valette, I'll go through aregular course, but not till then."

"It ought to suit you, Jack; it's anequality medicine; cures one disorderjust as well as the other."

"Or kills which levels all the patients.

You're right, Gascoigne, I mustpatronise that stuff for more reasonsthan one. Who was that person on deckin mufti "

"The mufti, Jack; in other words, thechaplain of the ship, but he's a primesailor, nevertheless."

"How's that "

"Why, he was brought up on thequarter-deck, served his time, wasacting lieutenant for two years, andthen, somehow or another, he bore upfor the church."

"Indeed what were his reasons "

"No one knows but they say he hasbeen unhappy ever since."

"Why so "

"Because he did a very foolish thing,which cannot now be remedied. Hesupposed at the time that he wouldmake a good parson, and now that hehas long got over his fit, he findshimself wholly unfit for it he is still theofficer in heart, and is always strugglingwith his natural bent, which is verycontrary to what a parson should feel."

"Why don't they allow parsons to bebroke by a court-martial, and turned

out of the service, or to resign theircommissions, like other people "

"It won't do, Jack they serve heaventhere's a difference between that andserving his Majesty."

"Well, I don't understand these things.When do we sail "

"The day after to-morrow."

"To join the fleet of Toulon "

"Yes: but I suppose we shall be drivenon the Spanish coast going there. Inever knew a man-of-war that wasnot."

"No; wind always blows from thesouth, going up the Mediterranean."

"Perhaps you'll take another prize, Jackmind you don't go away without thearticles of war."

"I won't go away without Mesty, if Ican help it. O dear, how abominable amidshipman's berth is after a long runon shore! I positively must go on deckand look at the shore, if I can donothing else."

"Why, ten minutes ago you had hadenough of it " "Yes, but ten minuteshere has made me feel quite sick. I shall

go to the first lieutenant for a dose."

"I say, Easy, we must both be physickedon the same day."

"To be sure; but stop till we get toMalta."

Jack went on deck, made acquaintancewith the chaplain and some of theofficers whom he had not known, thenclimbed up into the main-top, where hetook a seat on the armolest, and, as helooked at the shore, thought over theevents that had passed, until Agnescame to his memory, and he thoughtonly of her. When a mid is in love, healways goes aloft to think of the object

of his affection; why, I don't know,except that his reverie is not so likely tobe disturbed by an order from asuperior officer.

The Aurora sailed on the second day,and, with a fine breeze, stood across,making as much northing as easting;the consequence was, that one finemorning they saw the Spanish coastbefore they saw the Toulon fleet. MrPottyfar took his hands out of hispockets, because he could not examinethe coast through a telescope withoutso doing; but this, it is said, was the firsttime that he had done so on thequarter-deck from the day that the shiphad sailed from Port Mahon. Captain

Wilson was also occupied with histelescope, so were many of the officersand midshipmen, and the men at themastheads used their eyes, but therewas nothing but a few small fishing-boats to be seen. So they all went downto breakfast, as the ship was hove-toclose in with the land.

"What will Easy bet," said one of themidshipmen, "that we don't see a prizeto-day "

"I will not bet that we do not see avessel but I'll bet you what you please,that we do not take one before twelveo'clock at night."

"No, no, that won't do just let theteapot travel over this way, for it's myforenoon watch."

"It's a fine morning," observed one ofthe mates, of the name of Martin; "butI've a notion it won't be a fine evening."

"Why not " inquired another.

"I've now been eight years in theMediterranean, and know somethingabout the weather. There's a watery sky,and the wind is very steady. If we arenot under double-reefed topsails to-night, say I'm no conjurer."

"That you will be, all the same, if we

are under bare poles," said another.

"You're devilish free with your tongue,my youngster Easy, pull his ears forme."

"Pull them easy, Jack, then," said theboy, laughing.

"All hands make sail!" now resoundedat the hatchways.

"There they are, depend upon it," criedGascoigne, catching up his hat andbolting out of the berth, followed byall the others except Martin, who hadjust been relieved, and thought that hispresence in the waist might be

dispensed with for the short time, atleast, which it took him to swallow acup of tea.

It was very true; a galliot and fourlateen vessels had just made theirappearance round the easternmostpoint, and as soon as they observed thefrigate, had hauled their wind. In aminute the Aurora was under a pressof canvas, and the telescopes were alldirected to the vessels.

"All deeply laden, sir," observed MrHawkins, the chaplain; "how the topsailof the galliot is scored!"

"They have a fresh breeze just now,"

observed Captain Wilson to the firstlieutenant.

"Yes, sir, and it's coming down fast."

"Hands by the royal halyards, there."

The Aurora careened with the canvas tothe rapidly-increasing breeze.

"Top-gallant sheet and halyards."

"Luff you may, quarter-master; luff, Itell you. A small pull of that weathermaintop-gallant brace that will do," saidthe master.

"Top-men aloft there; stand by to clew

up the royals and, Captain Wilson, shallwe take them in I'm afraid of that poleit bends now like a coach-whip," saidMr Pottyfar, looking up aloft, with hishands in both pockets.

"In royals lower away."

"They are going about, sir," said thesecond lieutenant, Mr Haswell.

"Look out," observed the chaplain, "it'scoming."

Again the breeze increased, and thefrigate was borne down. "Hands reeftopsails in stays, Mr Pottyfar."

"Aye, aye, sir 'bout ship."

The helm was put down and thetopsails lowered and reefed in stays."Very well, my lads, very well indeed,"said Captain Wilson.

Again the topsails were hoisted andtop-gallant sheets home It was a strongbreeze, although the water was smooth,and the Aurora dashed through at therate of eight miles an hour, with herweather leeches lifting.

"Didn't I tell you so " said Martin to hismessmates on the gangway "but there'smore yet, my boys."

"We must take the top-gallant sails offher," said Captain Wilson, looking aloftfor the frigate now careened to herbearings, and the wind was increasingand squally. "Try them a little longer";but another squall came suddenly thehalyards were lowered, and the sailsclewed up and furled.

In the meantime the frigate had rapidlygained upon the vessels, which stillcarried on every stitch of canvas,making short tacks in-shore. TheAurora was again put about with herhead towards them, and they were nottwo points on her weather-bow. Thesky, which had been clear in themorning, was now overcast, the sun

was obscured with opaque whiteclouds, and the sea was rising fast.Another ten minutes, and then theywere under double-reefed topsails andthe squalls were accompanied withheavy rain. The frigate now dashedthrough the waves, foaming in hercourse, and straining under the press ofsail. The horizon was so thick that thevessels ahead were no longer to be seen.

"We shall have it, I expect," saidCaptain Wilson.

"Didn't I say so " observed Martin toGascoigne. "We take no prizes this day,depend upon it."

"We must have another hand to thewheel, sir, if you please," said thequarter-master, who was assisting thehelmsman.

Mr Pottyfar, with his hands concealedas usual, stood by the capstern. "I fear,sir, we cannot carry the mainsail muchlonger."

"No," observed the chaplain, "I wasthinking so."

"Captain Wilson, if you please, we arevery close in," said the master; "don'tyou think we had better go about "

"Yes, Mr Jones. Hands about ship and,

yes, by heavens we must! up mainsail."The mainsail was taken off, and thefrigate appeared to be immediatelyrelieved. She no longer jerked andplunged as before.

"We're very near the land, CaptainWilson; thick as it is, I think I can makeout the loom of it shall we wear round,sir " continued the master.

"Yes, hands wear ship put the helm up."It was but just in time, for, as the frigateflew round, describing a circle, as shepayed off before the wind, they couldperceive the breakers lashing theprecipitous coast, not two cables' lengthfrom them.

"I had no idea we were so near,"observed the captain, compressing hislips "can they see anything of thosevessels "

"I have not seen them this quarter ofan hour, sir," replied the signal-man,protecting his glass from the rain underhis jacket.

"How's her head now, quarter-master "

"South south-east, sir."

The sky now assumed a differentappearance the white clouds had beenexchanged for others dark and murky,

the wind roared at intervals, and therain came down in torrents. CaptainWilson went down into the cabin toexamine the barometer.

"The barometer has risen," said he onhis return on deck. "Is the wind steady"

"No, sir, she's up and off three points."

"This will end in a south-wester." Thewet and heavy sails now flapped fromthe shifting of the wind.

"Up with the helm, quarter-master."

"Up it is she's off to south-by-west."

The wind lulled, the rain came down ina deluge for a minute it was quite calm,and the frigate was on an even keel.

"Man the braces. We shall be takenaback, directly, depend upon it." Thebraces were hardly stretched alongbefore this was the case. The wind flewround to the south-west with a loudroar, and it was fortunate that they wereprepared the yards were braced round,and the master asked the captain, whatcourse they were to steer.

"We must give it up," observed CaptainWilson, holding on by the belaying pin."Shape our course for Cape Sicie, Mr

Jones."

And the Aurora flew before the gale,under her foresail and topsails closereefed. The weather was now so thickthat nothing could be observed twentyyards from the vessel; the thunderpealed, and the lightning darted inevery direction over the dark expanse.The watch was called as soon as thesails were trimmed, and all who couldwent below, wet, uncomfortable, anddisappointed.

"What an old Jonah you are, Martin,"said Gascoigne.

"Yes, I am," replied he; "but we have

the worst to come yet, in my opinion. Irecollect, not two hundred miles fromwhere we are now, we had just such agale in the Favourite, and we as nearlywent down, when "

At this moment a tremendous noisewas heard above, a shock was feltthroughout the whole ship, whichtrembled fore and aft as if it was aboutto fall into pieces: loud shrieks werefollowed by plaintive cries, the lowerdeck was filled with smoke, and thefrigate was down on her beam ends.Without exchanging a word, the wholeof the occupants of the berth flew out,and were up the hatchway, not knowingwhat to think, but convinced that some

dreadful accident had taken place.

On their gaining the deck it was at onceexplained; the foremast of the frigatehad been struck by lightning, had beenriven into several pieces, and had fallenover the larboard bow, carrying with itthe main-topmast and jib-boom. Thejagged stump of the foremast was inflames, and burned brightly,notwithstanding the rain fell in torrents.The ship, as soon as the foremast andmain topmast had gone overboard,broached-to furiously, throwing themen over the wheel and dashing themsenseless against the carronades; theforecastle, the forepart of the maindeck, and even the lower deck, were

spread with men, either killed orseriously wounded, or insensible fromthe electric shock. The frigate was onher beam ends, and the sea brokefuriously over her; all was dark as pitch,except the light from the blazing stumpof the foremast, appearing like a torch,held up by the wild demons of thestorm, or when occasionally thegleaming lightning cast a momentaryglare, threatening every moment torepeat its attack upon the vessel, whilethe deafening thunder burst almost ontheir devoted heads.

All was dismay and confusion for aminute or two: at last Captain Wilson,who had himself lost his sight for a

short time, called for the carpenter andaxes they climbed up, that is, two orthree of them, and he pointed to themizzen-mast; the master was also there,and he cut loose the axes for theseamen to use; in a few minutes themizzen-mast fell over the quarter, andthe helm being put hard up, the frigatepayed off and slowly righted. But thehorror of the scene was not yet over.The boatswain, who had been on theforecastle, had been led below, for hisvision was gone for ever. The men wholay scattered about had been examined,and they were assisting them down tothe care of the surgeon, when the cryof "Fire!" issued from the lower deck.The ship had taken fire at the coal-hole

and carpenter's store-room, and thesmoke that now ascended was intense.

"Call the drummer," said CaptainWilson, "and let him beat to quarters allhands to their stations let the pumps berigged and the buckets passed along.Mr Martin, see that the wounded menare taken down below. Where's MrHaswell Mr Pottyfar, station the men topass the water on by hand on the lowerdeck. I will go there myself. Mr Jones,take charge of the ship."

Pottyfar, who actually had taken hishands out of his pockets, hasteneddown to comply with the captain'sorders on the main deck, as Captain

Wilson descended to the deck below.

"I say, Jack, this is very different fromthis morning," observed Gascoigne.

"Yes," replied Jack, "so it is; but I say,Gascoigne, what's the best thing to dowhen the chimney's on fire on shore,they put a wet blanket over it."

"Yes," replied Gascoigne; "but whenthe coal-hole's on fire on board, theywill not find that sufficient."

"At all events, wet blankets must be agood firing, Ned, so let us pull out thehammocks; cut the lanyards and getsome out we can but offer them, you

know, and if they do no good, at leastit will show our zeal."

"Yes, Jack, and I think when they turnin again, those whose blankets you takewill agree with you, that zeal makes theservice very uncomfortable. However, Ithink you are right."

The two midshipmen collected three orfour hands, and in a very short timethey had more blankets than they couldcarry there was no trouble in wettingthem, for the main deck was afloat andfollowed by the men they had collected,Easy and Gascoigne went down withlarge bundles in their arms to whereCaptain Wilson was giving directions to

the men.

"Excellent, Mr Easy, excellent, MrGascoigne" said Captain Wilson."Come, my lads, throw them over now,and stamp upon them well"; the men'sjackets and the captain's coat hadalready been sacrificed to the sameobject.

Easy called the other midshipmen, andthey went up for a further supply; butthere was no occasion, the fire hadbeen smothered: still the danger hadbeen so great that the fore magazinehad been floated. During all this, whichlasted perhaps a quarter of an hour, thefrigate had rolled gunwale under, and

many were the accidents whichoccurred. At last all danger from firehad ceased, and the men were orderedto return to their quarters, when threeofficers and forty-seven men werefound absent seven of them were dead,most of them were already under thecare of the surgeon, but some were stilllying in the scuppers.

No one had been more active or morebrave during this time of danger, thanMr Hawkins, the chaplain. He waseverywhere, and when Captain Wilsonwent down to put out the fire he wasthere, encouraging the men andexerting himself most gallantly. He andMesty came aft when all was over, one

just as black as the other. The chaplainsat down and wrung his hands "Godforgive me!" said he, "God forgive me!"

"Why so, sir " said Easy, who stoodnear. "I am sure you need not beashamed of what you have done."

"No, no, not ashamed of what I'vedone; but, Mr Easy I have sworn so,sworn such oaths at the men in haste I,the chaplain! God forgive me! I meantnothing." It was very true that MrHawkins had sworn a great deal duringhis exertions, but he was at that timethe quarter-deck officer and not thechaplain; the example to the men andhis gallantry had been most serviceable.

"Indeed, sir," said Easy, who saw thechaplain was in great tribulation, andhoped to pacify him, "I was certainlynot there all the time, but I only heardyou say, 'God bless you, my men! besmart,' and so on; surely, that is notswearing."

"Was it that I said, Mr Easy, are yousure I really had an idea that I had d -dthem all in heaps, as some of themdeserved no, no, not deserved. Did Ireally bless them nothing but blessthem "

"Yes, sir," said Mesty, who perceivedwhat Jack wanted: "it was nothing, I

assure you, but 'God bless you, CaptainWilson! Bless your heart, my goodmen!-Bless the king!' and so on. You donothing but shower down blessing andwet blanket."

"I told you so," said Jack. "Well, MrEasy, you've made me very happy,"replied the chaplain; "I was afraid it wasotherwise."

So indeed it was, for the chaplain hadsworn like a boatswain; but as Jack andMesty had turned all his curses intoblessings, the poor man gave himselfabsolution, and shaking hands withJack, hoped he would come down intothe gun-room and take a glass of grog;

nor did he forget Mesty, who received agood allowance at the gun-room door,to which Jack gladly consented, as therum in the middy's berth had all beenexhausted after the rainy morning; butJack was interrupted in his third glass,by somebody telling him the captainwanted to speak with Mr Hawkins andwith him.

Jack went up, and found the captain onthe quarter-deck with the officers. "MrEasy," said Captain Wilson, "I have sentfor you, Mr Hawkins, and MrGascoigne, to thank you on thequarter-deck, for your exertions andpresence of mind on this tryingoccasion." Mr Hawkins made a bow.

Gascoigne said nothing, but he thoughtof having extra leave when they arrivedat Malta. Jack felt inclined to make aspeech, and began something aboutwhen there was danger that it levelledevery one to an equality even on boardof a man-of-war.

"By no means, Mr Easy," repliedCaptain Wilson; "it does the verycontrary; for it proves which is the bestman, and those who are the best raisethemselves at once above the rest."

Jack was very much inclined to arguethe point, but he took the complimentand held his tongue, which was thewisest thing he could have done; so he

made his bow, and was about to godown into the midshipmen's berthwhen the frigate was pooped by atremendous sea, which washed all thosewho did not hold on down into thewaist. Jack was among the number, andnaturally catching at the first objectwhich touched him, he caught hold ofthe chaplain by the leg, whocommenced swearing most terribly: butbefore he could finish the oath, thewater which had burst into the cabinthrough the windows for the deadlights, in the confusion, had not yetbeen shipped burst out of the crossbulk-heads, sweeping like a torrent themarine, the cabin-door, and everythingelse in its force, and floating Jack and

the chaplain with several others downthe main hatchway on to the lowerdeck. The lower deck being also full ofwater, men and chests were rolling andtossing about, and Jack was sometimesin company with the chaplain, and atother times separated; at last they bothrecovered their legs, and gained themidshipmen's berth, which, althoughafloat, was still a haven of security. MrHawkins spluttered and spit, and so didJack, until he began to laugh.

"This is very trying, Mr Easy," said thechaplain; "very trying indeed to thetemper. I hope I have not sworn I hopenot."

"Not a word," said Jack "I was close toyou all the time you only said 'Godpreserve us!'"

"Only that I was afraid that I said 'Godd n it!'"

"Quite a mistake, Mr Hawkins. Let's gointo the gun-room, and try to wash thissalt water out of our mouths, and thenI will tell you all you said, as far as Icould hear it, word for word."

So Jack by this means got another glassof grog, which was very acceptable inhis wet condition, and made himselfvery comfortable, while those on deckwere putting on the dead lights, and

very busy setting the goose-wings ofthe mainsail, to prevent the frigate frombeing pooped a second time.

CHAPTER XXVI

In which our hero becomes excessivelyunwell, and agrees to go through acourse of medicine.

The hammocks were not piped downthat night: some were takenindiscriminately for the wounded, butthe rest remained in the nettings, for allhands were busy preparing jury mastsand jury rigging, and Mr Pottyfar was

so well employed that for twelve hourshis hands were not in his pockets. Itwas indeed a dreadful night: the waveswere mountains high, and chased thefrigate in their fury, cresting, breaking,and roaring at her taffrail. But she flewbefore them with the wings of thewind; four men at the helm, assisted byothers at the relieving tackles below.Jack, having been thanked on andwashed off the quarter-deck, thoughtthat he had done quite enough: he wasas deep as he could swim before he hadsatisfied all the scruples of the Chaplinand, stowing himself away on one ofthe lockers of the midshipmen's berth,was soon fast asleep, notwithstandingthat the frigate rolled gunwale under.

Gascoigne had done much better; hehad taken down a hammock, as he said,for a poor wounded man, hung it upand turned in himself. Theconsequence was, that the nextmorning the surgeon, who saw himlying in the hammock, had put himdown in the report, but as Gascoignehad got up as well as ever, he laughedand scratched his name out of the listof wounded.

Before morning the ship had beenpumped out dry, and all below made assecure and safe as circumstances wouldpermit; but the gale still continued itsviolence, and there was anything butcomfort onboard.

"I say, Martin, you ought to be thrownoverboard!" said Gascoigne; "all thiscomes from your croaking you're aMother Cary's chicken."

"I wish I had been anyone's chicken,"replied Martin; "but the devil a thing tonestle under have I had since I can wellremember."

"What a bore to have no galley-firelighted," said one of the youngsters;"no tea, and not allowed any grog."

"The gale will last three days," repliedMartin, "and by that time we shall notbe far from the Admiral; it won't blow

home there."

"Well, then, we shall be ordered indirectly, and I shall go on shore to-morrow," replied Easy.

"Yes, if you're ill," replied Gascoigne.

"Never fear, I shall be sick enough. Weshall be there at least six weeks, andthen we'll forget all this."

"Yes," replied Martin, "we may forget it,but will the poor fellows whose limbsare shrivelled forget it and will poorMiles, the boatswain, who is blindforever "

"Very true, Martin; we are thinkingabout ourselves, not thankful for ourescape, and not feeling for others,"replied Gascoigne.

"Give us your hand, Ned," said JackEasy. "And, Martin, we ought to thankyou for telling us the truth we are aselfish set of fellows."

"Still we took our share with theothers," replied one of themidshipman.

"That's more reason for us to begrateful and to pity them," replied Jack;"suppose you had lost your arm oryour eyesight we would have pitied you;

so now pity others."

"Well, so I do, now I think of it."

"Think oftener, youngster," observedMartin, going on deck. What a changefrom the morning of the day before;but twenty-four hours had passed away,and the sea had been smooth; thefrigate dashed through the blue water,proud in all her canvas, graceful as aswan. Since that there had been fire,tempest, lightning, disaster, danger, anddeath; her masts were tossed about onthe snowy waves, hundreds of milesaway from her, and she a wreck wasrolling heavily, groaning andcomplaining in every timber, as she

urged her impetuous race with thefurious running sea.

How wrong are those on shore whoassert that sailors are not religious! howis it possible, supposing them to bepossessed of feeling, to be otherwiseOn shore, where you have nothing butthe change of seasons, each in its ownpeculiar beauty nothing but theblessings of the earth, its fruits, itsflowers nothing but the bounty, thecomforts, the luxuries which have beeninvented, where you can rise in themorning in peace, and lay down yourhead at night in security God may beneglected and forgotten for a long time;but at sea, when each gale is a warning,

each disaster acts as a check, eachescape as a homily upon theforbearance of Providence, that manmust be indeed brutalised who doesnot feel that God is there. On shore weseldom view Him but in all His beautyand kindness; but at sea we are as oftenreminded how terrible He is in Hiswrath. Can it be supposed that theoccurrences of the last twenty-fourhours were lost upon the minds of anyone man in that ship No, no. In theircourage and activity they might appearreckless, but in their hearts theyacknowledged and bowed unto theirGod.

Before the day was over, a jury-

foremast had been got up, and sailhaving been put upon it, the ship wassteered with greater ease and safety themain brace had been spliced to cheerup the exhausted crew, and thehammocks were piped down.

As Gascoigne had observed, some ofthe men were not very much pleased tofind that they were minus theirblankets, but Captain Wilson orderedtheir losses to be supplied by the purserand expended by the master; this quitealtered the case, as they obtained newblankets in most cases for old ones, butstill it was impossible to light the galleyfire, and the men sat on their chests andnibbled biscuit. By twelve o'clock that

night the gale broke, and more sail wasnecessarily put on the scudding vesselsfor the sea still ran fast and mountainshigh. At daylight the sun burst out andshone brightly on them, the sea wentgradually down, the fire was lighted,and Mr Pottyfar, whose hands wereagain in his pockets, at twelve o'clockgave the welcome order to pipe todinner. As soon as the men had eatentheir dinner, the frigate was once morebrought to the wind, her jury-mastforward improved upon, and more sailmade upon it. The next morning therewas nothing of the gale left except thedire effects which it had produced, theblack and riven stump of the foremaststill holding up a terrific warning of

the power and fury of the elements.

Three days more, and the Aurora joinedthe Toulon fleet. When she was firstseen it was imagined by those on boardof the other ships that she had been inaction, but they soon learnt that theconflict had been against more direfulweapons than any yet invented bymortal hands. Captain Wilson waitedupon the Admiral, and of coursereceived immediate orders to repair toport and refit. In a few hours theAurora had shaped her course forMalta, and by sunset the Toulon fleetwere no longer in sight.

"By de holy poker, Massa Easy, but that

terrible sort of gale the other dayanyhow I tink one time, we all go toDavy Joney's lacker."

"Very true, Mesty; I hope never to meetwith such another."

"Den, Massa Easy, why you go to seawhen man ab no money, noting to eat,den he go to sea, but everybody say youab plenty money why you come to sea "

"I'm sure I don't know," replied Jack,thoughtfully; "I came to sea on accountof equality and the rights of man."

"Eh, Massa Easy, you come to wrongplace anyhow. Now I tink a good deal

lately, and by all de power, I tinkequality all stuff."

"All stuff, Mesty, why You used tothink otherwise."

"Yes, Massa Easy, but den I boil dekettle for all young gentleman. Now datI ship's corporal and hab cane, I tink sono longer."

Jack made no reply, but he thought themore. The reader must have perceivedthat Jack's notions of equality wererapidly disappearing; he defended themmore from habit, and perhaps awilfulness which would not allow himto acknowledge himself wrong; to

which may be added his love ofargument. Already he had accustomedhimself to obedience of his superiors,and, notwithstanding his arguments, hewould admit of no resistance fromthose below him; not that it was hardlyever attempted, for Jack was anythingbut a tyrant and was much beloved byall in the ship. Every day brought itslesson, and Captain Wilson was nowsatisfied that Jack had been almostcured of the effects of his father'sridiculous philosophy.

After a few minutes, Mesty tapped hiscane on the funnel and recommenced."Then why you stay at sea, Massa Easy"

"I don't know, Mesty, I don't dislike it."

"But, Massa Easy, why you stay inmidshipman berth, eat hard biscuit, saltpig, salt horse, when you can go shoreand live like gentleman Dat veryfoolish! Why not be your own masterBy all power! suppose I had money,catch me board ship. Little sea verygood, Massa Easy, open one's eyes; buttink of the lightning t'other night. Poormassa boatswain he shut um eyes forebber!"

"Very true, Mesty."

"Me hope you fink of this, sar, and

when you go on shore you take Mestywid you. He sarve you well, Massa Easy,long as he live, by de holy St Patrick.And den, Massa Easy, you marry wifehab pickaninny lib like gentleman. Youtink of this, Massa Easy."

The mention of the word marriageturned the thoughts of our hero to hisAgnes and he made no reply. Mestywalked away leaving our hero in deepthought.

This conversation had more effectupon Jack than would have beenimagined, and he very often found hewas putting to himself the question ofMesty "Why do you stay at sea " He had

not entered the service with anyparticular view, except to find equality,and he could not but acknowledge tohimself that, as Mesty observed, he hadcome to the wrong place. He had nevereven thought of staying to serve histime, nor had he looked forward topromotion, and one day commanding aship. He had only cared for the present,without indulging in a futureanticipation of any reward, except in aunion with Agnes. Mesty's observationsoccasioned Jack to reflect upon thefuture for the first time in his life; andhe was always perplexed when he putthe question of Mesty, and tried toanswer to himself as to what were hisintentions in remaining in the service.

Nevertheless Jack did his duty verymuch to the satisfaction of Mr Pottyfar;and after a tedious passage, frombaffling and light winds, the Auroraarrived at Malta. Our hero had hadsome conversation with his friendGascoigne, in which he canvassed hisfuture plans; all of which, however,ended in one settled point, which wasthat he was to marry Agnes. As for therest, Gascoigne was of opinion thatJack ought to follow up the service andbecome a captain. But there was plentyof time to think about that, as heobserved; now all they had to considerwas how to get on shore, for therefitting of the ship was an excuse for

detaining them on board, which theyknew Mr Pottyfar would avail himselfof.

Jack dined in the gun-room on the dayof their arrival, and he resolved that hewould ask that very evening. CaptainWilson was already on shore at theGovernor's. Now, there had been a littledifference of opinion between MrPottyfar and Mr Hawkins, the chaplain,on a point of seamanship, and most ofthe officers sided with the chaplain,who, as we have before observed, was afirst-rate seaman. It had ended in highwords, for Mr Hawkins had forgottenhimself so far as to tell the firstlieutenant that he had a great deal to

learn, not having even got over themidshipman's trick of keeping hishands in his pockets; and Mr Pottyfarhad replied that it was very well for himas chaplain to insult others, knowingthat his cassock protected him.

This was a bitter reply to Mr Hawkins,who at the very time that theinsinuation made his blood boil, wasalso reminded that his professionforbade a retort. He rushed into hiscabin, poor fellow, having no othermethod left, vented his indignation intears, and then consoled himself bydegrees with prayer. In the meantimeMr Pottyfar had gone on deck, wrothwith Hawkins and with his messmates,

as well as displeased with himself. Hewas, indeed, in a humour to be pleasedwith nobody, and in a mostunfortunate humour to be asked leaveby a midshipman. Nevertheless, Jackpolitely took off his hat, and requestedleave to go on shore and see his friendthe Governor. Upon which Mr Pottyfarturned round to him, with his feetspread wide open, and, thrusting hishands to the very bottom of hispockets, as if in determination, said:

"Mr Easy, you know the state of theship. We have everything to do newmasts, new rigging, everything almost torefit and yet you ask to go on shore!Now, sir, you may take this answer for

yourself, and all the other midshipmenin the ship, that not one soul of youputs his foot on shore until we areagain all a-taunto."

"Allow me to observe, sir," said ourhero, "that it is very true that all ourservices may be required when the dutycommences, but this being Saturdaynight, and to-morrow Sunday, thefrigate will not be even moved tillMonday morning; and as the workcannot begin before that, I trust youwill permit leave until that time."

"My opinion is different, sir," repliedthe first lieutenant.

"Perhaps, sir, you will allow me to arguethe point," replied Jack.

"No, sir, I never allow argument; walkover to the other side of the deck, ifyou please."

"O certainly, sir," said Jack, "if you wishit." Jack's first idea was to go on shorewithout leave, but from this he waspersuaded by Gascoigne, who told himthat it would displease Captain Wilson,and that old Tom, the Governor, wouldnot receive him. Jack agreed to this, andthen, after a flourish about the rightsof man, tyranny, oppression, and soforth, he walked forward to theforecastle, where he found his friend

Mesty, who had heard all that hadpassed, and who insidiously said to himin a low tone

"Why you stay at sea, Massa Easy "

"Why, indeed," thought Jack, boilingwith indignation; "to be cooped uphere at the will of another I am a foolMesty is right I'll ask for my dischargeto-morrow." Jack went down below,and told Gascoigne what he haddetermined to do.

"You'll do no such thing, Jack," repliedGascoigne; "depend upon it, you'll haveplenty of leave in a day or two. Pottyfarwas in a pet with the chaplain, who was

too much for him. Captain Wilson willbe on board by nine o'clock."

Nevertheless, Jack walked his firstwatch in the magnificents, as all Biddiesdo when they cannot go on shore, andturned in at twelve o'clock with theresolution of sticking to his purpose,and quitting his majesty's service; infact, of presenting his Majesty with hisbetween two and three years' time,served as midshipman, all free, gratis,and for nothing, except his provisionsand his pay, which some captains arebold enough to assert that they notonly are not worth, but not even thesalt that accompanies it; forgetting thatthey were once midshipmen themselves,

and at the period were, of course, ofabout the same value.

The next morning Captain Wilsoncame off; the ship's company weremustered, the service read by MrHawkins, and Jack, as soon as all theofficial duties were over, was about togo up to the captain, when the captainsaid to him, "Mr Easy, the Governordesired me to bring you on shore todine with him, and he has a bed at yourservice."

Jack touched his hat and ran downbelow, to make his few preparations. Bythe time that Mesty, who had takencharge of his chest, etc, had put his

necessaries in the boat, Jack had almostmade up his mind that his Majestyshould not be deprived yet awhile ofso valuable an officer. Jack returned ondeck, and found that the captain wasnot yet ready; he went up to MrPottyfar, and told him that the captainhad ordered him to go on shore withhim; and Mr Pottyfar, who had quitegot over his spleen, said,

"Very well, Mr Easy I wish you a greatdeal of pleasure."

"This is very different from yesterday,"thought Jack; "suppose I try themedicine "

"I am not very well, Mr Pottyfar, andthose pills of the doctor's don't agreewith me I always am ill if I am longwithout air and exercise."

"Very true," said the first lieutenant,"people require air and exercise. I've noopinion of the doctor's remedies; theonly thing that is worth a farthing is theuniversal medicine."

"I should so long to try it, sir," repliedJack; "I read the book one day, and itsaid that if you took it daily for afortnight or three weeks, and withplenty of air and exercise, it would dowonders."

"And it's very true," replied MrPottyfar; "and if you'd like to try it youshall I have plenty shall I give you adose now "

"If you please, sir," replied Jack; "andtell me how often I am to take it, formy head aches all day."

Mr Pottyfar took Jack down, andputting into his hand three or fourbottles of the preparation, told himthat he was to take thirty drops at night,when he went to bed, not to drinkmore than two glasses of wine, and toavoid the heat of the sun.

"But, sir," replied Jack, who had put the

bottles in his pocket, "I am afraid that Icannot take it long; for as the ship isready for fitting, I shall be exposed tothe sun all day."

"Yes, if you are wanted, Mr Easy; butwe have plenty here without you; andwhen you are unwell you cannot beexpected to work. Take care of yourhealth; and I trust, indeed I am sure,that you will find this medicinewonderfully efficacious."

"I will begin to-night, sir, if youplease," replied Jack, "and I am verymuch obliged to you. I sleep at theGovernor's shall I come on board to-morrow morning "

"No, no; take care of yourself, and getwell; I shall be glad to hear that you getbetter. Send me word how it acts."

"I will, sir, send you word by the boatevery day," replied Jack, delighted; "I amvery much obliged to you, sir.Gascoigne and I were thinking ofasking you, but did not like to do so:he, poor fellow, suffers from headachesalmost as bad as I do, and the doctor'spills are of no use to him."

"He shall have some too, Mr Easy; Ithought he looked pale. I'll see to it thisafternoon. Recollect, moderate exercise,Mr Easy, and avoid the sun at midday."

"Yes, sir," replied Jack, "I'll not forget";and off went Jack, delighted. Heordered Mesty to put up his wholeportmanteau instead of the smallbundle he put into the boat, and tellingGascoigne what a spoke he had putinto his wheel, was soon in the boatwith the captain, and went on shore,where he was cordially greeted by theGovernor.

CHAPTER XXVII

In which Captain Wilson is repaid withinterest for Jack's borrowing his name,

proving that a good name is as good asa legacy.

"Well, Jack, my boy, have you any longstory ready for me " inquired theGovernor.

"Yes, sir," replied Jack, "I have one ortwo very good ones."

"Very well, we'll hear them afterdinner," replied old Tom. "In themeantime find out your room and takepossession."

"That must not be for very long,Governor," observed Captain Wilson."Mr Easy must learn his duty, and there

is a good opportunity now."

"If you please, sir," replied Jack, "I'mon the sick list."

"Sick list," said Captain Wilson; "youwere not in the report I was given thismorning."

"No, I'm on Mr Pottyfar's list, and I'mgoing through a course of the universalmedicine."

"What's all this, Jack, what's all thisThere's some story here. Don't be afraidof the captain you've me to back you,"said the Governor.

Jack was not at all afraid of the captain,so he told him how the first lieutenanthad refused him leave the eveningbefore, and how he had now given himpermission to remain, and try theuniversal medicine, at which theGovernor laughed heartily, nor couldCaptain Wilson refrain from joining.

"But, Mr Easy," replied the captain,after a pause, "if Mr Pottyfar will allowyou to stay on shore, I cannot you haveyour duty to learn. You must be awarethat now is your time, and you mustnot lose opportunities that do notoccur every day. You must acknowledgethe truth of what I say."

"Yes, sir," replied Jack, "I admit it all,provided I do intend to follow theprofession"; and so saying our herobowed, and left the veranda where theyhad been talking.

This hint of Jack's, thrown out by him,more with the intention of preventinghis being sent on board than with anydefinite idea, was not lost upon eitherthe captain or the Governor.

"Does he jib, then " observed theGovernor. "On the contrary, I neverknew him more attentive, and soentirely getting rid of his formernotions. He has behaved most nobly inthe gale, and there has not been one

complaint against him I never wasmore astonished he must have meantsomething."

"I'll tell you what he means, Wilson thathe does not like to be sent on board,nothing more. He's not to be coopedup you may lead him, but not drivehim."

"Yes but the service will not admit ofit. I never could allow it he must do hisduty like the rest, and conform to therules."

"Exactly, so he must; but look ye,Wilson, you must not lose him: it's alleasily settled appoint him your orderly

midshipman to and from the ship, thatwill be employment, and he can alwaysremain here at night I will tell him thatI have asked, as a favour, what I nowdo, and leave me to find out what he isthinking about."

"It may be done that way certainly",replied Captain Wilson, musing "andyou are more likely, to get his intentionsfrom him than I am. I am afraid he hastoo great a command of money ever tobe fond of the ship; it is the ruin of ajunior officer to be so lavishlysupplied."

"He's a long way from ruin yet, Wilsonhe's a very fine fellow, even by your

own acknowledgment. You humouredhim out of gratitude to his father,when he first came into the service;humour him a little now to keep him init. Besides, if your first lieutenant issuch a fool with his universal medicine,can you wonder at a midshipmantaking advantage of it "

"No, but I ought not to allow him todo so with my eyes open."

"He has made it known to you uponhonour, and you ought not to takeadvantage of his confidence: but stillwhat I proposed would, I think, be thebest, for then he will be at his duty in away that will suit all parties. You,

because you employ him on service thefirst lieutenant, because Jack can takehis medicine and Jack, because he candine with me every day."

"Well, I suppose it must be so," repliedCaptain Wilson, laughing; "but still, Itrust, you will discover what is workingin his mind to induce him to give methat answer, Governor."

"Never fear, Jack shall confess, and layhis soul as bare as that of a Catholicbigot before his padre."

The party sat down to dinner, and whatwith the Governor's aide-de-camp andthose invited, it was pretty numerous.

After the cloth had been removed, theGovernor called upon Jack for hisstories, whereupon, much to thesurprise of Captain Wilson, who hadnever heard one word of it, for theAdmiral had not mentioned anythingabout it to him during the short timethe Aurora was with the Toulon fleet,our hero gave the Governor and thecompany the narrative of all thathappened in the Mary Ann transportthe loves of Captain Hogg and MissHicks-the adventures of Gascoigne andhis plan, by which he baulked them all.The Governor was delighted, andCaptain Wilson not a little astonished.

"You prevented a very foolish thing, Mr

Easy, and behaved very well," observedthe captain, laughing again at the idea;"but you never told me of all this."

"No, sir," replied Jack, "I have alwaysreserved my stories for the Governor'stable, where I am sure to meet you, andthen telling once does for all."

Jack received his appointment asorderly midshipman, and everythingwent on well; for, of his own accord,he stayed on board the major part ofthe day to learn his duty, which verymuch pleased the captain and MrPottyfar. In this Jack showed a greatdeal of good sense, and CaptainWilson did not repent of the

indulgence he had shown him. Jack'shealth improved daily, much to MrPottyfar's satisfaction, who imaginedthat he took the universal medicinenight and morning. Gascoigne also wasa patient under the first lieutenant'shands, and often on shore with ourhero, who thought no more of quittingthe service.

For seven weeks they had nowremained in harbour, for even the mastshad to be made, when, one day, CaptainWilson opened a letter he received atbreakfast-time, and having read it, laidit down with the greatest surprisedepicted in his countenance. "Goodheavens what can this mean " said he.

"What's the matter, Wilson " said theGovernor. "Just hear its contents, SirThomas." Captain Wilson then read inSpanish as follows:

"HONOURABLE SIR,

"It is my duty to advise you that theHonourable Lady Senora Alforgas deCuzman, now deceased, has, in hertestament bequeathed to you the sumof one thousand doubloons in gold asa testimony of your kind services onthe night of the 12th of August. If youwill authorise any merchant here toreceive the money, it shall be paidforthwith, or remitted in any way you

please to appoint. May you live athousand years!

"Your most obedient servant,

"ALFONZO XEREZ."

Jack heard the letter read, rose quietly,whistled low, as if not attending to it,and then slipped out of the room,unperceived by the Governor orCaptain Wilson.

The fact was, that although Jack hadlonged to tell the Governor about hisadventures after the masquerade, he didnot like yet awhile, until he was surethat there were no consequences

because he had given the captain'sname instead of his own. As soon ashe heard the letter read, he at onceperceived that it had been the old lady,and not the priests, who had made theinquiry, and that by giving CaptainWilson's name, he had obtained forhim this fine legacy. Jack was delighted,but still puzzled, so he walked out ofthe room to reflect a little.

"What can it mean " said CaptainWilson. "I never rendered any servicesto anyone on the 12th of August orafter it. It is some mistake 12th ofAugust that was the day of the grandmasquerade."

"A lucky one for you, at all events foryou know, mistake or not, no one elsecan touch the legacy. It can only be paidto you."

"I never heard of anything taking placeat the masquerade I was there, but I leftearly, for I was not very well. Mr Easy,"said Captain Wilson, turning round;but Jack was gone.

"Was he at the masquerade " asked theGovernor. "Yes, I know he was, for thefirst lieutenant told me that herequested not to come on board till thenext day."

"Depend upon it," replied the

Governor, striking his fist upon thetable, "that Jack's at the bottom of it."

"I should not be surprised at his beingat the bottom of anything," repliedCaptain Wilson, laughing.

"Leave it to me, Wilson; I'll find it out."

After a little more conversation,Captain Wilson went on board, leavingJack on purpose that the Governormight pump him. But this Sir Thomashad no occasion to do, for Jack hadmade up his mind to make theGovernor his confidant, and heimmediately told him the whole story.The Governor held his sides at our

hero's description, especially at his ruseof giving the captain's name instead ofhis own.

"You'll kill me, Jack, before you've donewith me," said old Tom, at last; "butnow, what is to be done "

Our hero now became grave; hepointed out to the Governor that hehimself had plenty of money, andwould come into a large fortune, andthat Captain Wilson was poor, with alarge family. All Jack wanted theGovernor to manage was, that CaptainWilson might consent to accept thelegacy.

"Right, boy, right! you're my own boy,"replied the Governor, "but we mustthink of this, for Wilson is the verysoul of honour, and there might besome difficulty about it. You have toldnobody "

"Not a soul but you, Sir Thomas."

"It will never do to tell him all this,Jack, for he would insist that the legacybelonged to you."

"I have it, sir," replied Jack. "When Iwas going into the masquerade Ioffered to hand this very old lady, whowas covered with diamonds out of hercarriage, and she was so frightened at

my dress of the devil that she wouldhave fallen down had it not been forCaptain Wilson who supported her,and she was very thankful to him."

"You are right, Jack," replied theGovernor, after a short pause: "thatwill, I think, do. I must tell him thestory of the friars, because I swore youhad something to do with it but I'll tellhim no more. Leave it all to me."

Captain Wilson returned in theafternoon, and found the Governor onthe veranda.

"I have had some talk with youngEasy," said the Governor, "and he has

told me a strange story about that night,which he was afraid to tell toeverybody."

The Governor then narrated the historyof the friars and the will.

"Well, but," observed Captain Wilson,"the history of that will afford no clueto the legacy."

"No it does not; but still, as I said, Jackhad a hand in this. He frightened theold lady as a devil, and you caught herin your arms and saved her fromfalling, so he had a hand in it, you see."

"I do now remember that I did save a

very dowager-like old personage fromfalling at the sight of a devil, who, ofcourse, must have been our friendEasy."

"Well, and that accounts for the wholeof it."

"A thousand doubloons for picking upan old lady!"

"Yes, why not have you not heard of aman having a fortune left him formerely opening the pew door of achurch, to an old gentleman "

"Yes, but it appears so strange."

"There's nothing strange in this world,Wilson, nothing at a We may slave foryears and get no reward, and do a trifleout of politeness and becomeindependent. In my opinion, thismystery is unravelled. The old lady, forI knew the family, must have diedimmensely rich: she knew you in yourfull uniform, and she asked your name;a heavy fall would have been to one sofat a most serious affair; you saved her,and she has rewarded you handsomely."

"Well," replied Captain Wilson, "as Ican give no other explanation, Isuppose yours is the correct one; butit's hardly fair to take a thousanddoubloons from her relations merely

for an act of civility."

"You really are quite ridiculous; the oldlady owned half Murcia, to myknowledge. It is no more to them thananyone leaving you a suit of mourningin an English legacy. I wish you joy; itwill help you with a large family, and injustice to them you are bound to take it.Everybody does as he pleases with hisown money, depend upon it, you savedher from breaking her leg short off atthe hip joint."

"Upon that supposition I presume Imust accept of the legacy," repliedCaptain Wilson, laughing.

"Of course; send for it at once. The rateof exchange is now high. I will give yougovernment bills, which will make itnearly four thousand pounds."

"Four thousand pounds for preventingan old woman from falling," repliedCaptain Wilson.

"Devilish well paid, Wilson, and Icongratulate you."

"For how much am I indebted to thefather of young Easy!" observedCaptain Wilson, after a silence of someminutes; "if he had not assisted mewhen I was appointed to a ship, Ishould not have gained my promotion

nor three thousand pounds I havemade in prize-money the command ofa fine frigate and now four thousandpounds in a windfall."

The Governor thought that he wasmore indebted to Jack than to his fatherfor some of these advantages, but hewas careful not to point them out.

"It's very true," observed the Governor,"that Mr Easy was of service to youwhen you were appointed; but allowme to observe, that for your ship, yourprize-money, and for your windfall, youhave been wholly indebted to your owngallantry, in both senses of the word;still Mr Easy is a fine generous fellow,

and so is his son, I can tell you. By-the-bye, I had a long conversation with himthe other day."

"About himself "

"Yes, all about himself. He appears tome to have come into the servicewithout any particular motive, and willbe just as likely to leave it in the sameway. He appears to be very much inlove with that Sicilian nobleman'sdaughter. I find that he has written toher, and to her brother, since he hasbeen here."

"That he came into the service in searchof what he never will find in this

world, I know very well; and I presumethat he has found that out and that hewill follow up the service is also verydoubtful; but I do not wish that heshould leave it yet, it is doing him greatgood," replied Captain Wilson.

"I agree with you there I have greatinfluence with him, and he shall stay yetawhile. He is heir to a very largefortune, is he not "

"A clear eight thousand pounds a year,if not more."

"If his father dies he must, of course,leave; a midshipman with eightthousand pounds a year would indeed

be an anomaly."

"That the service could not permit. Itwould be as injurious to himself as itwould to others about him. At present,he has almost, indeed I may say quite,an unlimited command of money."

"That's bad, very bad. I wonder hebehaves so well as he does."

"And so do I: but he really is a verysuperior lad, with all his peculiarities,and a general favourite with thosewhose opinions and friendship areworth having."

"Well, don't curb him too tight for

really he does not require it. He goesvery well in a snaffle."

CHAPTER XXVIII

"Philosophy made Easy," upon agrarianprinciples, the subject of someuneasiness to our hero The firstappearance, but not the last, of animportant personage.

The conversation was here interruptedby a mail from England which they hadbeen expecting. Captain Wilson retiredwith his letters; the Governor remainedequally occupied; and our hero received

the first letter ever written to him by hisfather. It ran as follows:

"MY DEAR SON,

"I have many times taken up my penwith the intention of letting you knowhow things went on in this country. Butas I can perceive around but one darkhorizon of evil, I have as often laid itdown again without venturing to makeyou unhappy with such badintelligence.

"The account of your death, and alsoof your unexpectedly being yet sparedto us, were duly received, and I trust, Imourned and rejoiced on each

occasion with all the moderationcharacteristic of a philosopher. In thefirst instance I consoled myself withthe reflection that the world you hadleft was in a state of slavery, andpressed down by the iron arm ofdespotism, and that to die was gain, notonly in all the parson tells us, but alsoin our liberty; and, at the secondintelligence, I moderated my joy fornearly about the same reasons,resolving, notwithstanding what DrMiddleton may say, to die as I havelived, a true philosopher.

"The more I reflect the more am Iconvinced that there is nothingrequired to make this world happy but

equality, and the rights of man beingduly observed in short, that everythingand everybody should be reduced toone level. Do we not observe that it isthe law of nature do not brooks runinto rivers rivers into seas mountainscrumble down upon the plains are notthe seasons contented to equalise theparts of the earth Why does the sunrun round the ecliptic, instead of theequator, but to give an equal share ofhis heat to both sides of the world Arewe not all equally born in misery doesnot death level us all aequo pede, as thepoet hath are we not all equally hungry,thirsty, and sleepy, and thus levelled byour natural wants And such being thecase, ought we not to have our equal

share of good things in this world, towhich we have undoubted equal rightCan any argument be more solid ormore level than this, whatever nonsenseDr Middleton may talk

"Yes, my son, if it were not that I stillhope to see the sun of justice arise, anddisperse the manifold dark cloudswhich obscure the land if I did not stillhope, in my time, to see an equaldistribution of property an Agrarianlaw passed by the House of Commons,in which all should benefit alike Iwould not care how soon I left this valeof tears, created by tyranny andinjustice. At present, the same system iscarried on; the nation is taxed for the

benefit of the few, and it groans underoppression and despotism; but I stilldo think that there is, if I mayfortunately express myself, a bright starin the west; and signs of the timeswhich comfort me. Already we havehad a good deal of incendiarism aboutthe country, and some of the highestaristocracy have pledged themselves toraise the people above themselves, andhave advised sedition and conspiracy;have shown to the debased andunenlightened multitude that theirforce is physically irresistible, andrecommended them to make use of it,promising that if they hold in power,they will only use that power to theabolition of our farce of a

constitution, of a church, and of aking; and that if the nation is to begoverned at all, it shall only begoverned by the many. This is cheering.Hail, patriot lords! all hail! I am inhopes yet that the great work will beachieved, in spite of the laughs andsneers and shakes of the head, whichmy arguments still meet with from thatobstinate fellow, Dr Middleton.

"Your mother is in a quiet way; she hasgiven over reading and working, andeven her knitting, as useless; and shenow sits all day long at the chimneycorner twiddling her thumbs, andwaiting, as she says, for the millennium.Poor thing! she is very foolish with her

ideas upon this matter, but as usual I lether have her own way in everything,copying the philosopher of old, whowas tied to his Xantippe.

"I trust, my dear son, that yourprinciples have strengthened with youryears and fortified with your growth,and that, if necessary, you will sacrificeall to obtain what in my opinion willprove to be the real millennium. Makeall the converts you can, and believe meto be,

"Your affectionate father, and trueguide,

"Nicodemus Easy."

Jack, who was alone, shook his head ashe read this letter, and then laid it downwith a pish! He did it involuntarily, andwas surprised at himself when hefound that he had so done. "I shouldlike to argue the point," thought Jack,in spite of himself; and then he threwthe letter on the table, and went intoGascoigne's room, displeased with hisfather and with himself. He asked Nedwhether he had received any lettersfrom England, and, it being neardinner-time, went back to dress. On hiscoming down into the receiving roomwith Gascoigne, the Governor said tothem,

"As you both speak Italian, you musttake charge of a Sicilian officer, whohas come here with letters ofintroduction to me, and who dines hereto-day."

Before dinner they were introduced tothe party in question, a slight-made,well-looking young man, but still therewas an expression in his countenancewhich was not agreeable. In compliancewith the wishes of the Governor, DonMathias, for so he was called, wasplaced between our two midshipmen,who immediately entered intoconversation with him, beingthemselves anxious to make enquiriesabout their friends at Palermo. In the

course of conversation, Jack enquiredof him whether he was acquainted withDon Rebiera, to which the Siciliananswered in the affirmative, and theytalked about the different members ofthe family.

Don Mathias, towards the close of thedinner, enquired of Jack by what meanshe had become acquainted with DonRebiera, and Jack, in reply, narratedhow he and his friend Gascoigne hadsaved him from being murdered by twovillains; after this reply the youngofficer appeared to be less inclined forconversation, but before the partybroke up, requested to have theacquaintance of our two midshipmen.

As soon as he was gone, Gascoigneobserved in a reflective way, "I haveseen that face before, but where Icannot exactly say; but you know, Jack,what a memory of people I have, and Ihave seen him before, I am sure."

"I can't recollect that ever I have,"replied our hero, "but I never knewanyone who could recollect in that wayas you do."

The conversation was then droppedbetween them, and Jack was for sometime listening to the Governor andCaptain Wilson, for the whole partywere gone away, when Gascoigne, whohad been in deep thought since he had

made the observation to Jack, sprangup.

"I have him at last!" cried he.

"Have who " demanded CaptainWilson.

"That Sicilian officer I could havesworn that I had seen him before."

"That Don Mathias "

"No, Sir Thomas! He is not DonMathias! He is the very Don Silvio whowas murdering Don Rebiera, when wecame to his assistance and saved him."

"I do believe you are right, Gascoigne."

"I'm positive of it," replied Gascoigne;"I never made a mistake in my life."

"Bring me those letters, Easy," said theGovernor, "and let us see what they sayof him. Here it is Don Mathias deAlayeres. You may be mistaken,Gascoigne; it is a heavy charge you aremaking against this young man."

"Well, Sir Thomas, if that is not DonSilvio, I'd forfeit my commission if Ihad it here in my hand. Besides, Iobserved the change in his countenancewhen we told him it was Easy and Iwho had come to Don Rebiera's

assistance; and did you observe afterthat, Easy, that he hardly said a word."

"Very true," replied Jack. "Well, well, wemust see to this," observed theGovernor; "if so, this letter ofintroduction must be a forgery."

The party then retired to bed, and thenext morning, while Easy was inGascoigne's room talking over theirsuspicions, letters from Palermo werebrought up to him. They were inanswer to those written by Jack on hisarrival at Malta: a few lines from DonRebiera, a small note from Agnes, and avoluminous detail from his friend DonPhilip, who informed him of the good

health of all parties, and of their good-will towards him; of Agnes being aspartial as ever; of his having spokenplainly, as he had promised Jack, to hisfather and mother relative to the mutualattachment; of their consent beinggiven, and then withheld, becauseFather Thomaso, their confessor, wouldnot listen to the union of Agnes with aheretic; but nevertheless telling Jack thatthis would be got over through themedium of his brother and himself,who were determined that their sisterand he should not be made unhappyabout such a trifle. But the latter partof the letter contained intelligenceequally important, which was, that DonSilvio had again attempted the life of

their father, and would have succeeded,had not Father Thomaso, whohappened to be there, thrown himselfbetween them. That Don Silvio in hisrage had actually stabbed the confessor,although the wound was notdangerous. That in consequence ofthis, all further lenity was denied tohim, and the authorities were in searchof him to award him the punishmentdue to murder and sacrilege. That up tothe present they could not find him,and it was supposed that he had madehis escape to Malta in one of thesperonares.

Such were the contents of the letter,which were immediately communicated

to the Governor and Captain Wilson,upon their meeting at breakfast.

"Very well, we must see to this,"observed the Governor, who thenmade his enquiries as to the otherintelligence contained in the letters.

Jack and Gascoigne were uneasy till thebreakfast was over, when they madetheir escape: a few moments afterwardsCaptain Wilson rose to go on board,and sent for them, but they were not tobe found.

"I understand it all, Wilson," said theGovernor; "leave them to me; go onboard and make yourself quite easy."

In the meantime our two midshipmenhad taken their hats and walked away tothe parapet of the battery, where theywould not be interrupted.

"Now, Gascoigne," observed Jack, "youguess what I'm about I must shoot thatrascal this very morning, and that's whyI came out with you."

"But, Easy, the only difference is this,that I must shoot him, and not you; heis my property, for I found him out."

"We'll argue that point," replied Jack:"he has attempted the life of my is-to-be, please God, father-in-law, and

therefore I have the best claim to him."

"I beg your pardon, Jack, he is mine, forI discovered him. Now let me put acase: suppose one man walking severalyards before another, picks up a purse,what claim has the other to it I foundhim, and not you."

"That's all very well, Gascoigne; butsuppose the purse you picked up to bemine, then I have a right to it, althoughyou found it; he is my bird by right, andnot yours."

"But I have another observation tomake, which is very important; he is ablood relation of Agnes, and if his

blood is on your hands, however muchhe may deserve it, depend upon it, itwill be raised as an obstacle to yourunion: think of that."

Jack paused in thought. "And let meinduce you by another remark you willconfer on me a most particular favour."

"It will be the greatest I ever could,"replied Jack, "and you ought to beeternally indebted to me."

"I trust to make him eternally indebtedto me," replied Gascoigne. Sailors, ifgoing into action, always begin toreckon what their share of the prize-money may be, before a shot is fired

our two midshipmen appear in thisinstance to be doing the same.

The point having been conceded toGascoigne, Jack went to the inn whereDon Silvio had mentioned that he hadtaken up his quarters, and sending uphis card, followed the waiter upstairs.The waiter opened the door, andpresented the card.

"Very well," replied Don Silvio, "youcan go down and show him up."

Jack hearing these words, did not wait,but walked in, where he found DonSilvio very busy removing a hone uponwhich he had been whetting a sharp

double-edged stiletto. The Sicilianwalked up to him, offering his handwith apparent cordiality; but Jack, witha look of defiance, said, "Don Silvio,we know you; my object now is todemand, on the part of my friend, thesatisfaction which you do not deserve,but which our indignation at yoursecond attempt upon Don Rebierainduces us to offer; for if you escapefrom him you will have to do with me.On the whole, Don Silvio, you maythink yourself fortunate, for it is betterto die by the hands of a gentlemanthan by the gibbet."

Don Silvio turned deadly pale his handsought his stiletto in his bosom, but it

was remaining on the table; at last hereplied, "Be it so I will meet you whenand where you please, in an hour fromthis."

Jack mentioned the place of meeting,and then walked out of the room. Heand Gascoigne then hastened to thequarters of an officer they wereintimate with, and having providedthemselves with the necessary fire-arms,were at the spot before the time. Theywaited for him till the exact time, yet noDon Silvio made his appearance.

"He's off," observed Gascoigne; "thevillain has escaped us." Half an hourover the time had passed, and still there

was no sign of Gascoigne's antagonist,but one of the Governor's aides-de-camp was seen walking up to them.

"Here's Atkins," observed Jack; "that'sunlucky, but he won't interfere."

"Gentlemen," said Atkins, taking offhis hat with much solemnity, "theGovernor particularly wishes to speakto you both."

"We can't come just now we'll be therein half an hour."

"You must be there in three minutes,both of you. Excuse me, my orders arepositive and to see them duly executed

I have a corporal and a file of menbehind that wall of course, if you walkwith me quietly there will be nooccasion to send for their assistance."

"This is confounded tyranny," criedJack. "Well may they call him 'KingTom.'"

"Yes," replied Atkins, "and he governshere in 'rey absoluto' so come along."

Jack and Gascoigne, having no choice,walked up to the government house,where they found Sir Thomas in theveranda, which commanded a view ofthe harbour and offing.

"Come here, young gentlemen," saidthe Governor, in a severe tone; "do yousee that vessel about two miles clear ofthe port Don Silvio is in it, going backto Sicily under a guard. And nowremember what I say as a maximthrough life. Fight with gentlemen, ifyou must fight, but not with villainsand murderers. By consenting to fightwith a blackguard, you as muchdisparage your cloth and compromiseyour own characters, as by refusing togive satisfaction to a gentleman.

"There, go away, for I'm angry withyou, and don't let me see you tilldinner-time."

CHAPTER XXIX

In which our hero sees a little moreservice, and is better employed than infighting Don Silvio.

But before they met the Governor athis table, a sloop of war arrived fromthe fleet with despatches from thecommander-in-chief. Those to CaptainWilson required him to make allpossible haste in fitting, and then toproceed and cruise off Corsica, to fallin with a Russian frigate which was onthat coast; if not there, to obtainintelligence, and to follow her wherever

she might be.

All was now bustle and activity onboard of the Aurora. Captain Wilson,with our hero and Gascoigne, quietedthe Governor's house and repaired onboard, where they remained day andnight. On the third day the Aurora wascomplete and ready for sea, and aboutnoon sailed out of Valette Harbour.

In a week the Aurora had gained thecoast of Corsica, and there was noneed of sending look-out men to themast-head, for one of the officers ormidshipmen was there from daylight todark. She ran up the coast to thenorthward without seeing the object of

her pursuit, or obtaining anyintelligence.

Calms and light airs detained them for afew days, when a northerly breezeenabled them to run down the easternside of the island. It was on theeighteenth day after they had quietedMalta, that a large vessel was seen aheadabout eighteen miles off. The men werethen at breakfast.

"A frigate, Captain Wilson, I'm sure ofit," said Mr Hawkins, the chaplain,whose anxiety induced him to go to themast-head.

"How is she steering "

"The same way as we are."

The Aurora was under all possible sail,and when the hands were, piped todinner, it was thought that they hadneared the chase about two miles.

"This will be a long chase; a stern chasealways is," observed Martin toGascoigne.

"Yes, I'm afraid so but I'm more afraidof her escaping."

"That's not unlikely either," replied themate.

"You are one of Job's comforters,Martin," replied Gascoigne.

"Then I'm not so often disappointed,"replied the mate. "There are two pointsto be ascertained; the first is, whetherwe shall come up with the vessel or loseher the next is, if we do come up withher, whether she is the vessel we arelooking for."

"You seem very indifferent about it."

"Indeed I am not: I am the oldestpassed midshipman in the ship, and thetaking of the frigate will, if I live, giveme my promotion, and if I'm killed, Ishan't want it. But I've been so often

disappointed, that I now make sure ofnothing until I have it."

"Well, for your sake, Martin, I will stillhope that the vessel is the one we seek,that we shall not be killed, and that youwill gain your promotion."

"I thank you, Easy I wish I was onethat dared hope as you do." PoorMartin! he had long felt how bitter itwas to meet disappointment upondisappointment. How true it is, thathope deferred maketh the heart sick!and his anticipations of early days, thebuoyant calculations of youth, hadbeen one by one crushed, and now,having served his time nearly three

times over, the reaction had become toopainful, and, as he truly said, he darednot hope: still his temper was notsoured, but chastened.

"She has hauled her wind, sir," hailedthe second lieutenant from the topmastcross-trees.

"What think you of that, Martin "observed Jack. "Either that she is anEnglish frigate, or that she is a vesselcommanded by a very brave fellow, andwell-manned."

It was sunset before the Aurora hadarrived within two miles of the vessel;the private signal had been thrown out,

but had not been answered, eitherbecause it was too dark to make out thecolours of the flags, or that these wereunknown to an enemy. The strangerhad hoisted the English colours, butthat was no satisfactory proof of herbeing a friend; and just before dark shehad put her head towards the Aurora,who had now come stem down to her.The ship's company of the Aurora wereall at their quarters, as a few minuteswould now decide whether they had todeal with a friend or foe.

There is no situation perhaps moredifficult, and demanding so muchcaution, as the occasional meeting witha doubtful ship. On the one hand, it

being necessary to be fully prepared,and not allow the enemy the advantagewhich may be derived from yourinaction; and on the other, the necessityof prudence, that you may not assaultyour friends and countrymen. CaptainWilson had hoisted the private night-signal, but here again it was difficult,from his sails intervening, for the othership to make it out. Before the twofrigates were within three cables' lengthof each other, Captain Wilson,determined that there should be nomistake from any want of precautionon his part, hauled up his courses andbrailed up his driver that the night-signal might be clearly seen.

Lights were seen abaft on the quarter-deck of the other vessel, as if they wereabout to answer, but she continued tokeep the Aurora to leeward at abouthalf a cable's length, and as theforemost guns of each vessel wereabreast of each other, hailed in English

"Ship ahoy! what ship's that "

"His Majesty's ship Aurora," repliedCaptain Wilson, who stood on thehammocks. "What ship's that "

By this time the other frigate hadpassed half her length clear of thebeam of the Aurora, and at the sametime that a pretended reply of "His

Majesty's ship " was heard, a broadsidefrom her guns, which had been trainedaft on purpose, was poured into theAurora, and at so short a distance,doing considerable execution. The crewof the Aurora, hearing the hailing inEnglish, and the vessel passing themapparently without firing, had imaginedthat she had been one of their owncruisers. The captains of the guns haddropped their lanyards indisappointment, and the silence whichhad been maintained as the two vesselsmet was just breaking up in variousways of lamentation at their bad luck,when the broadside was poured in,thundering in their ears, and the rippingand tearing of the beams and planks

astonished their senses. Many werecarried down below, but it was difficultto say whether indignation at theenemy's ruse, or satisfaction atdiscovering that they were not called toquarters in vain, most predominated. Atall events, it was answered by threevoluntary cheers, which drowned thecries of those who were being assistedto the cockpit.

"Man the larboard guns and aboutship!" cried Captain Wilson, leaping offthe hammocks. "Look out, my lads, andrake her in stays! We'll pay him off forthat foul play before we've done withhim. Look out, my lads, and take goodaim as she pays round."

The Aurora was put about, and herbroadside poured into the stern of theRussian frigate for such she was. It wasalmost dark, but the enemy, whoappeared as anxious as the Aurora tocome to action, hauled up her coursesto await her coming up. In five minutesthe two vessels were alongside,exchanging murderous broadsides atlittle more than pistol-shot runningslowly in for the land, then not morethan five miles distant. The skin-cladmountaineers of Corsica were arousedby the furious cannonading, watchingthe incessant flashes of the guns, andlistening to their reverberating roar.

After half an hour's fierce combat,during which the fire of both vesselswas kept up with undiminished vigour,Captain Wilson went down on themain deck, and himself separatelypointed each gun after it was loaded;those amidships being direct for themain channels of the enemy's ship,while those abaft the beam weregradually trained more and moreforward, and those before the beammore and more aft, so as to throw alltheir shot nearly into one focus, givingdirections that they were all to be firedat once, at the word of command. Theenemy, not aware of the cause of thedelay, imagined that the fire of theAurora had slackened, and loudly

cheered. At the word given, thebroadside was poured in, and, dark as itwas, the effects from it were evident.Two of the midship ports of theantagonist were blown into one, andher mainmast was seen to totter, andthen to fall over the side. The Aurorathen set her courses, which had beenhauled up, and shooting ahead, took upa raking position, while the Russian wasstill hampered with her wreck, andpoured in grape and cannister from herupper deck carronades to impede theirlabours on deck, while she continuedher destructive fire upon the hull ofthe enemy from the main deck battery.

The moon now burst out from a low

bank of clouds, and enabled them toaccomplish their work with moreprecision. In a quarter of an hour theRussian was totally dismasted, andCaptain Wilson ordered half of hisremaining ship's company to repair thedamages, which had been most severe,whilst the larboard men at quarterscontinued the fire from the main deck.The enemy continued to return the firefrom four guns, two on each of herdecks, which she could still make bearupon the Aurora; but after some timeeven these ceased, either from the menhaving deserted them, or from theirbeing dismounted. Observing that thefire from her antagonist had ceased, theAurora also discontinued, and the jolly-

boat astern being still uninjured, thesecond lieutenant was deputed to pullalongside of the frigate to ascertain ifshe had struck.

The beams of the bright moon silveredthe rippling water as the boat shovedoff; and Captain Wilson and hisofficers, who were still unhurt, leantover the shattered sides of the Aurora,waiting for a reply: suddenly the silenceof the night was broken upon by aloud splash from the bows of theRussian frigate, then about three cables'length distant.

"What could that be " cried CaptainWilson. "Her anchor's down. Mr Jones,

a lead over the side, and see what waterwe have."

Mr Jones had long been carried downbelow, severed in two with a round shotbut a man leaped into the chains, andlowering down the lead sounded inseven fathoms.

"Then I suspect he will give us moretrouble yet," observed Captain Wilson;and so indeed it proved, for theRussian captain, in reply to the secondlieutenant, had told him in English,"that he would answer that questionwith his broadside," and before theboat was dropped astern, he hadwarped round with the springs on his

cable, and had recommenced his fireupon the Aurora.

Captain Wilson made sail upon hisship, and sailed round and round theanchored vessel, so as to give her twobroadsides to her one, and from theslowness with which she worked at hersprings upon her cables, it was evidentthat she must be now very weakhanded. Still the pertinacity anddecided courage of the Russian captainconvinced Captain Wilson, that, in allprobability, he would sink at his anchorbefore he would haul down hiscolours; and not only would he losemore of the Aurora's men, but also theRussian vessel, without he took a more

decided step. Captain Wilson, therefore,resolved to try her by the board.Having poured in a raking fire, hestood off for a few moments, duringwhich he called the officers and menon deck, and stated his intention. Hethen went about, and himself conningthe Aurora, ran her on board theRussian, pouring in his reservedbroadside as the vessels came intocollision, and heading his men as theyleaped on the enemy's decks.

Although, as Captain Wilson hadimagined, the Russian frigate had notmany men to oppose to the Aurora's,the deck was obstinately defended, thevoice and the arm of the Russian

captain were to be heard and seeneverywhere, and his men, encouragedby him, were cut down by numberswhere they stood.

Our hero, who had the good fortune tobe still unhurt, was for a little whileclose to Captain Wilson when heboarded, and was about to oppose hisunequal force against that of theRussian captain, when he was pulledback by the collar by Mr Hawkins, thechaplain, who rushed in advance with asabre in his hand. The opponents werewell matched, and it may be said that,with little interruption, a hand-to-handconflict ensued, for the moon lightedup the scene of carnage, and they were

well able to distinguish each other'sfaces. At last, the chaplain's swordbroke: he rushed in, drove the hilt intohis antagonist's face, closed with him,and they both fell down the hatchwaytogether. After this, the deck wasgained, or rather cleared, by the crew ofthe Aurora, for few could be said tohave resisted, and in a minute or twothe frigate was in their possession. Thechaplain and the Russian captain werehoisted up, still clinging to each other,both senseless from the fall, but neitherof them dead, although bleeding fromseveral wounds.

As soon as the main deck had beencleared, Captain Wilson ordered the

hatches to be put on, and left a partyon board while he hastened to attendto the condition of his own ship andship's company.

It was daylight before anything likeorder had been restored to the decks ofthe Aurora; the water was still smooth,and instead of letting go her ownanchor, she had hung on with a hawserto the prize, but her sails had beenfurled, her decks cleared, guns secured,and the buckets were dashing away theblood from her planks and thecarriages of the guns, when the sunrose and shone upon them. Thenumerous wounded had, by this time,been put into their hammocks,

although there were still one or twocases of amputation to be performed.

The carpenter had repaired all shot-holes under or too near to the water-line, and then had proceeded to soundthe well of the prize; but although herupper works had been dreadfullyshattered, there was no reason tosuppose that she had received anyserious injury below, and, therefore thehatches still remained on, although afew hands were put to the pumps to tryif she made any water. It was not untilthe Aurora presented a more cheerfulappearance that Captain Wilson wentover to the other ship, whose deck,now that the light of heaven enabled

them to witness all the horrors even tominuteness, presented a shockingspectacle of blood and carnage. Bodyafter body was thrown over; thewounded were supplied with water andsuch assistance as could be rendereduntil the surgeons could attend them;the hatches were then taken off, and theremainder of her crew ordered ondeck; about two hundred obeyed thesummons, but the lower deck was ascrowded with killed and wounded aswas the upper. For the present theprisoners were handed over down intothe fore-hold of the Aurora, which hadbeen prepared for their reception, andthe work of separation of the deadfrom the living then underwent.

After this, such repairs as wereimmediately necessary were made, and aportion of the Aurora's crew, under theorders of the second lieutenant, weresent on board to take charge of her. Itwas not till the evening of the day afterthis night conflict that the Aurora wasin a situation to make sail. All handswere then sent on board of the Trident,for such was the name of the Russianfrigate, to fit her out as soon aspossible. Before morning, for there wasno relaxation from their fatigue, norwas there any wish for it, all wascompleted, and the two frigates,although in a shattered condition, wereprepared to meet any common conflict

with the elements. The Aurora madesail with the Trident in tow; thehammocks were allowed to be takendown, and the watch below permittedto repose.

In this murderous conflict the Tridenthad more than two hundred men killedand wounded. The Aurora's loss hadnot been so great, but still it was severe,having lost sixty-five men and officers.Among the fallen there were Mr Jones,the master, the third lieutenant MrArkwright, and two midshipmen dead.Mr Pottyfar, the first lieutenant, wasseverely wounded at thecommencement of the action. Martinthe master's mate, and Gascoigne, the

first mortally, and the second badly,were wounded. Our hero had alsoreceived a slight cutlass wound, whichobliged him to wear his arm, for a shorttime, in a sling.

Among the ship's company who werewounded was Mesty; he had been hurtwith a splinter before the Trident wastaken by the board, but had remainedon deck, and had followed our hero,watching over him and protecting himas a father. He had done even more, forhe had with Jack thrown himselfbefore Captain Wilson, at a time that hehad received such a blow with the flatof a sword as to stun him, and bringhim down on his knee. And Jack had

taken good care that Captain Wilsonshould not be ignorant, as he reallywould have been, of this timely serviceon the part of Mesty, who certainly,although with a great deal of"sangfroid" in his composition when inrepose, was a fiend incarnate when hisblood was up.

"But you must have been with Mesty,"observed Captain Wilson, "when hedid me the service."

"I was with him, sir," replied Jack, withgreat modesty; "but was of very littleservice."

"How is your friend Gascoigne this

evening "

"Oh, not very bad, sir he wants a glassof grog."

"And Mr Martin " Jack shook his head.

"Why, the surgeon thinks he will dowell."

"Yes, sir, and so I told Martin; but hesaid that it was very well to give himhope but that he thought otherwise."

"You must manage him, Mr Easy; tellhim that he is sure of his promotion."

"I have, sir, but he won't believe it. He

never will believe it till he has hiscommission signed. I really think thatan acting order would do more than thedoctor can."

"Well, Mr Easy, he shall have one to-morrow morning. Have you seen MrPottyfar he, I am afraid, is very bad."

"Very bad, sir; and they say is worseevery day, and yet his wound is healthy,and ought to be doing well."

Such was the conversation betweenJack and his captain, as they sat atbreakfast on the third morning after theaction.

The next day Easy took down an actingorder for Martin, and put it into hishands. The mate read it over as he laybandaged in his hammock.

"It's only an acting order, Jack," said he;"it may not be confirmed." Jack swore,by all the articles of war, that it wouldbe; but Martin replied that he was sureit never would.

"No, no," said the mate, "I knew verywell that I never should be made. If itis not confirmed, I may live; but if it is,I am sure to die."

Everyone that went to Martin'shammock wished him joy, of his

promotion; but six days after the action,poor Martin's remains were consignedto the deep.

The next person who followed him wasMr Pottyfar, the first lieutenant, whohad contrived, wounded as he was, toreach a packet of the universalmedicine, and had taken so manybottles before he was found out, thathe was one morning found dead in hisbed, with more than two dozen emptyphials under his pillow, and by the sideof his mattress. He was not buried withhis hands in his pockets, but whensewed up in his hammock, they were, atall events, laid in the right position.

CHAPTER XXX

Modern philanthropy, which, as usual,is the cause of much trouble andvexation.

In three weeks the Aurora, with herprize in tow, arrived at Malta. Thewounded were sent to the hospital, andthe gallant Russian captain recoveredfrom his wounds about the same timeas Mr Hawkins, the chaplain.

Jack, who constantly called to see thechaplain, had a great deal to do toconsole him. He would shake his hands

as he lay in his bed, exclaiming againsthimself. "Oh," would he say, "the spiritis willing, but the flesh is weak. That I,a man of God, as they term me, whoought to have been down with thesurgeons, whispering comfort to thedesponding, should have gone on deck(but I could not help it), and havemixed in such a scene of slaughter.What will become of me "

Jack attempted to console him bypointing out, that not only chaplains,but bishops, have been known to fightin armour from time immemorial. ButMr Hawkins's recovery, was longdoubtful, from the agitation of hismind. When he was able to walk, Jack

introduced to him the Russian captain,who was also just out of his bed.

"I am most happy to embrace so gallantan officer," said the Russian, whorecognised his antagonist, throwing hisarms round the chaplain, and givinghim a kiss on both cheeks. "What is hisrank " continued he, addressinghimself to Jack, who replied, veryquietly, "that he was the ship's padre."

"The padre!" replied the captain, withsurprise, as Hawkins turned away withconfusion. "The padre par exemple!Well, I always had a great respect forthe church. Pray, sir," said he, turning toEasy, "do your padres always head your

boarders "

"Always, sir," replied Jack; "it's a rule ofthe service and the duty of a padre toshow the men the way to heaven. It'sour ninety-ninth article of war."

"You are a fighting nation," replied theRussian, bowing to Hawkins, andcontinuing his walk, not exactly pleasedthat he had been floored by a parson.

Mr Hawkins continued verydisconsolate for some time; he theninvalided, and applied himself to hisduties on shore, where he would not beexposed to such temptations from hisformer habits.

As the Aurora, when she was last atMalta, had nearly exhausted thedockyard for her repairs, she was evenlonger fitting out this time, duringwhich Captain Wilson's despatches hadbeen received by the Admiral, and hadbeen acknowledged by a brig sent toMalta. The Admiral, in reply, aftercomplimenting him upon his gallantryand success, desired that, as soon as hewas ready, he should proceed toPalermo with communications ofimportance to the authorities, andhaving remained there for an answer,was again to return to Malta to pick upsuch of his men as might be fit to leavethe hospital, and then join the Toulon

fleet. This intelligence was soon knownto our hero, who was in ecstasies at theidea of again seeing Agnes and herbrothers. Once more the Aurora sailedaway from the high crowned rocks ofValette, and with a fine breeze dashedthrough the deep blue waves.

But towards the evening the breezeincreased, and they were under double-reefed topsails. On the second day theymade the coast of Sicily, not far fromwhere Easy and Gascoigne had beendriven on shore; the weather was thenmore moderate, and the sea had, to agreat degree, subsided. They thereforestood in close to the coast, as they hadnot a leading wind to Palermo. As they

stood in, the glasses, as usual, weredirected to land; observing the villaswith which the hills and valleys werestudded, with their white frontsembowered in orange groves.

"What is that, Gascoigne," said Easy,"under that precipice it looks like avessel."

Gascoigne turned his glass in thedirection "Yes, it is a vessel on therocks: by her prow she looks like agalley."

"It is a galley, sir one of the row galleysI can make out her bank of oars,"observed the signal-man.

This was reported to Captain Wilson,who also examined her.

"She is on the rocks, certainly,"observed he; "and I think I see peopleon board. Keep her away a point,quarter-master."

The Aurora was now steered right forthe vessel, and in the course of an hourwas not more than a mile from her.Their suppositions were correct it wasone of the Sicilian government galleysbilged on the rocks, and they nowperceived that there were people onboard of her, making signals with theirshirts and pieces of linen.

"They must be the galley-slaves; for Iperceive that they do not one of themchange their positions: the galley musthave been abandoned by their officersand seamen, and the slaves left toperish."

"That's very hard," observed Jack toGascoigne; "they were condemned tothe galleys, but not to death."

"They will not have much mercy fromthe waves," replied Gascoigne; "theywill all be in kingdom come to-morrowmorning, if the breeze comes more onthe land. We have already come up twopoints this forenoon."

Although Captain Wilson did not joinin this conversation, which heoverheard as he stood on the forecastlegun, with his glass over the hammocks,it appears he was of the same opinion:but he demurred: he had to choosebetween allowing so many of hisfellow creatures to perish miserably, orto let loose upon society a set ofmiscreants, who would again enter acourse of crime until they were re-captured, and, by so doing, probablydisplease the Sicilian authorities. Aftersome little reflection he resolved that hewould take his chance of the latter. TheAurora was hove-to in stays, and thetwo cutters ordered to be lowered

down, and the boat's crew to be armed.

"Mr Easy, do you take one cutter, andthe armourers; pull on board of thegalley, release those people, and landthem in small divisions. Mr Gascoigne,you will take the other to assist MrEasy, and when he lands them in hisboat, you will pull by hit side ready toact, in case of any hostile attempt onthe part of the scoundrels; for we mustnot expect gratitude: of course, landthem at the nearest safe spot fordebarkation."

In pursuance of these orders, our twomidshipmen pulled away to the vessel.They found her fixed hard upon the

rocks, which had pierced her slighttimbers, and, as they had supposed, therespectable part of her crew, with thecommander, had taken to the boats,leaving the galley-slaves to their fate.She pulled fifty oars, but had onlythirty-six manned. These oars wereforty feet long, and ran in from thethole-pin with a loom six feet long,each manned by four slaves, who werechained to their seat before it, by arunning chain made fast by a padlockin amidships. A plank, of two feetwide, ran fore and aft the vesselbetween the two banks of oars, for theboatswain to apply the lash to thosewho did not sufficiently exertthemselves.

"Viva los Inglesos!" cried the galley-slaves, as Easy climbed up over thequarter of the vessel.

"I say, Ned, did you ever see such aprecious set of villains " observed Easy,as he surveyed the faces of the menwho were chained.

"No," replied Gascoigne; "and I thinkif the captain had seen them as wehave, that he would have left themwhere they were."

"I don't know but, however, our ordersare positive. Armourer, knock off allthe padlocks, beginning aft; when we

have a cargo we will land them. Howmany are there twelve dozen twelvedozen villains to let loose upon society.I have a great mind to go on boardagain and report my opinion to thecaptain one hundred and forty-fourvillains, who all deserve hanging fordrowning is too good for them."

"Our orders are to liberate them, Jack."

"Yes; but I should like to argue thispoint with Captain Wilson."

"They'll send after them fast enough,Jack, and they'll all be in limbo againbefore long," replied Gascoigne.

"Well, I suppose we must obey orders;but it goes against my conscience tosave such villainous-looking rascals.Armourer, hammer away."

The armourer, who with the seamenappeared very much of Jack's opinion,and had not commenced his work, nowstruck off the padlocks one by onewith his sledgehammer. As soon as theywere released the slaves were orderedinto the cutter, and when it wassufficiently loaded Jack shoved off,followed by Gascoigne as guard, andlanded them at the point about a cable'slength distant. It required six tripsbefore they were all landed; the lastcargo were on shore, and Easy was

desiring the men to shove off, whenone of the galleriens turned round, andcried out to Jack in a mocking tone,"Addio, signor, a reveder la." Jackstarted, stared, and, in the squalid,naked wretch who addressed him, herecognised Don Silvio!

"I will acquaint Don Rebiera of yourarrival, signor," said the miscreant,springing up the rocks, and mixing withthe rest, who now commenced hootingand laughing at their preservers.

"Ned," observed Easy to Gascoigne,"we have let that rascal loose."

"More's the pity," replied Gascoigne;

"but we have only obeyed orders."

"It can't be helped, but I've a notionthere will be some mischief out ofthis."

"We obeyed orders," replied Gascoigne.

"We've let the rascals loose not tenmiles from Don Rebiera's."

"Obeyed orders, Jack."

"With a whole gang to back him, if hegoes there."

"Orders, Jack."

"Agnes at his mercy "

"Captain's orders, Jack."

"I shall argue this point when I go onboard," replied Jack.

"Too late, Jack."

"Yes," replied Easy, sinking down onthe stem sheets with a look of despair."Give way, my lads, give way."

Jack returned on board, and reportedwhat he had done: also that Don Silviowas among those liberated; and heventured to mention his fears of whatmight take place from their contiguity

to the house of Don Rebiera. CaptainWilson bit his lips: he felt that hisphilanthropy had induced him to actwithout his usual prudence.

"I have done a rash thing, Mr Easy, Iam afraid. I should have taken them allon board and delivered them up to theauthorities. I wish I had thought ofthat before. We must get to Palermo asfast as we can, and have the troops sentafter these miscreants. Hands 'boutship, fill the main yard."

The wind had veered round, and theAurora was now able to lay up clear ofthe island of Maritimo. The nextmorning she anchored in Palermo

Roads and gave immediate notice to theauthorities, who, wishing CaptainWilson's philanthropy at the devil,immediately despatched a large body oftroops in quest of the liberatedmalefactors. Captain Wilson, feeling forJack's anxiety about his friends, calledhim over to him on deck, and gave himand Gascoigne permission to go onshore.

"Will you allow me to take Mesty withme, sir, if you please " said Jack.

"Yes, Mr Easy; but recollect that, evenwith Mesty, you are no match for onehundred and fifty men; so be prudent. Isend you to relieve your anxiety, not to

run into danger."

"Of course, sir," replied Jack, touchinghis hat, and walking away quietly till hecame to the hatchway, when he darteddown like a shot, and was immediatelyoccupied with his preparations.

In half an hour our two midshipmen,with Mesty, had landed, and proceededto the inn where they had put upbefore: they were armed up to the teeth.Their first inquiries were for DonPhilip and his brother.

"Both on leave of absence," replied thelandlord, "and staying with DonRebiera."

"That's some comfort," thought Jack."Now we must get horses as fast as wecan. Mesty, can you ride "

"By all de power, can I ride, MassaEasy; suppose you ride Kentucky horse,you ride anyting."

In half an hour four horses and a guidewere procured, and at eight o'clock inthe morning the party set off in thedirection of Don Rebiera's countryseat.

They had not ridden more than sixmiles when they came up with one ofthe detachments sent out in pursuit of

the liberated criminals. Our herorecognised the commanding officer asan old acquaintance, and imparting tohim the release of Don Silvio, and hisfears upon Don Rebiera's account,begged him to direct his attention thatway.

"Corpo di Bacco you are right, SignorMid," replied the officer, "but DonPhilip is there, and his brother too, Ibelieve. I will be there by ten o'clock to-morrow morning; we will march almostthe whole night."

"They have no arms," observed Easy.

"No, but they will soon get them: they

will go to some small town in a body,plunder it, and then seek the protectionof the mountains. Your captain hasgiven us a pretty job."

Jack exchanged a few more words, andthen, excusing himself on account ofhis haste, put the spurs to his horse andregained his own party, who nowproceeded at a rapid pace.

"O signor!" said the guide, "we shall killthe horses."

"I'll pay for them," said Jack.

"Yes, but we shall kill them before weget there, Jack," replied Gascoigne, "and

have to walk the rest of the way."

"Very true, Ned; let's pull up, and givethem their wind."

"By de holy poker, Massa Easy, but myshirt stick to my ribs," cried Mesty,whose black face was hung withdewdrops from their rapid course.

"Never mind, Mesty." It was about fiveo'clock in the afternoon when theyarrived at the seat of Don Rebiera. Jackthrew himself off his jaded steed, andhastened into the house, followed byGascoigne. They found the wholefamily collected in the large sitting-room, quite ignorant of any danger

threatening them, and equallyastonished and pleased at the arrival oftheir old friends. Jack flew to Agnes,who screamed when she saw him, andfelt so giddy afterwards that he wasobliged to support her. Having seatedher again, he was kindly greeted by theold people and the two young officers.After a few minutes dedicated tomutual inquiries, our hero stated thecause of their expeditious arrival.

"Don Silvio with one hundred and fiftygalleriens, let loose on the coastyesterday afternoon!" exclaimed DonRebiera; "you are right, I only wonderthey were not here last night. But Iexpect Pedro from the town; he has

gone down with a load of wine: he willbring us intelligence."

"At all events, we must be prepared,"said Don Philip; "the troops, you say,will be here to-morrow morning."

"Holy Virgin!" exclaimed the ladies, in abreath.

"How many can we muster " saidGascoigne.

"We have five men here, or we shallhave by the evening," replied DonPhilip "all, I think, good men my father,my brother, and myself."

"We are three four with the guide,whom I know nothing about."

"Twelve in all not one too many; but Ithink that now we are prepared, if theyattack, we can hold out till themorning."

"Had we not better send the ladiesaway " said Jack.

"Who is to escort them " replied DonPhilip; "we shall only weaken our force;besides, they may fall into themiscreants' hands."

"Shall we all leave the house togetherthey can but plunder it," observed Don

Rebiera.

"Still, we may be intercepted by them,and our whole force will be nothingagainst so many," observed Don Philip,"if we are without defence, whereas inthe house we shall have an advantage."

"E'vero," replied Don Rebiera,thoughtfully; "then let us prepare, fordepend upon it Don Silvio will notlose such an opportunity to wreak hisvengeance. He will be here to-night: Ionly wonder he has not been here withhis companions before. However,Pedro will arrive in two hours."

"We must now see what means we have

of defence," said Philip. "Come,brother will you come, sir "

CHAPTER XXXI

A regular set-to, in which the partiesbeaten are not knocked down, but risehigher and higher at each discomfitureNothing but the troops could haveprevented them from going up toheaven.

Don Rebiera and his two sons quittedthe room, Gascoigne entered intoconversation with the senora, whileEasy took this opportunity of

addressing Agnes. He had been toomuch occupied with the consultationto pay her much attention before. Hehad spoken, with his eyes fixed uponher, and had been surprised at theimprovement which had taken place inless than a year. He now went to her,and asked her, in a low voice, "whethershe had received his letter "

"Oh, yes!" replied she, colouring.

"And were you angry with what I said,Agnes " in a low tone.

"No," replied she, casting her eyesdown on the floor.

"I repeat now what I said, Agnes I havenever forgotten you."

"But "

"But what "

"Father Thomaso."

"What of him "

"He never will "

"Will what "

"You are a heretic, he says."

"Tell him to mind his own business."

"He has great influence with my fatherand mother."

"Your brothers are on our side."

"I know that, but there will be greatdifficulty. Our religion is not the same.He must talk to you he will convertyou."

"We'll argue that point, Agnes. I willconvert him if he has common sense;if not, it's no use arguing with him.Where is he "

"He will soon be at home."

"Tell me, Agnes, if you had your ownwill, would you marry me " "I don'tknow; I have never seen anyone I likedso well."

"Is that all "

"Is it not enough for a maiden to say "replied Agnes, raising her eyes, andlooking reproachfully. "Signor, let mego, here comes my father."

Notwithstanding, Jack cast his eyes tothe window, where Gascoigne and thesenora were in converse, and,perceiving that the old lady's back wasturned, he pressed Agnes to his bosombefore he released her. The gentlemen

then returned with all the fire-arms anddestructive weapons they could collect.

"We have enough," observed DonPhilip, "to arm all the people we havewith us."

"And we are well armed," replied Jack,who had left Agnes standing alone."What now are your plans "

"Those we must now consult about. Itappears " but at this moment theconversation was interrupted by thesudden entrance of Pedro, who hadbeen despatched to the town with theload of wine. He rushed in, flurriedand heated, with his red cap in his

hand.

"How now, Pedro, back so early!"

"O signor!" exclaimed the man "theyhave taken the cart and the wine, andhave drawn it away, up to themountains."

"Who " inquired Don Rebiera.

"The galley-slaves who have been letloose and by the body of our blessedsaint, they have done pretty mischiefthey have broken into the houses,robbed everything murdered manyclothed themselves with the bestcollected all the arms, provisions, and

wine they could lay their hands on, andhave marched away into the mountains.This took place last night. As I wascoming down within a mile of thetown, they met me with my loaded cart,and they turned the bullocks roundand drove them away along with therest. By the blessed Virgin! but they arestained with blood, but not altogetherof men, for they have cut up some ofthe oxen. I heard this from one of theherdsmen, but he too fled, and couldnot tell me more. But, signor, I heardthem mention your name."

"I have no doubt of it," replied DonRebiera. "As for the wine, I only hopethey will drink too much of it to-night.

But, Pedro, they will be here, and wemust defend ourselves so call the mentogether; I must speak to them."

"We shall never see the bullocks again,"observed Pedro, mournfully.

"No: but we shall never see one anotheragain, if we do not take care. I haveinformation they come here to-night."

"Holy Saint Francis! and they say thereare a thousand of them."

"Not quite so many, to my knowledge,"observed Jack. "They told me that agreat many were killed in their attackupon the town, before they mastered

it."

"So much the better. Go now, Pedro,drink a cup of wine, and then call theother men."

The house was barricaded as well ascircumstances would permit; the firststory was also made a fortress byloading the landing place with armoiresand chests of drawers. The upper story,or attic, if it might be so called, wasdefended in the same way, that theymight retreat from one to the other ifthe doors were forced.

It was eight o'clock in the eveningbefore all was ready, and they were still

occupied with the last defence, underthe superintendence of Mesty, whoshowed himself an able engineer, whenthey heard the sound of anapproaching multitude. They lookedout of one of the windows, andperceived the house surrounded by thegalley-slaves, in number apparentlyabout a hundred. They were all dressedin a most fantastic manner withwhatever they could pick up: some hadfire-arms, but the most of them weresupplied with only swords or knives.With them came also their cortege ofplunder: carts of various descriptions,loaded with provisions of all sorts, andwine; women lashed down with ropes,sails from the vessels and boats to

supply them with covering in themountains, hay and straw, andmattresses. Their plunder appeared tobe well chosen for their exigencies. Tothe carts were tied a variety of cattle,intended to accompany them to theirretreat. They all appeared to be under aleader, who was issuing directions thatleader was soon recognised by those inthe house to be Don Silvio.

"Massa Easy, you show me dat man,"said Mesty, when he heard theconversation between Easy and theRebieras; "only let me know him."

"Do you see him there, Mesty, walkingdown in front of those men He has a

musket in his hand, a jacket with silverbuttons, and white trousers."

"Yes, Massa Easy, me see him well letme look little more dat enough."

The galley-slaves appeared to be veryanxious to surround the house that noone should escape, and Don Silvio wasarranging the men.

"Ned," said Jack, "let us show him thatwe are here. He said that he wouldacquaint Don Rebiera with our arrivallet us prove to him that he is too late."

"It would not be a bad plan," repliedGascoigne; "if it were possible that

these fellows had any gratitude amongthem, some of them might relent at theidea of attacking those who savedthem."

"Not a bit; but it will prove to themthat there are more in the house thanthey think for; and we can frightensome of them by telling them that thesoldiers are near at hand."

Jack immediately threw up thecasement, and called out in a loudvoice, "Don Silvio! galley-slave! DonSilvio!"

The party hailed turned round, andbeheld Jack, Gascoigne, and Mesty,

standing at the window of the upperfloor.

"We have saved you the trouble ofannouncing us," called out Gascoigne."We are here to receive you."

"And in three hours the troops will behere, so you must be quick, DonSilvio," continued Jack.

"A reveder la," continued Gascoigne,letting fly his pistol at Don Silvio.

The window was then immediatelyclosed. The appearance of our heroes,and their communication of the speedyarrival of the troops, was not without

effect. The criminals trembled at theidea; Don Silvio was mad with rage hepointed out to the men the necessity ofimmediate attack the improbability ofthe troops arriving so soon, and thewealth which he expected was lockedup by Don Rebiera in his mansion.This rallied them, and they advanced tothe doors, which they attempted toforce without success, losing severalmen by the occasional fire from thosewithin the house. Finding their efforts,after half an hour's repeated attempts,to be useless, they retreated, and thenbringing up a long piece of timber,which required sixty men to carry it,they ran with it against the door, andthe weight and impetus of the timber

drove it off its hinges, and an entrancewas obtained; by this time it was dark,the lower story had been abandoned,but the barricade at the head of thestairs opposed their progress.Convenient loop-holes had beenprepared by the defenders, who nowopened a smart fire upon the assailants,the latter having no means of returningit effectually, had they had ammunitionfor their muskets, which fortunatelythey had not been able to procure. Thecombat now became fierce, and thegalley-slaves were several times repulsedwith great loss during a contest of twohours; but, encouraged by Don Silvio,and refreshed by repeated draughts ofwine, they continued by degrees

removing the barriers opposed to them.

"We shall have to retreat," exclaimedDon Rebiera; "very soon they will havetorn down all. What do you think,Signor Easy "

"Hold this as long as we can. How arewe off for ammunition "

"Plenty as yet plenty to last for sixhours, I think."

"What do you say, Mesty "

"By holy St Patrig, I say hold out herethey got no fire-arms and we ab um atarm-length."

This decision was the occasion of thefirst defence being held for two hoursmore, an occasional relief beingafforded by the retreat of the convictsto the covered carts.

At last it was evident that the barricadewas no longer tenable, for the heavypieces of furniture they had heaped upto oppose entrance, were completelyhammered to fragments by polesbrought up by the assailants, and usedas battering-rams. The retreat wassounded; they all hastened to the otherstory, where the ladies were alreadyplaced, and the galley-slaves were soonin possession of the first floor

exasperated by the defence, mad withwine and victory, but finding nothing.

Again was the attack made upon thesecond landing, but, as the stairs werenow narrower, and their defencesstronger in proportion, they, for a longwhile, gained no advantage. On thecontrary, many of their men werewounded, and taken down below.

The darkness of the night preventedboth parties from seeing distinctly,which was rather in favour of theassailants. Many climbed over thefortress of piled-up furniture, and werekilled as soon as they appeared on theother side, and, at last, the only

ammunition used was against thosewho made this rash attempt. For fourlong hours did this assault and defencecontinue, until daylight came, and thenthe plan of assault was altered: theyagain brought up the poles, hammeredthe pieces of furniture into fragments,and gained ground. The defenders wereworn out with fatigue, but flinched not;they knew that their lives, and the livesof those dearest to them, were at stake,and they never relaxed their exertions;still the criminals, with Silvio at theirhead, progressed, the distance betweenthe parties gradually decreased, andthere was but one massive chest ofdrawers now defending the landing-place, and over which there was a

constant succession of blows fromlong poles and cutlasses, returned withthe bullets from their pistols.

"We must now fight for our lives,"exclaimed Gascoigne to Easy, "for whatelse can we do "

"Do get on the roof and fight there,then," replied Jack.

"By-the-bye, that's well thought of,Jack," said Gascoigne. "Mesty, up andsee if there is any place we can retreatto in case of need."

Mesty hastened to obey, and soonreturned with a report that there was a

trap-door leading into the loft underthe roof, and that they could draw theladder up after them.

"Then we may laugh at them," criedJack. "Mesty, stay here while I andGascoigne assist the ladies up,"explaining to the Rebieras and to theirdomestics why they went.

Easy and Gascoigne hastened to thesignora and Agnes, conducted them upthe ladder into the loft, and requestedthem to have no fear; they thenreturned to the defences on the stairs,and joined their companions. Theyfound them hard pressed, and thatthere was little chance of holding out

much longer; but the stairs werenarrow, and the assailants could notbring their force against them. But now,as the defences were nearly destroyed,although the convicts could not reachthem with their knives, they brought upa large supply of heavy stones, whichthey threw with great force andexecution. Two of Don Rebiera's menand Don Martin were struck down,and this new weapon proved mostfatal.

"We must retreat, Jack," said Gascoigne;"the stones can do no harm where weare going to. What think you, DonPhilip "

"I agree with you; let those who arewounded be first carried up, and thenwe will follow."

This was effected, and as soon as thewounded men were carried up theladder, and the arms taken up toprevent their falling into the hands ofthe assailants, for they were now oflittle use to them, the ammunitionbeing exhausted, the whole body wentinto the large room which containedthe trap-door of the loft, and, as soonas they were up, they drew the ladderafter them. They had hardly effectedthis, when they were followed with theyells and shouting of the galley-slaves,who had passed the last barriers, and

thought themselves sure of their prey:but they were disappointed they foundthem more secure than ever.

Nothing could exceed the rage of DonSilvio at the protracted resistance of theparty, and the security of their retreat.To get at them was impossible, so hedetermined to set fire to the room, andsuffocate them, if he could do nootherwise. He gave his directions to hismen, who rushed down for straw, butin so doing, he carelessly passed underthe trap-door, and Mesty, who hadcarried up with him two or three of thestones, dashed one down on the headof Don Silvio, who fell immediately.He was carried away, but his orders

were put in execution; the room wasfilled with straw and fodder, andlighted. The effects were soon felt: thetrap-door had been shut, but the heatand smoke burst through; after a time,the planks and rafters took fire, andtheir situation was terrible. A smalltrap-window in the roof, on the side ofthe house, was knocked open, and gavethem a temporary relief; but now therafters burned and crackled, and thesmoke burst on them in thick columns.They could not see, and with difficultycould breathe. Fortunately the roombelow that which had been fired wasbut one out of four on the attics, and,as the loft they were in spread over thewhole of the roof, they were able to

remove far from it. The house wasslated with massive slate of somehundred weights each, and it was notfound possible to remove them so as togive air although frequent attemptswere made. Donna Rebiera sankexhausted in the arms of her husband,and Agnes fell into those of our hero,who, enveloped in the smoke, kissedher again and again; and she, poor girl,thinking that they must all inevitablyperish, made no scruple, in what shesupposed her last moment, ofreturning these proofs of her ardentattachment.

"Massy Easy, help me here, MassaGascoigne come here. Now heab wid

all your might: when we get one off weget plenty."

Summoned by Mesty, Jack andGascoigne put their shoulders to oneof the lower slates; it yielded, wasdisengaged, and slid down with a loudrattling below. The ladies were broughtto it, and their heads put outside; theysoon recovered; and now that they hadremoved one, they found no difficultyin removing others. In a few minutesthey were all with their heads in theopen air, but still the house was on firebelow, and they had no chance ofescape. It was while they were debatingupon that point, and consulting as totheir chance of safety, that a breeze of

wind wafted the smoke that issuedfrom the roof away from them, andthey beheld the detachment of troopsmaking up to the house; a loud cheerwas given, and attracted the notice ofthe soldiers. They perceived Easy andhis companions; the house wassurrounded and entered in an instant.

The galley-slaves who were in thehouse, searching for the treasurereported by Don Silvio to beconcealed, were captured or killed, andin five minutes the troops hadpossession. But how to assist thoseabove was the difficulty. The roombelow was in flames, and burningfiercely. There were no ladders that

could reach so high, and there were nomeans of getting to them. Thecommandant made signs from below,as if to ask what he was to do.

"I see no chance," observed DonPhilip, mournfully. "Easy, my dearfellow, and you, Gascoigne, I am sorrythat the feuds of our family shouldhave brought you to such a dreadfuldeath; but what can be done "

"I don't know," replied Jack, "unless wecould get ropes."

"You quite sure, Massy Easy, that allgalley rascals below gone " asked Mesty.

"Yes," replied Easy, "you may see that;look at some of them bound there,under charge of the soldiers."

"Den, sar, I tink it high time we gotoo."

"So do I, Mesty; but how "

"How stop a little. Come, help me,Massy Easy; dis board" (for the loft wasfloored) "is loose; come help, all ofyou."

They all went, and with united strengthpulled up the board. "Now strike likehell! and drive down de plaster," saidMesty, commencing the operation.

In a few minutes they had beaten anopening into one of the rooms belownot on fire, pulled up another board,and Mesty having fetched the ladder,they all descended in safety, and, to theastonishment of the commandant ofthe troops, walked out of the door ofthe house, those who had been stunnedwith the stones having so far recoveredas to require little assistance.

The soldiers shouted as they saw themappear, supporting the females. Thecommanding officer, who was anintimate friend of Don Philip, flew tohis arms. The prisoners were carefullyexamined by Mesty, and Don Silvio was

not among them. He might, however,be among the dead who were left in thehouse, which now began to burnfuriously. The galley-slaves who werecaptured amounted in number to forty-seven. Their dead they could not count.The major part of the plunder, and thecarts, were still where they had beendrawn up.

As soon as the culprits had beensecured, the attention of the troops wasdirected to putting out the flames, buttheir attempts were ineffectual; themansion was burned to the bare walls,and but little of the furniture saved;indeed, the major part of it had beendestroyed in the attack made by Don

Silvio and his adherents.

Leaving directions with Pedro and hispeople, that the property collected bythe miscreants should be restored tothe owners, Don Rebiera ordered thehorses, and with the whole party puthimself under the protection of thetroops, who, as soon as they had beenrefreshed, and taken some repose, benttheir way back to Palermo with thegalley-slaves, bound and linkedtogether in a long double row.

They halted when they had gone half-way, and remained for the night. Thenext day at noon, Don Rebiera and hisfamily were once more in their palazzo,

and our two midshipmen and Mestytook their leave, and repaired on boardto make themselves a little less likechimney-sweepers.

Captain Wilson was not out of theship. Jack made his report, and thenwent down below, very much pleased atwhat had passed, especially as he wouldhave another long yarn for theGovernor on his return to Malta.

CHAPTER XXXII

In which our hero and Gascoigneought to be ashamed of themselves,

and did feel what might be calledmidshipmite compunction.

The Aurora continued three weeks atPalermo, during which the most activesearch had been made for theremainder of the galley-slaves, andsome few had been captured, but stillDon Silvio, a considerable number,were at large; and it was said that theyhad retired to the fastnesses in themountains. Our hero was constantly onshore at Don Rebiera's house, and, afterwhat had passed, he was now lookedupon as soon to become a member ofthe family. The difference of religionwas overlooked by Don Rebiera andthe relations by all but the confessor,

Father Thomaso, who now began toagitate and fulminate into the ears ofthe Donna Rebiera all the pains andpenalties attending hereticalconnection, such as excommunicationand utter damnation. The effects of hisremonstrances were soon visible, andJack found that there was constraint onthe part of the old lady, tears on thepart of Agnes, and all father confessorsheartily wished at the devil ten times aday, on the part of Don Philip and hisbrother. At last he wormed the truthout of Agnes, who told her tale, andwept bitterly.

"Ned, I don't much like the appearanceof things," observed Jack; "I must get

rid of that Father Thomaso."

"You'll find that rather difficult,"observed Gascoigne; "besides, if youwere rid of him you would have hisplace filled up with another."

"He has frightened that poor oldwoman into the dismals, and she hasthe pains of purgatory on her already. Ishall go and talk to Mesty."

"How can Mesty help you "

"I don't know, but you can't; so, forwant of better advice, I'll try theAshantee." Our hero went to Mesty,and laid the difficult affair open to him.

"I see," said Mesty, showing his filedteeth, "you want him skull."

"No, I don't, Mesty; but I want him outof the way."

"How that possible, Massy Easy shipsail day after to-morrow. Now 'pose Iab time, I soon manage all dat. Stop alittle."

"Confound it! but there's no stopping,"replied Jack.

"Suppose, Massy Easy, you get leave goon shore not come off again."

"That will be deserting, Mesty."

"By holy poker, I ab it you go on shoreand break your leg."

"Break my leg! break my leave, youmean "

"No, Massy Easy you break your legden captain leave you shore, and leaveme to take care of you."

"But why should I break my leg, andhow am I to break my leg "

"Only pretend break leg, Massa Easy.Go talk Massa Don Philip, he manageall dat. Suppose man break his leg in

seven pieces, it is not possible to takehim board."

"Seven pieces, Mesty! that's rather toomany. However, I'll think of this."

Jack then went back and consultedGascoigne, who approved of Mesty'sadvice, and thought the schemefeasible.

"If we could only pretend that we werethrown out of a caricola, you breakyour leg, a compound fracture ofcourse, I break my arm both left onshore at sick quarters, with Mesty totake care of us."

"Capital, indeed," replied Jack; "I reallywould not mind it if it really tookplace; at all events we'll overturn thecaricola."

"But shall we get leave the last day "

"Yes, it's two days since I have been onshore, for I have not liked to go to DonRebiera's since what Agnes told me.Besides, my clothes are all on shore,and that will be an excuse for a fewhours."

Our two midshipmen applied for leavethe next morning to be off in theafternoon. The first lieutenant gavethem permission. They hastened to the

hotel, sent for Don Philip, and madehim a party to their plan. He readilypromised his assistance, for he hadresolved that our hero should marry hissister, and was fearful of the effect ofhis absence, coupled with FriarThomaso's influence over his mother.He went to the surgeon of hisregiment, who immediately entered intothe scheme.

Our two midshipmen got into acaricola, rattled up and down thestreets, and perceiving Captain Wilsonat his window, flogged the horse into agallop; when abreast of the barracksJack ran the wheel against a bank, andthrew himself and Gascoigne out.

Midshipmen are never hurt by theseaccidents, but fortunately for thesuccess of the enterprise their faceswere cut and bruised. Don Philip wasstanding by: he called the men to pickup our two scamps, carried them intothe barracks, and sent for the surgeons,who undressed them, put Jack's left leginto a multitude of splints, and did thesame to Gascoigne's arm. They werethen put to bed, their contused faces,with the blood, left "in statu quo,"while Don Philip sent an orderly, asfrom the commandant, to CaptainWilson, to acquaint him that two of hisofficers had been thrown out of acaricola, and were lying dangerouslyhurt at the barracks.

"Good heavens, it must be Mr Easy andMr Gascoigne!" said Captain Wilson,when the intelligence wascommunicated; "I saw them gallopingdown the street like two madmen justnow. Coxswain, take the gig on boardand then tell the surgeon to come onshore immediately, and bring him up tome at the barracks."

Captain Wilson then put on his hat,buckled on his sword, and hastened toascertain the extent of the injury. DonPhilip kept out of the way, but thecaptain was ushered into the room byone of the officers, where he found, intwo beds, our two midshipmen

stretched out, the surgeon of the forcesand the regimental surgeon inconsultation between them, whileattendants were standing by each bedwith restoratives. The medicalgentlemen saluted Captain Wilson, andlooked very grave, talked aboutfractures, contusions, injuries, in themost interminable manner hoped thatMr Easy would recover but had doubts.The other gentleman might do wellwith care; that is, so far as his arm wasconcerned, but there appeared to be aconcussion of the brain. CaptainWilson looked at the cut and blood-smeared faces of the two young men,and waited with anxiety the arrival ofhis own surgeon, who came at last,

puffing with the haste he had made,and received the report of the brothersof the faculty.

The leg of Mr Easy fractured in twoplaces had been set bone protrudingimpossible to move him. Gascoigne,arm, compound fracture contusion ofthe brain not certain. Now that all thiswould have been discovered to be falseif the surgeon had been able toexamine, is true; but how could he notcredit the surgeon of the forces and theregimental surgeon, and how could heput the young men to fresh tortures byremoving splints and unsetting limbsPoliteness, if nothing else, preventedhis so doing, for it would have been as

much as to say that either he did notcredit their report, or that he doubtedtheir skill. He looked at our hero andhis companion, who kept their eyesclosed, and breathed heavily with theirmouths open, put on a grave face, aswell as his brothers in the art, andreported to Captain Wilson.

"But when can they be moved, Mr Daly" inquired the latter; "I cannot wait; wemust sail to-morrow, or the next day atthe farthest."

The surgeon, as in duty bound, put thequestion to the others, who replied thatthere would be great risk in movingbefore the fever, which might be

expected the next day, and which mightlast ten days; but that Captain Wilsonhad better not think of removing them,as they should have every care andattention where they were, and couldrejoin the ship at Malta. Mr Daly, thesurgeon, agreed that this would be themost prudent step, and Captain Wilsonthen gave his consent.

That being settled, he walked up to thebed of Gascoigne, and spoke to him;but Gascoigne knew that he was tohave a concussion of the brain, and hemade no reply, nor gave any signs ofknowing that Captain Wilson was nearhim. He then went to our hero, who, atthe sound of Captain Wilson's voice,

slowly opened his eyes without movinghis head, and appeared to recognisehim.

"Are you in much pain, Easy " said thecaptain, kindly. Easy closed his eyesagain, and murmured, "Mesty, Mesty!"

"He wants his servant, the ship'scorporal, sir," said the surgeon.

"Well," replied Captain Wilson, "he hadbetter have him: he is a faithful fellow,and will nurse him well. When you goon board, Mr Daly, desire the firstlieutenant to send Mesty on shore withMr Gascoigne's and Mr Easy's chests,and his own bag and hammock. Good

heavens! I would not for a thousandpounds that this accident had occurred.Poor foolish boys they run in couples,and if one's in a scrape the other is sureto share it. Gentlemen, I return youmany thanks for your kindness, and Imust accept of your promised care formy unfortunate officers. I sail to-morrow at daylight. You will oblige meby informing their friends, the Rebieras,of their mischance, as I am sure theywill contribute all they can to theircomfort." So saying, Captain Wilsonbowed and quitted the room, followedby the surgeon.

As soon as the door was closed the twomidshipmen turned their heads round

and looked at each other, but they wereafraid to speak at first, in case of thereturn of the surgeon. As soon as itwas announced to them that CaptainWilson and Mr Daly were outside thebarrack-gate, our hero commenced"Do you know, Ned, that myconscience smites me, and if it had notbeen that I should have betrayed thosewho wish to oblige us, when poorCaptain Wilson appeared so much hurtand annoyed at our accident, I was verynear getting up and telling him of theimposition, to relieve his mind."

"I agree with you, Jack, and I felt muchthe same but what's done cannot beundone. We must now keep up the

imposition for the sake of those who,to help us, have deceived him."

"I don't think that you would find anEnglish surgeon who would haveconsented to such an imposition."

"No, that is certain; but after all, it is animposition that has hurt nobody."

"Oh, I do not wish to moralise but Irepent of my share in the deceit; andhad it to be done over again I wouldnot consent to it."

"Not even for but I won't mention hername in barracks."

"I don't know," replied Jack; "but let'ssay no more about it, and thank thesegentlemen for their kindness."

"Yes, but we must keep it up until wesee the Aurora under all sail."

"And longer too," replied Jack; "wemust not let the affair get wind even onshore. We must not recover quickly, butstill appear to recover. Don Rebiera andhis wife must be deceived. I have a plotin my head, but I cannot work it outclear till I see Mesty."

Don Philip now came in. He had seenCaptain Wilson, who had requestedhim to look after the two invalids, and

stated his intention to sail the nextmorning. They consulted with him, andit was agreed that no one should beacquainted with the real fact but hisbrother Martin, and that all Palermoshould be as much deceived as CaptainWilson, for if not, it would put FatherThomaso on the "qui vive," and makehim fulminate more than ever. Ourmidshipmen ate an excellent dinner,and then remained in bed conversingtill it was time to go to sleep; but longbefore that, Mesty had made hisappearance with their clothes. The eyesof the Ashantee said all that wasnecessary he never spoke a word, butunlashed his hammock and lay down ina corner, and they were soon all three

asleep.

The next morning Captain Wilsoncalled to ascertain how our hero andhis companion were, but the room hadbeen darkened, and he could not seetheir faces plainly. Easy thanked him forhis kindness in allowing Mesty toattend them, and having received hisorders as to their joining the ship assoon as they recovered, and havingpromised to be very cautious in theirbehaviour and keep out of all scrapes,he wished them a speedy recovery, anddeparted.

In little more than half an hourafterwards, Mesty, who had been

peeping out of the shutters, suddenlythrew them open with a loud laugh.

The Aurora was under way, withstudding sails below and aloft standingout of the roads. Jack and Gascoignegot up, threw off the splints, anddanced about in their shirts. As soon asthey were quiet again, Mesty said in agrave tone, "Den why you stay at sea,Massa Easy "

"Very true, Mesty, I've asked myselfthat question often enough lately;because I'm a fool, I suppose."

"And I, because I can't help it," repliedGascoigne; "never mind, we are on

shore now, and I look for a famouscruise."

"But first we must see what the groundis we are to cruise on," replied Jack; "so,Mesty, let us have a palaver, as they sayin your country."

The two midshipmen got into theirbeds, and Mesty sat on the chestbetween them, looking as grave as ajudge. The question was, how to get ridof the padre Thomaso. Was he to bethrown over the mole-head to thefishes or his skull broke was Mesty'sknife to be resorted to was he to bekidnapped or poisoned or were fairmeans to be employed persuasion,

bribery Every one knows how difficultit is to get rid of a priest.

As our hero and Gascoigne were notItalians, they thought that briberywould be the more English-like way ofdoing the thing; so they composed aletter, to be delivered by Mesty to thefriar, in which Jack offered to FatherThomaso the moderate sum of onethousand dollars, provided he wouldallow the marriage to proceed, and notfrighten the old lady with ecclesiasticalsquibs and crackers.

As Mesty was often on shore with Jack,and knew the friar very well by sight, itwas agreed that the letter should be

confided to his charge; but as it was notconsistent that a person in such a stateas our hero was represented to beshould sit up and write letters, thedelivery was deferred for a few days,when after waiting that time, Mestydelivered the letter to the friar, andmade signs that he was to take back theanswer. The friar beckoned him that hewas to accompany him to his room,where he read the letter, and then againmade signs to him to follow him. Thefriar led the way to his monastery, andas soon as Mesty was in his cell, hesummoned another who could speakEnglish to act as interpreter.

"Is your master recovering "

"Yes," replied Mesty, "he is at presentdoing well."

"Have you served him long "

"No," replied Mesty.

"Are you very fond of him does hetreat you well, give you plenty ofmoney "

At these questions, the artful blackconceived that there was something inthe wind, and he therefore very quietlyreplied, "I do not care much for him."

The friar fixed his keen eye upon Mesty,

and perceived there was a savage lookabout the black, from which heaugured that he was a man who wouldsuit his purpose.

"Your master offers me a thousanddollars; would you wish to gain thismoney for yourself "

Mesty grinned, and showed his sharp-filed teeth. "It would make me a richman in my own country."

"It would," replied the friar; "now, youshall have it, if you will only give yourmaster a small powder."

"I understand," replied Mesty; "hab

those things in my country."

"Well do you consent if so, I will writethe letter to get the money."

"Suppose they find me out " repliedMesty.

"You will be safe, and you shall be sentaway as soon as possible say, will youconsent "

"The whole thousand dollars "

"Every one of them."

"Den give me the powder!"

"Stay a little", replied the friar, whowent out of the cell, and, in about tenminutes, returned with an answer toour hero's letter, and a paper containinga greyish powder.

"Give him this in his soup or anythingspread it on his meat, or mix it up withhis sugar if he eats an orange."

"I see," replied Mesty. "The dollars shallbe yours, I swear it on the holy cross."Mesty grinned horribly, took hiscredentials, and then asked, "When Icome again "

"As soon as you have received themoney bring it to me at Don Rebiera's

then give the powder: as soon as it isgiven you must let me know, for youmust not remain in Palermo. I willmyself conduct you to a place ofsafety."

Mesty then quitted the cell, and wasshown out of the monastery.

"By de holy poker, he one d n rascal!"muttered Mesty, as he was once in theopen air. "But stop a little."

The Ashantee soon arrived at thebarracks, and repeated the whole of theconference between him and FriarThomaso.

"It must be poison, of course,"observed Gascoigne; "suppose we try itupon some animal "

"No, Massa Gascoigne," replied Mesty,"I try it myself, by-and-bye. Now whatwe do "

"I must give you the order for thethousand dollars, Mesty," replied Jack."The rascal here writes to me that forthat sum, he will consent not only notto oppose me, but agrees to assist mycause; but the great question is, whetherhe will keep his word with you, Mesty;if not, I shall lose my money. Sotherefore we must now have anotherpalaver, and argue the point."

The point was argued between Jack andGascoigne. A thousand dollars was alarge sum, but Jack's father was aphilosopher. After many pros and cons,it was at last decided that the moneyshould be given to Mesty; but Mestyshould state, when he took the moneyto the friar, that he had administeredthe powder, and claim it when hepresented it.

The next day, the order for the moneywas given to Mesty, and he went toFriar Thomaso with it. The friarhastened with Mesty to the monastery,and sent for the interpreter.

"You have given it " inquired the friar.

"Yes not one hour ago. Here de orderfor de money."

"You must run for the money before heis dead, for the powder is very rapid."

"And me," replied Mesty, apparentlymuch alarmed, "where am I to go "

"As soon as you bring the money here,you must go back to the barracks.Remain there till he is dead, and thenreturn here. I will have all ready, andtake you, as soon as it is dusk, to amonastery of our order in themountains, where no one will think of

looking for you, till the affair is blownover; and then I will find you a passagein some vessel out of the island."

Mesty hastened for the money, andtaking it in a large bag to the monastery,delivered it to the friar's charge, andthen returned to the barracks to Easyand Gascoigne. It was agreed that heshould go with the friar, who wouldprobably remain away some time;indeed, Mesty insisted upon so doing.Mesty stayed two hours, and thenreturned about dusk to the monastery,and reported the death of our hero. Heremained there until it was dark, andthen the friar ordered him to tie the bagof dollars to his saddle-bow. They

mounted two mules, which stoodalready caparisoned, and quittedPalermo.

In the morning Don Philip, as usual,made his appearance, and told our herothat the friar had been summoned awayby the abbot, and would not return forsome time.

"I came to tell you this news," said DonPhilip, "as I thought it would pleaseyou; the sooner you are now well thebetter. I mean to propose your beingboth removed to my father's palazzo,and then you can recover your lostground during the confessor'sabsence."

"And I have the means," replied Jack,showing the friar's letter. Don Philipread it with astonishment, but was stillmore surprised when he heard thewhole story from Jack. He was for atime silent: at last he said,

"I am sorry for your poor black." "Whyso " replied Jack.

"You will never see him again, dependupon it. A thousand dollars would signthe death warrant of a thousand blacks;but there is another reason they will puthim out of the way, that he may notgive evidence. Where is the powder "

"Mesty has it; he would not part withit."

"He is a shrewd fellow, that black; hemay be too much for the friar," repliedDon Philip.

"He means mischief, I'm sure," repliedGascoigne.

"Still I feel a great deal of alarm abouthim," replied Easy; "I wish now that Ihad not let him go."

"Are you sure that he went "

"No, I am not; but the friar told himthat he should take him to the

mountains as soon as it was dark."

"And probably he will," replied DonPhilip, "as the best place to get rid ofhim. However, the whole of this storymust be told both to my father and mymother; to the former, that he may takethe right measures, and to my mother,that it may open her eyes. Give me thecopy of the letter you wrote to the friar,and then I shall have it all."

The report of the accident which hadoccurred to Easy and Gascoigne hadbeen spread and fully believedthroughout Palermo. Indeed, as usual,it had been magnified, and asserted thatthey could not recover. To Agnes only

had the case been imparted inconfidence by Don Philip, for herdistress at the first intelligence had beenso great that her brother could notconceal it.

Two days after Don Philip had madehis parents acquainted with the villainyof the friar, the midshipmen weretransported to the palazzo, much to thesurprise of everybody, and much to therenown of the surgeons, who wereindemnified for their duplicity andfalsehood by an amazing extension oftheir credit as skilful men.

After their arrival at the palazzo, DonRebiera was also entrusted with the

secret, but it went no farther. As nowthere was no particular hurry for ourhero to get well, he was contented andhappy in the society of Agnes and herparents; the old lady, after she had beeninformed of the conduct of FriarThomaso, having turned round in ourhero's favour, and made a vow never tohave a confessor in the house again.Jack and Gascoigne were now as happyas could be; all their alarm was aboutMesty, for whose return they were mostanxious.

To Don Rebiera, Jack made knownformally his intentions with regard toAgnes. He fully satisfied him as to hisqualifications and his property, and

Don Rebiera was fully aware of hisdebt of gratitude to our hero. But all herequired was the consent of Jack'sfather, and until this was obtained, hewould not consent to the marriagetaking place. Jack attempted to arguethe point; his father, he said, hadmarried without consulting him, andtherefore he had a right to marrywithout consulting his father. But DonRebiera, not having any acquaintancewith the rights of man and equality, didnot feel the full force of Jack'sargument, and made it a sine qua nonthat his parents should write andconsent to the alliance before it tookplace.

CHAPTER XXXIII

In which Mesty should be calledthroughout Mephistopheles, for itabounds in black cloaks, disguises,daggers, and dark deeds.

On the fourth evening after theremoval of our two midshipmen to thepalazzo of Don Rebiera, as they weresitting in company with Agnes andDon Philip in their own room, a friarmade his appearance at the door. Theyall started, for by his height theyimagined him to be Friar Thomaso, butno one addressed him. The friar shut

the door without saying a word, andthen lifting up his cowl, which hadbeen drawn over it, discovered theblack face of Mesty. Agnes screamed,and all sprang from their seats at thisunusual and unexpected apparition.Mesty grinned, and there was that in hiscountenance which said that he hadmuch to communicate.

"Where is the friar Mesty " inquiredEasy.

"Stop a little, Massa suppose we lockdoor first, and den I tell all."

Taking this precaution, Mesty threw offthe friar's gown, and appeared in his

own dress, with the bag of dollarsslung round his body.

"Now, Massa Easy, I hab a long story totell so I tink I better begin at thebeginning."

"It is the most approved method,"replied Jack, "but stop when I hold upmy finger, that we may translate whatyou say to the lady and Don Philip."

"Dat all right, sar. Friar and I get on twomule as soon as it quite dark. He makeme carry all tousand dollars and we rideout of town. We go up mountain andmountain, but the moon get up shineand we go on cheek by jowl he nebber

say one word, and I nebber say oneword, 'cause I no speak his lingo, andhe no understand my English. Abouttwo o'clock in de morning, we stop at ahouse and stay dere till eight o'clock,and den we go on again all next day, upall mountain, only stop once, eat a bitbread and drink lilly wine. Second nightcome on, and den we stop again, andpeople bow very low to him, andwoman bring in rabbit for make supper.I go in the kitchen, woman make stewsmell very nice, so I nod my head, and Isay very good, and she make a face, andthrow on table black loaf of bread andgarlic, and make sign dat for my supper;good enough for black fellow, and datrabbit stew for friar. Den I say to

myself, stop a little; suppose friar haball de rabbit, I tink I give him a lillypowder."

"The powder, Mesty " exclaimed Jack.

"What does he say " inquired DonPhilip.

Gascoigne translated all that Mesty hadcommunicated. The interest of thenarrative now became exciting. Mestycontinued:

"Well, Massa Easy, den woman she gofor dish to put stew in, and I take depowder and drop it in de pot, and denI sit down again and eat black bread,

she say good enough for black man.She tir up de stew once more, and denshe pour it out into dish, and take it tofriar. He lick um chops, by all depowers, and he like um so well he pickall de bones, and wipe up gravy withhim bread. You tink it very nice, MassaFriar, tink I; but stop a little. After hedrink a whole bottle of wine, he tell mebring mules to de door, and he put himhands on de woman head, and dat deway he pay for him supper.

"The moon shone bright, and we go upall mountain, always go up, and 'bouttwo hour, he get off him mule and heput him hand so, and set down on derock. He twist, and he turn, and he

groan, for half an hour, and den helook at me, as much as to say, you blackvillain, you do this for he not able tospeak, and den I pull out de paper ofde powder, and I show him, and makehim sign he swallow it: he look again,and I laugh at him and he die."

"Oh, Mesty, Mesty," exclaimed our hero;"you should not have done that, therewill mischief come from it."

"Now he dead, Massa Easy, so muchless mischief."

Gascoigne then interpreted to DonPhilip and Agnes, the former of whomlooked very grave, and the latter

terrified.

"Let him go on," said Don Philip; "Iam most anxious to hear what he didwith the body."

Mesty, at the request of our hero,proceeded: "Den I thought what Ishould do, and I said I would hide him,and I tink I take his coat for myself, soI pull off him coat and I pull off all hisoder clothes he not wear many and Itake the body in my arm, and carry himwhere I find a great split in de rockabove all road. I throw him in, and denI throw plenty large pieces rock on himtill I no see him any more; den I take detwo mules and get on mine wid de

dollars, and lead de other three fourmile, till I come to a large wood takeoff him saddle and bridle, turn himadrift. Den I tear up all clothes all inlilly bits, hide one piece here, noderpiece dere, and de saddle and bridle inde bush. All right, now, I say so I puton friar cloak, hide my face, get on mymule, and den I look where I shall goso I say, I not be in dis road anyhow, Ipass through wood till I find nother. Igo 'bout two mile moon go down, alldark, and five six men catch hold mybridle, and they all got arms, so I donoting they speak to me, but I noanswer, and nebber show my face. Theyfind all dollars (d n um) fast enough,and they lead me away through the

wood. Last we come to a large fire in dewood, plenty of men lie about, someeat and some drink. They pull me off,and I hold down my head and fold myarms, just like friar do. They bring mealong to one man, and pour out all mydollar before him. He give some order,and they take me away, and I peepthrough the cloak, and I say to myself,he that d n galley-slave rascal DonSilvio."

"Don Silvio!" cried Jack. "What does hesay of Don Silvio " demanded DonPhilip. Mesty's narrative was againtranslated, and he continued.

"Dey led me away about fifty yards, tie

me to tree, and den they leave me, anddey all drink and make merry, nebberoffer me anything, so, I hab noting dento eat; I eat de ropes and gnaw themthrough and den I stay there two houruntil all go asleep, and all quiet; for Isay to myself, stop a little. Den whendey all fast asleep, I take out my knifeand I crawl 'long de ground, as we doin our country sometime and den Istop and look 'bout me; no man watchbut two, and dey look out for squarl,not look in board where I was. I crawlagain till I lay down alongside that d ngalley-slave Don Silvio. He lie fastasleep with my bag thousand dollarsunder him head. So I tink, 'you not habdem long, you rascal. I look round all

right, and I drive my knife good aiminto him heart and press toder hand onhim mouth, but he make no noise; hestruggle little and look up, and den Ithrow off de head of de gown andshow him my black face, and he lookand he try to speak; but I stop dat, fordown go my knife again, and de d ngalley-slave dead as herring."

"Stop, Mesty, we must tell this to DonPhilip," said Gascoigne.

"Dead! Don Silvio dead! well, Mesty,we are eternally obliged to you, forthere was no safety for my father whilehe was living. Let him go on."

"So when I put de knife through hisbody, I lie down by him as if notinghad happened, for ten minutes, and denI take de bag of dollars from underhim head, and den I feel him all over,and I find him pistols and him purse,which I hab here, all gold. So I takethem and I look all asleep, and I crawlback to de tree. Den I stay to tink alittle; de man on watch come up andlook at me, but he tink all right and hego away again. Lucky ting, by de power,dat I go back to tree. I wait again, andden I crawl and crawl till I clear of all,and den I take to my heel and run forum life, till daylight come, and den I sotired I lie down in bush; I stay in bushall day, and den I set off again back

here, for I find road and know my way.I not eat den for one day and one night,and come to house where I put myhead in and find woman there. I notable to speak, so I help myself, and notshow my face. She not like dat andmake a bobbery, but I lift up my cloakand show my black face and whiteteeth, and den she tink me de debil. Sherun out of de house and I help myselfvery quick, and den set off and comeclose here yesterday morning. I hidemyself all day and come in at night, andnow, Massa Easy, you ab haf de wholetruth and you ab your tousand dollarsand you ab got rid of de rascal friarand de d n galley-slave, Don Silvio."

"Tell them all this, Ned," said Jack, who,whilst Gascoigne was so employed,talked with Mesty.

"I was very much frightened for you,Mesty," said Jack; "but still I thoughtyou quite as cunning as the friar, and soit has turned out; but the thousanddollars ought to be yours."

"No, sar," replied Mesty, "the dollarsnot mine; but I hab plenty of gold inDon Silvio's purse plenty, plenty ofgold. I keep my property, Massa Easy,and you keep yours."

"I'm afraid that this affair may be foundout, Mesty; the woman will spread the

report of having been attacked by ablack friar, and that will lead tosuspicion, as the other friars of theconvent knew that you left with FriarThomaso."

"So I tink dat, but when a man starve,he quite forget his thought."

"I don't blame you; but now I must talkto Don Philip."

"Suppose you no objection, while youtalk I eat something from the tablethen, Massa Easy, for I hungry enoughto eat de friar, mule and all."

"Eat, my good fellow, and drink as

much as you please."

The consultation between our twomidshipmen and Don Philip was notlong: they perceived the immediatenecessity for the departure of Mesty,and the suspicion which would attachto themselves. Don Philip and Agnesleft them, to go to Don Rebiera, andmake him acquainted with what hadpassed, and to ask his advice.

When they went into the room, DonRebiera immediately accosted his son.

"Have you heard, Philip, that FriarThomaso has returned at last so theservants tell me."

"The report may be fortunate," repliedDon Philip; "but I have another storyto tell you."

He then sat down and imparted to DonRebiera all the adventures of Mesty.Don Rebiera was for some time in deepthought; at last he replied,

"That Don Silvio is no more isfortunate, and the negro would beentitled to reward for his destructionbut for the friar, that is a bad business.The negro might remain and tell thewhole story, and the facts might beproved by the evidence of Signor Easy,and the letters; but what then we

should raise the whole host of theclergy against our house, and we havesuffered too much from them already;the best plan would be the immediatedeparture, not only of the negro but ofour two young friends. The suppositionof Friar Thomaso being here, and theirdeparture with the negro servant torejoin their ship, will remove muchsuspicion and destroy all inquiry. Theymust be off immediately. Go to them,Philip, and point out to them theabsolute necessity of this measure, andtell our young friend that I rigidlyadhere to my promise, and as soon ashe has his father's sanction I willbestow upon him my daughter. In themeantime I will send down and see if a

vessel can be chartered for Malta."

Our hero and Gascoigne fully admittedthe wisdom of this measure, andprepared for their departure; indeed,now that Don Rebiera's resolution hadbeen made known to our hero, he caredmore for obtaining his father's consentthan he did for remaining to enjoyhimself at Palermo; and before noonof the next day all was ready, the vesselhad been procured, Jack took his leaveof Agnes and her mother, and,accompanied by Don Rebiera and DonPhillip (for Don Martin was on duty afew miles from Palermo), went down tothe beach, and, having bid themfarewell, embarked with Gascoigne and

Mesty on board of the two-mastedlateen which had been engaged, andbefore sunset not a steeple of Palermowas to be seen.

"What are you thinking of, Jack " saidGascoigne, after our hero had beensilent half an hour.

"I have been thinking, Ned, that we arewell out of it."

"So do I," replied Gascoigne; and herethe conversation dropped for a time.

"What are you thinking of now, Jack "said Gascoigne, after a long pause.

"I've been thinking that I've a goodstory for the old Governor."

"Very true," replied Gascoigne; andboth were again silent for some time.

"What are you thinking of now, Jack "said Gascoigne, after another longinterval.

"I've been thinking that I shall leave theservice," replied Jack.

"I wish you would take me with you,"replied Gascoigne, with a sigh; andagain they were both in deepcontemplation.

"What are you thinking of now, Jack "said Gascoigne again.

"Of Agnes," replied our hero.

"Well, if that's the case, I'll call youwhen supper's ready. In the meantimeI'll go and talk with Mesty."

CHAPTER XXXIV

Jack leaves the service, in which he hadno business, and goes home to mindhis own business.

On the fourth day they arrived at Malta,

and our two midshipmen, as soon asthey had settled with the padrone ofthe vessel, went up to the governmenthouse. They found the Governor in theveranda, who held out both his hands,one to each.

"Glad to see you, my lads. Well, Jack,how's the leg all right don't limp Andyour arm, Gascoigne "

"All right, sir, and as sound as ever itwas," replied they both.

"Then you're in luck, and have mademore haste than you deserve, after yourmad pranks: but now sit down, and Isuppose, my friend Jack, you have a

story to tell me."

"O yes, Sir Thomas, and a very longone."

"Then I won't have it now, for I expectpeople on business; we'll have it afterdinner. Get your things up and takepossession of your rooms. The Aurorasailed four days ago. You've had awonderful recovery."

"Wonderful, sir!" replied our hero; "allPalermo rings with it."

"Well you may go now I shall see you atdinner. Wilson will be delighted whenhe hears that you have got round again,

for he was low-spirited about it, I cantell you, which is more than youdeserve."

"He's right there," said our hero toGascoigne, as they walked away.

When dinner was over, Jack narrated tothe Governor the adventures of Mesty,with which he was much interested; butwhen they were quite alone in theevening, the Governor called our twomidshipmen into the veranda, and said:

"Now my lads, I'm not going to preach,as the saying is, but I've been longenough in the world to know that acompound fracture of the leg is not

cured in fourteen or sixteen days. I askyou to tell me the truth. Did not youdeceive Captain Wilson on this point "

"I am ashamed to say that we did, sir,"replied Easy.

"How did you manage that, and why "

Jack then went into further detailsrelative to himself and his amour,stating his wish to be left behind, andall that had passed.

"Well, there's some excuse for you, butnone for the surgeons. If any surgeonhere had played such a trick, I wouldhave hung him, as sure as I'm

Governor. This affair of yours hasbecome serious. Mr Easy, we must havesome conversation on the matter to-morrow morning."

The next morning the packet fromEngland was reported off theharbour's mouth. After breakfast theletters were brought on shore, and theGovernor sent for our hero.

"Mr Easy, here are two letters for you; Iam sorry to say, with black seals. I trustthat they do not bring the intelligenceof the death of any very near relative."

Jack bowed without speaking, took theletters, and went to his room. The first

he opened was from his father.

"MY DEAR JOHN,

"You will be much grieved to hear thatyour poor mother, after sitting in thecorner for nearly two years waiting forthe millennium, appeared to pine away;whether from disappointment or not Ido not know; but at last, in spite of allDr Middleton could do, she departedthis life; and, as the millennium wouldnot come to her as she expected, it is tobe hoped she is gone to themillennium. She was a good wife, and Ialways let her have her own way. DrMiddleton does not appear to besatisfied as to the cause of her death,

and has wished to examine; but I saidno, for I am a philosopher, and it is nouse looking for causes after effects; butI have done since her death what shenever would permit me to do duringher life. I have had her head shaved,and examined it very carefully as aphrenologist, and most curiously hasshe proved the truth of the sublimescience. I will give you the result.Determination, very prominent;Benevolence, small; Caution, extreme;Veneration, not very great;Philoprogenitiveness, strange to say, isvery large, considering she has but onechild; Imagination, very strong: youknow, my dear boy, she was alwaysimagining some nonsense or another.

Her other organs were all moderate.Poor dear creature! she is gone, and wemay well wail, for a better mother or abetter wife never existed. And now, mydear boy, I must request that you callfor your discharge, and come home assoon as possible. I cannot exist withoutyou, and I require your assistance in thegrand work I have in contemplation.The time is at hand, the cause ofequality will soon triumph; the abjectslaves now hold up their heads; I haveelectrified them with my speeches, but Iam getting old and feeble; I require myson to leave my mantle to, as oneprophet did to another, and then I will,like him, ascend in glory.

"Your affectionate Father,

"NICODEMUS EASY".

From this it would appear, thoughtJack, that my mother is dead, and thatmy father is mad. For some time ourhero remained in a melancholy mood;he dropped many tears to the memoryof his mother, whom, if he had neverrespected, he had much loved: and itwas not till half an hour had elapsed,that he thought of opening the otherletter. It was from Dr Middleton.

"MY DEAR BOY,

"Although not a correspondent of

yours, I take the right of havingwatched you through all yourchildhood, and from a knowledge ofyour disposition, to write you a fewlines. That you have, by this time,discarded your father's foolish,nonsensical philosophy, I am very sure.It was I who advised your going awayfor that purpose, and I am sure, that, asa young man of sense, and the heir to alarge property, you will before this haveseen the fallacy of your father'sdoctrines. Your father tells me that hehas requested you to come home, andallow me to add any weight I may havewith you in persuading you to do thesame. It is fortunate for you that theestate is entailed, or you might soon be

a beggar, for there is no saying whatdebts he might, in his madness, beguilty of. He has already been dismissedfrom the magistracy by the lord-lieutenant, in consequence of hisharanguing the discontented peasantry,and I may say, exciting them to acts ofviolence and insubordination. He hasbeen seen dancing and hurrahinground a stack fired by an incendiary. Hehas turned away his keepers, andallowed all poachers to go over themanor. In short, he is not in his senses;and, although I am far from advisingcoercive measures, I do consider that itis absolutely necessary that you shouldimmediately return home, and lookafter what will one day be your

property. You have no occasion tofollow the profession, with eightthousand pounds per annum. You havedistinguished yourself, now make roomfor those who require it for theirsubsistence. God bless you. I shall soonhope to shake hands with you.

"Yours most truly,

"G. MIDDLETON."

There was matter for deep reflection inthese two letters, and Jack never feltbefore how much his father had beenin the wrong. That he had graduallybeen weaned from his ideas was true,but still he had, to a certain degree,

clung to them, as we do to a habit; butnow he felt that his eyes were opened;the silly, almost unfeeling letter of hisfather upon the occasion of hismother's death, opened his eyes. For along while Jack was in a melancholymeditation, and then casting his eyesupon his watch, he perceived that it wasalmost dinner-time. That he could eathis dinner was certain, and he scornedto pretend to feel what he did not. Hetherefore dressed himself and wentdown, grave, it is true, but not in tears.He spoke little at dinner, and retired assoon as it was over, presenting his twoletters to the Governor, and asking hisadvice for the next morning. Gascoignefollowed him, and to him he confided

his trouble; and Ned, finding that Jackwas very low-spirited, consoled him tothe best of his power, and brought abottle of wine which he procured fromthe butler. Before they returned to bed,Jack had given his ideas to his friend,which were approved of, and wishinghim a good-night, he threw himselfinto bed, and was soon fast asleep.

"One thing is certain, my good fellow,"observed the Governor to our hero, ashe gave him back his letters at thebreakfast table the next morning; "thatyour father is as mad as a March hare. Iagree with that doctor, who appears asensible man, that you had better gohome immediately."

"And leave the service altogether, sir "replied Jack.

"Why, I must say, that I do not thinkyou exactly fitted for it. I shall be sorryto lose you, as you have a wonderfultalent for adventure, and I shall have nomore yams to hear when you return;but, if I understand right from CaptainWilson, you were brought into theprofession because he thought that theservice might be of use in eradicatingfalse notions, rather than from anyintention or necessity of yourfollowing it up as a profession."

"I suspect that was the case, sir," replied

Jack; "as, for my own part, I hardlyknow why I entered it."

"To find a mare's nest, my lad; I'veheard all about it; but never mind that:the question is now about your leavingit, to look after your own property, andI think I may venture to say, that I canarrange all that matter at once, withoutreferring to Admiral or captain. I willbe responsible for you, and you may gohome in the packet, which sails onWednesday for England."

"Thank you, Sir Thomas, I am muchobliged to you," replied Jack.

"You, Mr Gascoigne, I shall, of course,

send out by the first opportunity torejoin your ship."

"Thank you, Sir Thomas, I am muchobliged to you," replied Gascoigne,making a bow.

"You'll break no more arms, if youplease, sir," continued the Governor; "aman in love may have some excuse inbreaking his leg, but you had none."

"I beg your pardon, sir; if Mr Easy waswarranted in breaking his leg out oflove, I submit that I could do no lessthan break my arm out of friendship."

"Hold your tongue, sir, or I'll break

your head from the very oppositefeeling," replied the Governor, good-humouredly. "But observe, young man,I shall keep this affair secret, as inhonour bound; but let me advise you,as you have only your profession tolook to, to follow it up steadily. It ishigh time that you and Mr Easy wereseparated. He is independent of theservice, and you are not. A young manpossessing such ample means will neverbe fitted for the duties of a juniorofficer. He can do no good for himself,and is certain to do much harm toothers: a continuance of his friendshipwould probably end in your ruin, MrGascoigne. You must be aware, that ifthe greatest indulgence had not been

shown to Mr Easy by his captain andfirst lieutenant, he never could haveremained in the service so long as hehas done."

As the Governor made the last remarkin rather a severe tone, our twomidshipmen were silent for a minute.At last Jack observed, very quietly,

"And yet, sir, I think, considering all, Ihave behaved pretty well."

"You have behaved very well, my goodlad, on all occasions in which yourcourage and conduct, as an officer, havebeen called forth. I admit it; and hadyou been sent to sea with a mind

properly regulated, and without such anunlimited command of money, I haveno doubt but that you would haveproved an ornament to the service.Even now I think you would, if youwere to remain in the service underproper guidance and necessaryrestrictions, for you have, at least, learntto obey, which is absolutely necessarybefore you are fit to command. Butrecollect, what your conduct wouldhave brought upon you, if you had notbeen under the parental care of CaptainWilson. But let us say no more aboutthat: a midshipman with the prospectof eight thousand pounds a year is ananomaly which the service cannotadmit, especially when that

midshipman is resolved to take tohimself a wife."

"I hope that you approve of that step,sir."

"That entirely depends upon the meritof the party, which I know nothing of,except that she has a pretty face, and isof one of the best Sicilian families. Ithink the difference of religion aground of objection."

"We will argue that point, sir," repliedJack.

"Perhaps it will be the cause of moreargument than you think for, Mr Easy;

but every man makes his own bed, andas he makes it, so must he lie down init."

"What am I to do about Mesty, sir Icannot bear the idea of parting withhim."

"I am afraid that you must; I cannotwell interfere there."

"He is of little use to the service, sir; hehas been sent to sick quarters as myservant: if he may be permitted to gohome with me, I will procure hisdischarge as soon as I arrive, and sendhim on board the guard-ship till Iobtain it."

"I think that, on the whole, he is as wellout of the service as in it, and thereforeI will, on consideration, take uponmyself the responsibility, provided youdo as you say."

The conversation was here ended, asthe Governor had business to attend to,and Jack and Gascoigne went to theirrooms to make their arrangements.

"The Governor is right," observedGascoigne; "it is better that we part,Jack. You have half unfitted me for theservice already; I have a disgust of themidshipmen's berth; the very smell ofpitch and tar has become odious to me.

This is all wrong; I must forget you andall our pleasant cruises on shore, andonce more swelter in my greasy Jacket.When I think that, if our pretendedaccidents were discovered, I should bedismissed the service, and the miserywhich that would cause to my poorfather, I tremble at my escape. TheGovernor is right, Jack; we must part,but I hope you never will forget me."

"My hand upon it, Ned. Command myinterest, if ever I have any my moneywhat I have, and the house, whether itbelongs to me or my father as far as youare concerned at least, I adhere to mynotions of perfect equality."

"And abjure them, I trust, Jack, as auniversal principle."

"I admit, as the Governor asserts, thatmy father is as mad as a March hare."

"That is sufficient; you don't knowhow glad it makes me to hear you saythat."

The two friends were inseparableduring the short time that theyremained together. They talked overtheir future prospects, their hopes andanticipations, and when theconversation flagged, Gascoignebrought up the name of Agnes.

Mesty's delight at leaving the service,and going home with his patron wasindescribable. He laid out a portion ofhis gold in a suit of plain clothes, whitelinen shirts, and in every respect thewardrobe of a man of fashion; in fact,he was now a complete gentleman'sgentleman; was very particular infrizzing his woolly hair wore a whiteneck-cloth, gloves, and cane. Every onefelt inclined to laugh when he made hisappearance; but there was something inMesty's look, which, at all events,prevented their doing so before hisface. The day for sailing arrived. Jacktook leave of the Governor, thankinghim for his great kindness, and statinghis intention of taking Malta in his way

out to Palermo in a month or two.Gascoigne went on board with him,and did not go down the vessel's sidetill it was more than a mile clear of theharbour.

CHAPTER XXXV

Mr Easy's wonderful invention fullyexplained by himself much to thesatisfaction of our hero, and it is to bepresumed to that also of the reader.

At last the packet anchored inFalmouth Roads. Jack, accompanied byMesty, was soon on shore with his

luggage, threw himself into the mail,arrived in London, and, waiting theretwo or three days, to obtain what heconsidered necessary from afashionable tailor, ordered a chaise toForest Hill. He had not written to hisfather to announce his arrival, and itwas late in the morning when thechaise drew up at his father's door.

Jack stepped out and rang the bell. Theservants who opened the door did notknow him; they were not the same asthose he left.

"Where is Mr Easy " demanded Jack.

"Who are you " replied one of the men,

in a gruff tone.

"By de powers, you very soon find outwho he is," observed Mesty.

"Stay here, and I'll see if he is at home."

"Stay here stay in the hall like afootman What do you mean, you rascal" cried Jack, attempting to push by theman.

"O, that won't do here, master; this isEquality Hall; one man's as good asanother."

"Not always," replied Jack, knockinghim down. "Take that for your

insolence, pack up your traps, and walkout of the house to-morrow morning."

Mesty, in the meantime, had seized theother by the throat. "What I do withthis fellow, Massa Easy "

"Leave him now, Mesty: we'll settle theiraccount to-morrow morning. Ipresume I shall find my father in thelibrary."

"His father!" said one of the men to theother; "he's not exactly a chip off theold block."

"We shall have a change, I expect,"replied the other, as they walked away.

"Mesty," cried Jack, in an authoritativetone, "bring those two rascals back totake the luggage out of the chaise; paythe position, and tell the housekeeperto show you my room, and yours.Come to me for orders as soon as youhave done this."

"Yes, sir," replied Mesty. "Now comehere, you d n blackguard, and take tingsout of chaise, or by de holy poker Ichoak your luff, both of you."

The filed teeth, the savage look, anddetermination of Mesty, had the dueeffect. The men sullenly returned, andunloaded the chaise. In the meantime,

Jack walked into his father's study; hisfather was there the study was lightedup with argand lamps, and Jack lookedwith astonishment. Mr Easy was busywith a plaster cast of a human head,which he pored over, so that he did notperceive the entrance of his son. Thecast of the skull was divided into manycompartments, with writing on each;but what most astonished our hero wasthe alteration in the apartment. Thebook-cases and books had all beenremoved, and in the centre, suspendedfrom the ceiling, was an apparatuswhich would have puzzled anyone,composed of rods in every direction,with screws at the end of them, andalso tubes in equal number, one of

which communicated with a large air-pump, which stood on a table. Jacktook a short survey, and then walkedup to his father and accosted him.

"What!" exclaimed Mr Easy, "is itpossible yes, it is my son John! I'm gladto see you, John, very glad, indeed,"continued the old gentleman, shakinghim by both hands "very glad that youhave come home; I wanted you wantedyour assistance in my great and gloriousproject, which, I thank Heaven, is nowadvancing rapidly. Very soon shallequality and the rights of man beproclaimed everywhere. The pressurefrom without is enormous, and thebulwarks of our ridiculous and

tyrannical constitution must give way.King, lords, and aristocrats;landholders, tithe-collectors, churchand state, thank God, will soon beoverthrown, and the golden age revivedthe millennium the true millennium notwhat your poor mother talked about. Iam at the head of twenty-nine societies,and if my health lasts, you will see whatI will accomplish now that I have yourassistance, Jack"; and Mr Easy's eyessparkled and flashed in all the brilliancyof incipient insanity.

Jack sighed, and to turn theconversation he observed, "You havemade a great change in this room, sir.What may all this be for Is it a machine

to improve equality and the rights ofman "

"My dear son," replied Mr Easy, sittingdown and crossing his legscomplacently, with his two hands underhis right thigh, according to his usualcustom, when much pleased withhimself, "why, my dear son, that is notexactly the case, and yet you haveshown some degree of perception evenin your guess; for if my inventionsucceeds (and I have no doubt of it), Ishall have discovered the great art ofrectifying the mistakes of nature, andgiving an equality of organisation tothe whole species, of introducing allthe finer organs of humanity, and of

destroying the baser. It is a splendidinvention, Jack, very splendid. Theymay talk of Call and Spurzheim, and allthose; but what have they done nothingbut divided the brain into sections,classed the organs, and discoveredwhere they reside; but what good resulthas been gained from that the murdererby nature remained a murderer thebenevolent man a benevolent man hecould not alter his organisation. I havefound out how to change all that."

"Surely, sir, you would not interferewith the organ of benevolence."

"But indeed I must, Jack. I, myself, amsuffering from my organ of

benevolence being too large: I mustreduce it, and then I shall be capable ofgreater things, shall not be so terrifiedby difficulties, shall overlook trifles, andonly carry on great schemes foruniversal equality and the supremerights of man. I have put myself intothat machine every morning for twohours, for these last three months, and Ifeel now that I am daily losing a greatportion."

"Will you do me the favour to explainan invention so extraordinary, sir " saidour hero.

"Most willingly, my boy. You observethat in the centre there is a frame to

confine the human head, somewhatlarger than the head itself, and that thehead rests upon the iron collar beneath.When the head is thus firmly fixed,suppose I want to reduce the size ofany particular organ, I take the bosscorresponding to where that organ issituated in the cranium, and fix it on it.For you will observe that all the bossesinside of the top of the framecorrespond to the organs as describedin this plaster cast on the table. I thenscrew down pretty tight, and increasethe pressure daily, until the organdisappears altogether, or is reduced tothe size required."

"I comprehend that part perfectly, sir,"

replied Jack; "but now explain to me bywhat method you contrive to raise anorgan which does not previously exist."

"That," replied Mr Easy, "is the greatestperfection of the whole invention, forwithout I could do that, I could havedone little. I feel convinced that thisinvention of mine will immortalise me.Observe all these little bell-glasseswhich communicate with the air-pump;I shave my patient's head, grease it alittle, and fix on the bell-glass, which isexactly shaped to fit the organ in lengthand breadth. I work the air-pump, andraise the organ by an exhausted receiver.It cannot fail. There is my butler, now; aman who escaped hanging last spring

assizes on an undoubted charge ofmurder. I selected him on purpose; Ihave flattened down murder tonothing, and I have raised benevolencetill it's like a wen."

"I am afraid my poor father's head is anexhausted receiver," thought Jack, whothen replied, "Well, sir, if it succeeds itwill be a good invention."

"If it succeeds! why, it has succeeded itcannot fail. It has cost me near twothousand pounds. By-the-bye, Jack, youhave drawn very liberally lately, and Ihad some trouble, with my ownexpenses, to meet your bills; not that Icomplain but what with societies, and

my machine, and tenants refusing topay their rents, on the principle that thefarms are no more mine than theirs,which I admit to be true, I have hadsome difficulty in meeting alldemands."

"The Governor was right," thoughtJack, who now inquired after DrMiddleton.

"Ah, poor silly man! he's alive yet Ibelieve doing well. He is one who willinterfere with the business of others,complains of my servants very sillyman indeed but I let him have his ownway. So I did your poor mother. Sillywoman, Mrs Easy but never mind that."

"If you please, sir, I have also acomplaint to make of the servants fortheir insolence to me: but we willadjourn, if you please, as I wish to havesome refreshment."

"Certainly, Jack, if you are hungry; Iwill go with you. Complain of myservants, say you there must be somemistake they are all shaved, and wearwigs, and I put them in the machineevery other morning: but I mean tomake an alteration in one respect. Youobserve, Jack, it requires more dignity:we must raise the whole machinerysome feet, ascend it with state as athrone, for it is the throne of reason,

the victory of mind over nature."

"As you please, sir; but I am reallyhungry just now." Jack and his fatherwent into the drawing-room and rangthe bell; not being answered, Jack roseand rang again.

"My dear sir," observed Mr Easy, "youmust not be in a hurry; every mannaturally provides for his own wantsfirst, and afterwards for those ofothers. Now my servants "

"Are a set of insolent scoundrels, sir,and insolence I never permit. I knockedone down as I entered your house, and,with your permission, I will discharge

two, at least, to-morrow."

"My dear son," exclaimed Mr Easy,"you knocked my servant down! areyou not aware, by the laws of equality "

"I am aware of this, my dear father,"replied Jack, "that by all the laws ofsociety we have a right to expect civilityand obedience from those we pay andfeed."

"Pay and feed! Why, my dear son, mydear Jack, you must recollect "

"I recollect, sir, very well; but if yourservants do not come to theirrecollection in a very short time, either I

or they must quit the house."

"But, my dear boy, have you forgottenthe principles I instilled into you Didyou not go to sea to obtain that equalityfoiled by tyranny and despotism hereon shore Do you not acknowledge andsupport my philosophy "

"We'll argue that point to-morrow, sir atpresent I want to obtain my supper";and Jack rang the bell furiously.

The butler made his appearance at thislast summons, and he was followed byMesty, who looked like a demon withanger.

"Mercy on me, whom have we here "

"My servant, father," exclaimed Jack,starting up; "one that I can trust to, andwho will obey me. Mesty, I wish somesupper and wine to be broughtimmediately see that scoundrel gets itready in a moment. If he does not,throw him out of the door, and lockhim out. You understand me."

"Yes, Massa," grinned Mesty; "now youhab supper very quick, or Mesty knowthe reason why. Follow me, sar," criedMesty, in an imperative tone to thebutler: "quick, sar, or by de holy poker,I show you what Mesty can do;" andMesty grinned in his wrath.

"Bring supper and wine immediately,"said Mr Easy, giving an order such asthe butler had never heard since he hadbeen in the house.

The butler quitted the room, followedby the Ashantee. "My dear boy my JackI can make every allowance for hunger,it is often the cause of theft and crimein the present unnatural state of societybut really you are too violent. Theprinciples."

"Your principles are all confoundednonsense, father," cried Jack, in a rage.

"What, Jack! my son-what do I hear

This from you nonsense! Why, Jack,what has Captain Wilson been doingwith you "

"Bringing me to my senses, sir."

"Oh dear! oh dear! my dear Jack, youwill certainly make me lose mine."

"Gone already," thought Jack.

"That you, my child, so carefullybrought up in the great and gloriousschool of philosophy, should behavethis way should be so violent forgetyour sublime philosophy, and all justlike Esau, selling your birthright for amess of pottage. Oh, Jack, you'll kill

me! and yet I love you, Jack whom elsehave I to love in this world Nevermind, we'll argue the point, my boy I'llconvince you in a week all will be rightagain."

"It shall, sir, if I can manage it," repliedJack.

"That's right, I love to hear you say sothat's consoling, very consoling but Ithink now, I was wrong to let you go tosea, Jack."

"Indeed you were not, father."

"Well, I'm glad to hear you say so: Ithought they had ruined you, destroyed

all your philosophy but it will be allright again you shall come to oursocieties, Jack I am president you shallhear me speak, Jack you shall hear methunder like Demosthenes but herecomes the tray."

The butler, followed by Mesty, whoattended him as if he was his prisoner,now made his appearance with the tray,laid it down in a sulky manner andretired. Jack desired Mesty to remain.

"Well, Mesty, how are they getting on inthe servants' hall "

"Regular mutiny, sar ab swear dat theyno stand our nonsense, and dat we

both leave the house to-morrow."

"Do you hear, sir your servants declarethat I shall leave your house to-morrow."

"You leave my house, Jack, after fouryears' absence! no, no. I'll reason withthem I'll make them a speech. Youdon't know how I can speak, Jack."

"Look you, father, I cannot stand this;either give me a carte-blanche toarrange this household as I please, or Ishall quit it myself to-morrowmorning."

"Quit my house, Jack! no, no shake

hands and make friends with them; becivil, and they will serve you but youknow, upon the principles-"

"Principles of the devil!" cried Jack, in arage.

"Of the devil, Jack; dear me! I wish youhad never gone to sea."

"In one word, sir, do you consent, oram I to leave the house "

"Leave the house! O no; not leave thehouse, Jack. I have no son but you.Then do as you please but you mustnot send away my murderer, for I musthave him cured, and shown as a proof

of my wonderful invention."

"Mesty, get my pistols ready for to-morrow morning, and your own toodo ye hear "

"All ready, massa," replied Mesty; "Itink dat right." "Right! pistols, Jack!What do you mean "

"It is possible, father, that you may nothave yet quite cured your murderer, andtherefore it is as well to be prepared. Iwill now wish you good-night; but,before I go, you will be pleased tosummon one of the servants, that hemay inform the others that thehousehold is under my control for the

future."

The bell was again rung, and was thistime answered with more expedition.Jack told the servant, in presence of hisfather, that, with the consent of thelatter, he should hereafter take thewhole control of the establishment,and that Mesty would be themajordomo from whom they wouldreceive their orders. The man stared,and cast an appealing look to Mr Easy,who hesitated, and at last said

"Yes, William; you'll apologise to all,and say that I have made thearrangement."

"You apologise to none, sir," cried Jack;"but tell them that I will arrange thewhole business to-morrow morning.Tell the woman to come here and showme my bed-room. Mesty, get yoursupper and then come up to me; if theydare to refuse you, recollect who does,and point them out to-morrowmorning. That will do, sir; away withyou, and bring flat candlesticks."

CHAPTER XXXVI

In which Jack takes up the other sideof the argument, and proves that hecan argue as well on one side as the

other.

This scene may give some idea of thestate of Mr Easy's household upon ourhero's arrival. The poor lunatic, forsuch we must call him, was at the mercyof his servants, who robbed, laughedat, and neglected him. The waste andexpense were enormous. Our hero,who found how matters stood, went tobed, and lay the best part of the nightresolving what to do. He determined tosend for Dr Middleton, and consulthim.

The next morning, Jack rose early;Mesty was in the room, with warmwater, as soon as he rang.

"By de power, Massa Easy, your fadervery silly old man."

"I'm afraid so," replied Jack.

"He not right here," observed Mesty,putting his fingers to his head.

Jack sighed, and desired Mesty to sendone of the grooms up to the door.When the man knocked he desired himto mount a horse and ride over to DrMiddleton, and request his immediateattendance.

The man, who was really a goodservant, replied, "Yes, sir," very

respectfully, and hastened away.

Jack went down to breakfast, andfound it all ready, but his father was notin the room: he went to his study, andfound him occupied, with thecarpenter, who was making a sort of aframe as the model of the platform ordais, to be raised under the wonderfulinvention. Mr Easy was so busy that hecould not come to breakfast, so Jacktook his alone. An hour after this, DrMiddleton's carriage drove up to thedoor. The Doctor heartily greeted ourhero.

"My dear sir for so I suppose I mustnow call you I am heartily glad that you

have returned. I can assure you that it isnot a moment too soon."

"I have found out that already, Doctor,"replied Jack; "sit down. Have youbreakfasted "

"No, I have not; for I was so anxious tosee you, that I ordered my carriage atonce."

"Then sit down, Doctor, and we willtalk over matters quietly."

"You of course perceive the state ofyour father. He has been some timequite unfit to manage his own affairs."

"So I am afraid." "What do you intendto do, then put them in the hands oftrustees "

"I will be trustee for myself, DrMiddleton. I could not do the otherwithout submitting my poor father to aprocess, and confinement, which Icannot think of."

"I can assure you, that there are notmany in Bedlam worse than he is; but Iperfectly agree with you; that is, if hewill consent to your taking charge ofthe property."

"A power of attorney will be all that isrequisite," replied Jack; "that is, as soon

as I have rid the house of the set ofmiscreants who are in it; and who arenow in open mutiny."

"I think," replied the Doctor, "that youwill have some trouble. You know thecharacter of the butler."

"Yes, I have it from my father's ownmouth. I really should take it as a greatfavour, Dr Middleton, if you could stayhere a day or two. I know that you haveretired from practice."

"I would have made the same offer, myyoung friend. I will come here with twoof my servants; for you must dischargethese."

"I have one of my own who is worthhis weight in gold that will besufficient. I will dismiss every man youthink I ought; and as for the women,we can give them warning, and replacethem at leisure."

"That is exactly what I shouldpropose," replied the Doctor. "I willnow go, if you please; procure theassistance of a couple of constables,and also of your father's former legaladviser, who shall prepare a power ofattorney."

"Yes," replied Jack, "and we must thenfind out the tenants who refuse to pay

upon the principles of equality, and heshall serve them with noticeimmediately."

"I am rejoiced, my dear young friend, toperceive that your father's absurdnotions have not taken root."

"They lasted some time, nevertheless,Doctor," replied Jack, laughing.

"Well, then, I will only quit you for anhour or two, and then, as you wish it,will take up my quarters here as long asyou find me useful."

In the forenoon, Dr Middleton againmade his appearance, accompanied by

Mr Hanson, the solicitor, bringing withhim his portmanteau and his servants.Mr Easy had come into the parlour, andwas at breakfast when they entered. Hereceived them very coolly; but a littlejudicious praise of the wonderfulinvention had its due effect; and afterJack had reminded him of his promisethat, in future, he was to control thehousehold, he was easily persuaded tosign the order for his so doing that is,the power of attorney.

Mr Easy also gave up to Jack the key ofhis escritoire, and Mr Hansonpossessed himself of the books,papers, and receipts necessary toascertain the state of his affairs, and the

rents which had not yet been paid up.In the meantime the constables arrived.The servants were all summoned; MrHanson showed them the power ofattorney, empowering Jack to act for hisfather, and, in less than half an hourafterwards, all the men-servants, buttwo grooms, were dismissed; thepresence of the constables and Mestyprevented any resistance, but notwithout various threats on the part ofthe butler, whose name was O'Rourke.Thus, in twenty-four hours, Jack hadmade a reformation in the household.

Mr Easy took no notice of anything; hereturned to his study and his wonderfulinvention. Mesty had received the keys

of the cellar, and had now completecontrol over those who remained. DrMiddleton, Mr Hanson, Mr Easy, andJack, sat down to dinner, andeverything wore the appearance oforder and comfort. Mr Easy ate veryheartily, but said nothing till afterdinner, when as was his usual custom,he commenced arguing upon the truthand soundness of his philosophy.

"By-the-bye, my dear son, if I recollectright, you told me last night that youwere no longer of my opinion. Now, ifyou please, we will argue this point."

"I'll argue the point with all my heart,sir," replied Jack, "will you begin "

"Let's fill our glasses," cried Mr Easy,triumphantly; "let's fill our glasses, andthen I will bring Jack back to theproper way of thinking. Now then, myson, I trust you will not deny that weare all born equal."

"I do deny it, sir," replied Jack; "I denyit in toto deny it from the evidence ofour own senses, and from the authorityof Scripture. To suppose all men wereborn equal, is to suppose that they areequally endowed with the samestrength, and with the same capacity ofmind, which we know is not the case. Ideny it from Scripture, from which Icould quote many passages; but I will

restrict myself to one the parable of theTalents: 'To one he gave five talents, toanother but one,' holding themresponsible for the trust reposed inthem. We are all intended to fill varioussituations in society, and are providedby Heaven accordingly."

"That may be," replied Mr Easy; "butthat does not prove that the earth wasnot intended to be equally distributedamong all alike."

"I beg your pardon; the proof that thatwas not the intention of Providence, isthat that equality, allowing it to be putin practice, could never be maintained."

"Not maintained! no, because thestrong oppress the weak, tyrants rise upand conquer men combine to dowrong."

"Not so, my dear father; I say it couldnot be maintained without theorganisation of each individual hadbeen equalised, and several other pointsestablished. For instance, allowing thatevery man had, ab origins, a certainportion of ground. He who was thestrongest or the cleverest would sooncause his to yield more than otherswould, and thus the equality bedestroyed. Again, if one couple had tenchildren and another had none, thenagain would equality be broken in

upon, as the land that supports two inthe one instance, would have to feedtwelve in the other. You perceive,therefore, that without rapine orinjustice, your equality could not bepreserved."

"But, Jack, allowing that there might besome diversity from such causes, thatwould be a very different thing fromthe present monstrous state of society,in which we have kings and lords, andpeople, rolling in wealth, while othersare in a state of pauperism, and obligedto steal for their daily bread."

"My dear father, I consider that it is tothis inequality that society owes its

firmest cementation that we are enabledto live in peace and happiness,protected by just laws, each doing hisduty in that state of life to which he iscalled, rising above or sinking in thescale of society according as he hasbeen entrusted with the five talents orthe one. Equality can and does existnowhere. We are told that it does notexist in heaven itself how can it existupon earth "

"But that is only asserted, Jack, and it isnot proof that it ought not to exist."

"Let us argue the point, father, coolly.Let us examine a little what would bethe effect if all was equality. Were all

equal in beauty there would be nobeauty, for beauty is only bycomparison were all equal in strength,conflicts would be interminable wereall equal in rank, and power, andpossessions, the greatest charms ofexistence would be destroyedgenerosity, gratitude, and half the finervirtues would be unknown. The firstprinciple of our religion, charity, couldnot be practised pity would never becalled forth benevolence, your greatorgan, would be useless, and self-deniala blank letter. Were all equal in ability,there would be no instruction, notalent, no genius nothing to admire,nothing to copy, to respect nothing torouse emulation, or stimulate to

praiseworthy ambition. Why, my dearfather, what an idle, unprofitable, wearyworld would this be, if it were basedon equality!"

"But, allowing all that, Jack," replied MrEasy, "and I will say you argue well in abad cause, why should the inequality becarried so far king and lords, forinstance "

"The most lasting and imperishableform of building is that of thepyramid, which defies ages, and to thatmay the most perfect form of societybe compared. It is based upon themany, and rising by degrees, it becomesless as wealth, talent, and rank increase

in the individual, until it ends at theapex or monarch, above all. Yet eachseveral stone from the apex to the baseis necessary for the preservation of thestructure, and fulfils its duty in itsallotted place. Could you prove thatthose at the summit possess the greatestshare of happiness in this world, then,indeed, you have a position to argueon; but it is well known that such is notthe case; and provided he is of acontented mind, the peasant is morehappy than the king, surrounded as thelatter is by cares and anxiety."

"Very well argued, indeed, my dear sir,"observed Dr Middleton.

"But, my dear boy, there are other statesof society than monarchy; we haverepublics and despotisms."

"We have, but how long do they lastcompared to the first There is a cycle inthe changes which never varies. Amonarchy may be overthrown by arevolution, and republicanism succeed,but that is shortly followed bydespotism, till, after a time, monarchysucceeds again by unanimous consent,as the most legitimate and equitableform of government; but in none ofthese do you find a single advance toequality. In a republic, those whogovern are more powerful than therulers in a restricted monarchy a

president is greater than a king, andnext to a despot, whose will is law.Even in small societies you find, thatsome will naturally take the lead andassume domination. We commence thesystem at school, when we are firstthrown into society, and there we aretaught systems of petty tyranny. Thereare some few points in which we obtainequality in this world, and that equalitycan only be obtained under a well-regulated form of society, and consistsin an equal administration of justiceand of laws, to which we have agreedto submit for the benefit of the wholethe equal right to live and not bepermitted to starve, which has beenobtained in this country. And when we

are called to account, we shall haveequal justice. Now my dear father, youhave my opinion."

"Yes, my dear, this is all very well in theabstract; but how does it work "

"It works well. The luxury, thepampered state, the idleness if youplease, the wickedness of the rich, allcontribute to the support, the comfort,and employment of the poor. You maybehold extravagance it is a vice; but thatvery extravagance circulates money, andthe vice of one contributes to thehappiness of many. The only vicewhich is not redeemed by producingcommensurate good, is avarice. If all

were equal, there would be no arts, nomanufactures, no industry, noemployment. As it is, the inequality ofthe distribution of wealth may becompared to the heart, pouring forththe blood like a steam-engine throughthe human frame, the same bloodreturning from the extremities by theveins, to be again propelled, and keepup a healthy and vigorous circulation."

"Bravo, Jack!" said Dr Middleton."Have you anything to reply, sir "continued he, addressing Mr Easy.

"To reply, sir " replied Mr Easy, withscorn; "why, he has not given me halfan argument yet: why that black servant

even laughs at him look at him thereshowing his teeth. Can he forget thehorrors of slavery can he forget thebase unfeeling lash No, sir, he hassuffered, and he can estimate the divineright of equality. Ask him now, ask him,if you dare, Jack, whether he will admitthe truth of your argument."

"Well, I'll ask him," replied Jack, "and Itell you candidly that he was once oneof your disciples. Mesty, what's youropinion of equality "

"Equality, Massa Easy " replied Mesty,pulling up his cravat; "I say d n equality,now I majordomo."

"The rascal deserves to be a slave all hislife."

"True, I ab been slave but I a prince inmy own country. Massa Easy tell howmany skulls I have."

"Skulls skulls do you know anything ofthe sublime science Are you aphrenologist "

"I know man's skull very well inAshantee country, anyhow."

"Then if you know that, you must beone. I had no idea that the science hadextended so far maybe it was broughtfrom thence. I will have some talk with

you to-morrow. This is very curious. DrMiddleton, is it not "

"Very, indeed, Mr Easy."

"I shall feel his head to-morrow afterbreakfast, and if there is anythingwrong, I shall correct it with mymachine. By-the-bye, I have quiteforgot, gentlemen; you will excuse me,but I wish to see what the carpenter hasdone for me, and after that I shallattend the meeting of the society. Jack,my boy, won't you come and hear myspeech "

"Thank you, sir, but I cannot well leaveyour friends."

Mr Easy quitted the room.

"Are you aware, my dear sir, that yourfather has opened his preserves to allthe poachers " said Mr Hanson.

"The devil he has!"

"Yes, he has allowed several gangs ofgipsies to locate themselves in hiswoods much to the annoyance of theneighbourhood, who suffer from theirdepredations," continued DrMiddleton.

"I find, by the receipts and books, thatthere is nearly two years rental of the

estate due; some tenants have paid upin full, others not for four years. Ireckon fourteen thousand pounds stillin arrear."

"You will oblige me by takingimmediate steps, Mr Hanson, for therecovery of the sums due."

"Most certainly, Mr John. I trust yourfather will not commit himself to-nightas he has done lately."

When they rose to retire, Dr Middletontook out, hero by the hand. "You donot know, my dear fellow, what pleasureit gives me to find that, in spite of thedoting of your mother and the

madness of your father, you haveturned out so well. It is very fortunatethat you have come home; I trust youwill now give up the profession."

"I have given it up, sir; which, by-the-bye, reminds me that I have not appliedfor either my discharge or that of myservant; but I cannot spare time yet, soI shall not report myself."

CHAPTER XXXVII

In which our hero finds himself anorphan, and resolves to go to sea againwithout the smallest idea of equality.

The next morning, when they met atbreakfast, Mr Easy did not make hisappearance, and Jack inquired of Mestywhere he was.

"They say down below that the oldgentleman not come home last night."

"Did not come home!" said DrMiddleton; "this must be looked to."

"He great rascal, dat butler man," saidMesty to Jack; "but de old gentlemannot sleep in his bed, dat for sure."

"Make enquiries when he went out,"said Jack.

"I hope no accident has happened,"observed Mr Hanson; "but hiscompany has lately been very strange."

"Nobody see him go out, sar, lastnight," reported Mesty.

"Very likely he is in his study," observedDr Middleton; "he may have remainedall night, fast asleep, by his wonderfulinvention."

"I'll go and see," replied Jack.

Dr Middleton accompanied him, andMesty followed. They opened the door,and beheld a spectacle which made

them recoil with horror. There was MrEasy, with his head in the machine, theplatform below fallen from under him,hanging, with his toes just touching theground. Dr Middleton hastened to him,and, assisted by Mesty and our hero,took him out of the steel collar whichwas round his neck: but life had beenextinct for many hours, and, onexamination, it was found that the poorold gentleman's neck was dislocated.

It was surmised that the accident musthave taken place the evening before,and it was easy to account for it. MrEasy, who had had the machine raisedfour feet higher, for the platform andsteps to be placed underneath, must

have mounted on the frame modelledby the carpenter for his work, and havefixed his head in, for the knob waspressed on his bump of benevolence.The framework, hastily put togetherwith a few short nails, had given waywith his weight, and the sudden fallhad dislocated his neck.

Mr Hanson led away our hero, whowas much shocked at this unfortunateand tragical end of his poor father,while Dr Middleton ordered the bodyto be taken up into a bed-room, andimmediately despatched a messenger tothe coroner of the county. Poor MrEasy had told his son but the daybefore, that he felt convinced that this

wonderful invention wouldimmortalise him, and so it had,although not exactly in the sense thathe anticipated.

We must pass over the few days ofsorrow, and closed shutters, whichalways are given to these scenes. Thecoroner's inquest and the funeral over,daylight was again admitted, our hero'sspirits revived, and he found himself inpossession of a splendid property, andhis own master.

He was not of age, it is true, for hewanted nine months; but on openingthe will of his father, he found that DrMiddleton was his sole guardian. Mr

Hanson, on examining and collectingthe papers, which were in the greatestconfusion, discovered bank-notes indifferent corners, and huddled up withbills and receipts, to the amount of twothousand pounds, and further, acheque signed by Captain Wilson onhis banker, for the thousand poundsadvanced by Mr Easy, dated more thanfifteen months back.

Dr Middleton wrote to the Admiralty,informing them that family affairsnecessitated Mr John Easy, who hadbeen left at sick quarters, to leave hisMajesty's service, requesting hisdischarge from it forthwith. TheAdmiralty were graciously pleased to

grant the request, and lose the servicesof a midshipman. The Admiralty werealso pleased to grant the discharge ofMesty, on the sum required for asubstitute being paid in.

The gipsies were routed out of theirabodes, and sent once more to wander.The gamekeepers were restored, thepreserves cleared of all poachers, andthe gentry of the country were not alittle pleased at Jack's succession, forthey had wished that Mr Easy's neckhad been broken long ago. Thesocieties were dissolved, since, now thatMr Easy no longer paid for the beer,there was nothing to meet for. Cardsand compliments were sent from all

parts of the county, and every one wasanxious that our hero should come ofage, as then he would be able to marry,to give dinners, subscribe to thefoxhounds, and live as a gentlemanought to do.

But during all these speculations, Jackhad made Dr Middleton acquaintedwith the history of his amour withAgnes de Rebiera, and all particularsconnected therewith, also with hisdetermination to go out to bring herhome as his wife. Dr Middleton saw noobjection to the match, and heperceived that our hero was sincere.And Jack had made inquiries when thepacket would sail for Malta, when

Mesty, who stood behind his chair,observed,

"Packet bad vessel, Massa Easy. Whynot go out in man-of-war "

"Very true," replied Jack; "but youknow, Mesty, that is not so easy."

"And den how come home, sarSuppose you and Missy Agnes takenprisoner put in prison "

"Very true," replied Jack; "and as for apassage home in a man-of-war, that willbe more difficult still."

"Den I tink, sar, suppose you buy one

fine vessel plenty of guns take out letterof marque plenty of men, and bringMissy Agnes home like a lady. Youcaptain of your own ship."

"That deserves consideration, Mesty,"replied Jack, who thought of it duringthat night: and the next day resolved tofollow Mesty's advice. The Portsmouthpaper lay on the breakfast-table. Jacktook it up, and his eye was caught by anadvertisement for the sale of the Joand'Arc, prize to H.M. ship Thetis,brigantine of 278 tons, copper-bottomed, armed, en flutes with all herstores, spars, sails, running and standingrigging, then lying in the harbour ofPortsmouth, to take place on the

following Wednesday.

Jack rang the bell, and ordered post-horses.

"Where are you going, my dear boy "inquired Dr Middleton.

"To Portsmouth, Doctor."

"And pray what for, if not animpertinent question "

Jack then gave Dr Middleton an insightinto his plan, and requested that hewould allow him to do so, as there wasplenty of ready money.

"But the expense will be enormous."

"It will be heavy, sir, I grant; but I havecalculated it pretty nearly, and I shallnot spend at the rate of more than myincome. Besides, as letter of marque, Ishall have the right of capture; in fact, Imean to take out a privateer's regularlicence."

"But not to remain there and cruise "

"No, upon my honour; I am tooanxious to get home again. You mustnot refuse me, my dear guardian."

"As a lady is in the case, I will not, mydear boy; but be careful what you are

about."

"Never fear, sir, I will be back in fourmonths, at the farthest; but I must nowset off and ascertain if the vesselanswers the description given in theadvertisement."

Jack threw himself into the chariot.Mesty mounted into the rumble, and intwo hours they were at Portsmouth;went to the agent, viewed the vessel,which proved to be a very fine fast-sailing craft, well found, with six brasscarronades on each side. The cabinswere handsome, fitted up with bird's-eye maple, and gilt mouldings.

This will do, thought Jack: a couple oflong brass nines, forty men and sixboys, and she will be just the thing werequire. So Mesty and Jack went onshore again, and returned to Forest Hillto dinner, when he desired Mr Hansonto set off for Portsmouth, and bid atthe sale for the vessel, as he wished topurchase her. This was Monday, and onWednesday Mr Hanson purchased her,as she stood, for 1,750 pounds, whichwas considered about half her value.

Dr Middleton had, in the meantime,been thinking very seriously of Jack'sproject. He could see no objection to it,provided that he was steady andprudent, but in both these qualities Jack

had not exactly been tried. He thereforedetermined to look out for some steadynaval lieutenant, and make it a sine quanon that our hero should beaccompanied by him, and that heshould go out as sailing-master. Nowthat the vessel was purchased, heinformed Jack of his wish; indeed, asDr Middleton observed, his duty asguardian demanded this precaution,and our hero, who felt very grateful toDr Middleton, immediately acquiesced.

"And, by-the-bye, Doctor, see that he isa good navigator; for although I canfudge a day's work pretty well, latterly Ihave been out of practice."

Everyone was now busy: Jack andMesty at Portsmouth, fitting out thevessel, and offering three guineas aheadto the crimps for every good ableseaman Mr Hanson obtaining theEnglish register, and the letters oflicence, and Dr Middleton in search ofa good naval dry-nurse. Jack foundtime to write to Don Philip and Agnes,apprising them of the death of hisfather, and his intentions.

In about six weeks all was ready, andthe brigantine, which had taken out herBritish register and licence under thename of the Rebiera, went out ofharbour, and anchored at Spithead. DrMiddleton had procured, as he

thought, a very fit person to sail withJack, and our hero and Mestyembarked, wishing the Doctor andSolicitor good-bye, and leaving themnothing to do but to pay the bills.

The person selected by Dr Middleton,by the advice of an old friend of his, apurser in the navy, who lived atSouthsea, was a Lieutenant Oxbelly,who, with the ship's company, whichhad been collected, received our hero astheir captain and owner upon hisarrival on board. There certainly was nosmall contrast between our hero's activeslight figure and handsome person, setoff with a blue coat, something like thepresent yacht-club uniform, and that of

his second in command, who waddledto the side to receive him. He was avery short man, with an uncommonprotuberance of stomach, withshoulders and arms too short for hisbody, and hands much too large, morelike the paws of a Polar bear thananything else. He wore trousers, shoes,and buckles. On his head was aforaging cap, which, when he took itoff, showed that he was quite bald. Hisage might be about fifty-five or sixty;his complexion florid, no whiskers, andlittle beard, nose straight, lips thin, teethblack with chewing, and always a littlebrown dribble from the left corner ofhis mouth (there was a leak there, hesaid). Altogether his countenance was

prepossessing, for it was honest andmanly, but his waist was preposterous.

"Steady enough," thought Jack, as hereturned Mr Oxbelly's salute.

"How do you do, sir " said Jack; "I trustwe shall be good shipmates," for Jackhad not seen him before.

"Mr Easy," replied the lieutenant, "Inever quarrel with anyone, except (Iwon't tell a story) with my wife."

"I am sorry that you have ever domesticdissensions, Mr Oxbelly."

"And I only quarrel with her at night,

sir. She will take up more than her shareof the bed, and won't allow me to sleepsingle; but never mind that, sir; nowwill you please to muster the men "

"If you please, Mr Oxbelly."

The men were mustered, and Jack madethem a long speech uponsubordination, discipline, activity, duty,and so forth.

"A very good speech, Mr Easy," said MrOxbelly, as the men went forward; "Iwish my wife had heard it. But, sir, ifyou please, we'll now get under way asfast as we can, for there is a Channelcruiser working up at St Helen's, and

we may give him the go-by by runningthrough the Needles."

"But what need we care for theChannel cruiser "

"You forget, sir, that as soon as shedrops her anchor she will come onboard and take a fancy to at least ten ofour men."

"But they are protected."

"Yes, sir, but that's no protection, now-a-days. I have sailed in a privateer atleast three years, and I know that theyhave no respect for letters of marque orfor privateers."

"I believe you are right, Mr Oxbelly; so,if you please, we will up with theanchor at once."

The crew of the Rebiera had been wellchosen; they were prime men-of-war'smen, most of whom had deserted fromthe various ships on the station, and, ofcourse, were most anxious to be off. Ina few minutes the Rebiera was underway with all sail set below and aloft.She was in excellent trim and flewthrough the water; the wind was fair,and by night they had passed PortlandLights, and the next morning weresteering a course for the Bay of Biscaywithout having encountered what they

feared more than an enemy, a Britishcruiser to overhaul them.

"I think we shall do now, sir," observedMr Oxbelly to our hero; "we have madea famous run. It's twelve o'clock, and ifyou please I'll work the latitude, and letyou know what it is. We must shapeour course so as not to run in with theBrest squadron. A little more westing,sir. I'll be up in one minute. My wifebut I'll tell you about that when I comeup."

"Latitude 41 degs 12 min, sir. I wasabout to say that my wife, when shewas on board of the privateer that Icommanded "

"Board of the privateer, Mr Oxbelly "

"Yes, sir, would go; told her it wasimpossible, but she wouldn't listen toreason came on board, flopped herselfinto the standing bed-place, and saidthat there she was for the cruise littleBilly with her "

"What! your child, too "

"Yes, two years old fine boy alwayslaughed when the guns were fired,while his mother stood on the ladderand held him on the top of the booby-hatch."

"I wonder that Mrs Oxbelly let youcome here now "

"So you would, sir, but I'll explain thatshe thinks I'm in London about myhalf-pay. She knows all by this time,and frets, I don't doubt; but that willmake her thin, and then there will bemore room in the bed. Mrs Oxbelly is avery stout woman."

"Why, you are not a little man!"

"No, not little tending to be lusty, as thesaying is that is, in good condition. It'svery strange that Mrs Oxbelly has anidea that she is not large. I cannotpersuade her to it. That's the reason we

always spar in bed. She says it is I, and Iknow that it is she who takes the largestshare of it."

"Perhaps you may both be right."

"No, no; it is she who creates all thedisturbance. If I get nearer to the wallshe jams me up till I am as thin as athread paper. If I put her inside andstay outside, she cuts me out as you doa cask, by the chime, till I tumble outof bed."

"Why don't you make your bed larger,Mr Oxbelly "

"Sir, I have proposed it, but my wife

will have it that the bed is large enoughif I would not toss in my sleep. I can'tconvince her. However, she'll have it allto herself now. I slept well last night,for the first time since I left theBoadicea."

"The Boadicea "

"Yes, sir, I was second lieutenant of theBoadicea for three years."

"She's a fine frigate, I'm told."

"On the contrary, such a pinched-uplittle craft below I never saw. Why, MrEasy, I could hardly get into the doorof my cabin and yet, as you must see,

I'm not a large man."

"Good heavens! is it possible," thoughtJack, "that this man does not reallyknow that he is monstrous "

Yet such was the case. Mr Oxbelly hadno idea that he was otherwise than ingood condition, although he hadprobably not seen his knees for years. Itwas his obesity that was the greatobjection to him, for in every otherpoint there was nothing against him.He had, upon one pretence andanother, been shifted, by themanoeuvres of the captains, out ofdifferent ships, until he went up to theAdmiralty to know if there was any

charge against him. The first lord atonce perceived the charge to bepreferred, and made a mark against hisname as not fit for anything butharbour duty. Out of employment, hehad taken the command of a privateercutter, when his wife, who wasexcessively fond, would, as he said,follow him with little Billy. He wassober, steady, knew his duty well; but heweighed twenty-six stone, and hisweight had swamped him in the service.

His wish, long indulged, had become,as Shakespeare says, the father of histhoughts and he had really at lastbrought himself to think that he wasnot by any means what could be

considered a fat man. His wife, as hesaid, was also a very stout woman, andthis exuberance of flesh on both sides,was the only, but continual, ground ofdispute.

CHAPTER XXXVIII

In which our hero, as usual, gets intothe very middle of it.

On the eleventh day the Rebiera enteredthe straits, and the rock of Gibraltarwas in sight as the sun went down; afterwhich the wind fell light, and aboutmidnight it became calm, and they

drifted up. At sunrise they were rousedby the report of heavy guns, andperceived an English frigate about eightmiles further up the straits, and more inthe mid-channel, engaging nine or tenSpanish gun-boats, which had comeout from Algesiras to attack her. It stillcontinued a dead calm, and the boatsof the frigate were all ahead towing her,so as to bring her broadside to bearupon the Spanish flotilla. Thereverberating of the heavy cannon onboth sides over the placid surface ofthe water the white smoke ascending asthe sun rose in brilliancy in a clear bluesky the distant echoes repeated fromthe high hills had a very beautiful effectfor those who are partial to the

picturesque. But Jack thought itadvisable to prepare for action insteadof watching for tints and, in a shorttime, all was ready.

"They'll not come to us, Mr Easy, aslong as they have the frigate to hammerat; but still we had better be prepared,for we cannot well pass them withouthaving a few shot. When I came up thestraits in the privateer we were attackedby two and fought them for threehours; their shot dashed the water overour decks till they were wet fore andaft, but somehow or another they neverhit us we were as low as they were. I'llbe bound but they'll hull the frigatethough. Mrs Oxbelly and Billy were on

deck the whole time and Billy was quitedelighted, and cried when they tookhim down to breakfast."

"Why, Mrs Oxbelly must be verycourageous."

"Cares neither for shot nor shell, sirlaughs when they whiz over her head,and tells Billy to hark. But, sir, it's notsurprising; her father is a major, and hertwo brothers are lieutenants in thebombardiers."

"That, indeed," replied Jack "but, see,there is a breeze springing up from thewestward."

"Very true, Mr Easy, and a steady one itwill be, for it comes up dark and slow;so much the better for the frigate, forshe'll get little honour and plenty ofmauling at this work."

"I hope we shall take it up with us,"observed Jack; "how far do you reckonthe gun-boats from the shore "

"I should think about five miles, orrather less."

"Trim sails, Mr Oxbelly perhaps we maycut one or two of these off steer in-shore of them."

"Exactly. Up there, my lads, set top-

gallant studding sails, topmaststuddings to hand rig out the boomskeep as you go now, my lads we shallbe well in-shore of them, and out ofthe range of the batteries."

The breeze came down fresh, and allsail was set upon the Rebiera. She tookthe wind down with her, and it passedher but little half a mile ahead of themall was still and smooth as a glassmirror, and they neared and gained in-shore at the same time. The gun-boatswere still engaging the frigate, and didnot appear to pay any attention to theRebiera coming down. At last thebreeze reached them and the frigate,light at first and then gradually

increasing, while the Rebiera foamedthrough the water, and had now everychance of cutting off some of the gun-boats. The frigate trimmed her sails andsteered towards the flotilla, which nowthought proper to haul off and puttheir heads in-shore, followed by thefrigate firing her bow-chasers. But theRebiera was now within half gun-shotin-shore, and steering so as to interceptthem. As she rapidly closed, the flotillascarcely knew how to act; to attack herwould be to lose time, and allow thefrigate to come up and occasion theirown capture; so they satisfiedthemselves with firing at her as shecontinued to run down between themand the land. As they neared, Jack

opened his fire with his eighteen-pound carronades and long nines. Thegun-boats returned his fire, and theywere within a quarter of a mile, whenJack shortened sail to his topsails, and awarm engagement took place, whichended in one of the gun-boats being,in a few minutes, dismasted. Thefrigate, under all canvas, came rapidlyup, and her shot now fell thick. Theflotilla then ceased firing, passing abouttwo cables length ahead of the Rebiera,and making all possible sail for theland. Jack now fired at the flotilla asthey passed, with his larboardbroadside, while with his starboard hepoured in grape and canister upon theunfortunate gun-boat which was

dismasted, and, which soon hauleddown her colours. In a few minutesmore the remainder were too far distantfor the carronades, and, as they did notfire, Jack turned his attention to takepossession of his prize, sending a boatwith ten men on board, and heaving-toclose to her to take her in tow. Tenminutes more and the frigate was alsohove-to a cable's length from theRebiera, and our hero lowered downhis other quarter-boat to go on board.

"Have we any men hurt, Mr Oxbelly "inquired Jack.

"Only two; Spearling has lost his thumbwith a piece of langrage, and James has

a bad wound in the thigh."

"Very well; I will ask for the surgeon tocome on board." Jack pulled to thefrigate, and went up the side, touchedhis hat in due form, and wasintroduced by the midshipmen to theother side, where the captain stood.

"Mr Easy!" exclaimed the captain."Captain Sawbridge!" replied our hero,with surprise.

"Good heavens! what brought you here" said the captain; "and what vessel isthat "

"The Rebiera, letter of marque,

commanded and owned by Mr Easy,"replied Jack, laughing.

Captain Sawbridge gave him his hand."Come down with me into the cabin,Mr Easy; I am very glad to see you.Give you great credit for your conduct,and am still more anxious to knowwhat has induced you to come outagain. I knew that you had left theservice."

Jack, in a very few words, told hisobject in fitting out the Rebiera; "but,"continued Jack, "allow me tocongratulate you upon yourpromotion, which I was not aware of.May I ask where you left the Harpy, and

what is the name of your frigate "

"The Latona. I have only beenappointed to her one month, after anaction in which the Harpy took a largecorvette, and am ordered home withdespatches to England. We sailedyesterday evening from Gibraltar, werebecalmed the whole night, and attackedthis morning by the gun-boats."

"How is Captain Wilson, sir "

"I believe he is very well, but I have notseen him."

"How did you know, then, that I hadleft the service, Captain Sawbridge "

"From Mr Gascoigne, who is now onboard."

"Gascoigne!" exclaimed our hero.

"Yes, he was sent up to join the Auroraby the governor, but she had left thefleet, and having served his time, and apassing day being ordered, he passed,and thought he might as well go homewith me and see if he could make anyinterest for his promotion."

"Pray, Captain Sawbridge, is the gun-boat our prize or yours "

"It ought to be wholly yours; but the

fact is, by the regulations, we share."

"With all my heart, sir. Will you send anassistant-surgeon on board to lookafter two of my men who are hurt "

"Yes, directly; now send your boat away,Easy, with directions to your officer incommand. We must go back toGibraltar, for we have received someinjury, and, I am sorry to say, lost somemen. You are going then, I presume, tostay on board and dine with me: weshall be at anchor before night."

"I will with pleasure, sir. But now I willsend my boat away and shake handswith Gascoigne."

Gascoigne was under the half-deckwaiting to receive his friend, for he hadseen him come up the side from hisstation on the forecastle. A hurriedconversation took place, after our herohad dismissed his boat with theassistant-surgeon in it to dress the twowounded men. Jack then went on deck,talked with the officers, looked withpleasure at the Rebiera with the gun-boat in tow, keeping company with thefrigate, although only under the samecanvas promised Gascoigne to spendthe next day with him either on shoreor on board the Rebiera, and thenreturned to the cabin, where he had along conference with Captain

Sawbridge.

"When you first entered the service,Easy," said Captain Sawbridge, "Ithought that the sooner the service wasrid of you the better: now that youhave left it, I feel that it has lost onewho, in all probability, would haveproved a credit to it."

"Many thanks, sir," replied Jack; "buthow can I be a midshipman with eightthousand pounds a year "

"I agree with you that it is impossible:but dinner is serving: go into the after-cabin and the steward will give you allyou require."

Our hero, whose face and hands werenot a little grimed with the gunpowder,washed himself, combed out his curlyblack hair, and found all the party inthe fore-cabin. Gascoigne, who had notbeen asked in the forenoon, was, by theconsideration of Captain Sawbridge,added to the number. Before dinnerwas long off the table, the firstlieutenant reported that it was necessaryto turn the hands up, as they were closeto the anchorage. The party, therefore,broke up sooner than otherwise wouldhave been the case; and as soon as theLatona's sails were furled, CaptainSawbridge went on shore to acquaintthe governor with the results of the

action. He asked Jack to accompanyhim, but our hero, wishing to be withGascoigne, excused himself until thenext day.

"And now, Easy," said Gascoigne, assoon as the captain had gone over theside, "I will ask permission to go onboard with you or will you ask "

"I will ask," replied Jack; "a gentlemanof fortune has more weight with a firstlieutenant than a midshipman."

So Jack went up to the first lieutenant,and with one of his polite bows,hoped, "if duty would permit, hewould honour him by coming on

board that evening with some of hisofficers, to see the Rebiera and to drinka bottle or two of champagne."

The first lieutenant, as the Rebiera wasanchored not two cables lengths fromhim, replied, "that as soon as he hadshifted the prisoners and secured thegun-boat, he would be very glad": sodid three or four more of the officers,and then Jack begged as a favour, thathis old friend, Mr Gascoigne, might bepermitted to go with him now, as hehad important packages to entrust tohis care to England. The first lieutenantwas very willing, and Gascoigne andour hero jumped into the boat, andwere once more in all the confidence

of tried and deserved friendship.

"Jack, I've been thinking of it, and I'vemade up my mind," said Gascoigne. "Ishall gain little or nothing by goinghome for my promotion: I may as wellstay here, and as I have served my timeand passed, my pay is now of littleconsequence. Will you take me withyou "

"It was exactly what I was thinking of,Ned. Do you think that CaptainSawbridge will consent "

"I do: he knows how I amcircumstanced, and that my goinghome was merely because I was tired

of looking after the Aurora."

"We'll go together and ask him to-morrow," replied Jack.

"At all events, you'll have a moregentlemanly companion than MrOxbelly."

"But not so steady, Ned."

The first lieutenant and officers cameon board, and passed a merry evening.There's nothing passes time moreagreeably away than champagne, and ifyou do not affront this regal wine bymixing him with any other, he neverpunishes you the next morning.

CHAPTER XXXIX

A council of war, in which Jack decidesthat he will have one more cruise.

As Captain Sawbridge did not returnon board that evening, Easy went onshore and called upon him at thegovernor's, to whom he wasintroduced, and received an invitationto dine with him. As Gascoigne couldnot come on shore, our hero took thisopportunity of making his request toCaptain Sawbridge, stating that theperson he had with him was not such

as he wished and could confideeverything to; that is, not one to whomhe could talk about Agnes. Jack, as hefound that Captain Sawbridge did notimmediately assent, pressed the matterhard: at last Captain Sawbridge, whoreflected that Gascoigne's interesthereafter would be much greaterthrough his friend Easy, than any otherquarter, and that the more thefriendship was cemented the moreadvantageous it might prove toGascoigne, gave his consent to ourhero's wish, who called on board ofthe Latona to acquaint Gascoigne andthe first lieutenant of CaptainSawbridge's intentions, and then wenton board of the Rebiera and ordered

Mesty to come with his portmanteauon shore to the inn, that he might dressfor dinner. Gascoigne, now consideredas not belonging to the Latona, waspermitted to accompany him: and Jackfound himself looking out of thewindow at which he had hung out histrousers upon the memorable occasionwhen the boatswain had to follow hisown precept, of duty before decency.

"What scenes of adventures I havepassed through since that," thoughtJack; "not much more than four yearsago, then not three weeks in theservice." Whereupon Jack fell into adeep reverie, and thought of thebaboon and of Agnes.

The repairs of the Latona were allmade good by the next day, andGascoigne, having received hisdischarge ticket, went on board of theRebiera. The gun-boat was put into thehands of the agent, and shortlyafterwards purchased by government.The Rebiera's crew did not, however,obtain their prize-money and share ofthe head-money, for she had seventymen on board, until their return, but, asthey said, they had broken the ice andthat was everything. Moreover, it gavethem confidence in themselves, in theirvessel, and in their commander. Ourhero weighed a short time after theLatona, having first taken leave of

Captain Sawbridge, and committed tohis care a letter to Dr Middleton.

Once more behold the trio together, thetwo midshipmen hanging over thetaffrail, and Mesty standing by them.They had rounded Europa Point, and,with a fine breeze off the land, werelying close-hauled along the Spanishshore. Mr Oxbelly was also walkingnear them.

"When I was cruising here it was verydifferent," observed Jack: "I had avessel which I did not know how tomanage, a crew which I could notcommand, and had it not been forMesty, what would have become of

me!"

"Massa Easy, you know very well howto get out of scrapes, anyhow."

"Yes, and how to get into them,"continued Gascoigne.

"And how to get others out of them,too, Ned."

"'No more of that, Hal, an thou lovestme'," quoted Gascoigne. "I have oftenwondered what has been the lot ofpoor Azar."

"The lot of most women, Ned, in everycountry prized at first, neglected

afterwards the lot she might have hadwith you."

"Perhaps so," replied Ned, with a sigh.

"Massa Easy, you get eberybody out ofscrape; you get me out of scrape."

"I do not recollect how, Mesty."

"You get me out from boil kettle foryoung gentlemen dat devil of a scrape."

"And I'm sure I've got you out of ascrape, Mr Oxbelly."

"How so. Mr Easy " "How so! have Inot prevented your quarrelling with

your wife every night "

"Certainly, sir, you have been the means.But do you know when we wereengaging the other day, I could not helpsaying to myself, I wish my wife washere now, holding little Billy at thehatchway."

"But at night, Mr Oxbelly."

"At night! why, then I'm afraid I shouldhave wished her home again it'sastonishing how comfortable I sleepnow every night. Besides, in this climateit would be intolerable. Mrs Oxbelly is avery large woman very large indeed."

"Well, but now we must hold a councilof war. Are we to run up the coast, orto shape a course direct for Palermo "

"Course direct, and we shall takenothing, that is certain," saidGascoigne.

"If we take nothing we shall make noprize-money," continued Oxbelly.

"If we make no prize-money the menwill be discontented," said Easy.

"If no ab noting to do-it will be d -d'tupid," continued Mesty.

"Now then the other side of the

question. If we steer for Palermo, weshall be sooner there and soonerhome."

"To which I reply," said Gascoigne,"that the shorter the cruise is, the less Ishall have of your company."

"And I shall have to sleep with MrsOxbelly," continued Oxbelly.

"Hab fine ship, fine gun, fine men, anddo noting," cried Mesty. "By de power,I no like dat, Massa Easy."

"You want eight months of coming ofage, Jack," observed Gascoigne.

"It won't make a difference of morethan three or four weeks," said MrOxbelly; "and the expenses have beenvery great."

"But "

"But what, Jack "

"Agnes."

"Agnes will be better defended goinghome by men who have beenaccustomed to be in action. And, as forher waiting a little longer, it will onlymake her love you a little more."

"Sleep single a little longer, Mr Easy, it's

very pleasant," said Mr Oxbelly.

"That's not very bad advice of yours,"observed Gascoigne.

"Stop a little, Massa Easy," said Mesty,"you know dat very good advice."

"Well, then," replied Jack, "I will, as Iam quite in the minority. We will workup the whole coast up to Toulon. Afterall, there's something very pleasant incommanding your own ship, and I'mnot in a hurry to resign it so that point'sdecided."

The Rebiera was steered into the land,and at sunset they were not four miles

from the lofty blue mountains whichoverhang the town of Malaga. Therewere many vessels lying at the bottomof the bay, close in with the town; thewind now fell light, and the Rebiera, asshe could not fetch the town, tacked asif she were a merchant vessel standingin, and showed American colours, ahint which they took from perceivingthree or four large vessels lying in theouter roads, with the colours of thatnation hoisted at the peak.

"What is your intention, Jack " saidGascoigne.

"I'll be hanged if I know yet. I think ofworking up to the outer roads, and

anchoring at night boarding theAmerican vessels, and gainingintelligence."

"Not a bad idea; we shall then learn ifthere is anything to be done, and if not,we may be off at daylight."

"The pratique boat will not come offafter sunset."

"And if they did, we could pass for anAmerican, bound to Barcelona oranywhere else the outer roads where thevessels lie are hardly within gun-shot."

Mesty, who had resumed his sailor'sclothes, now observed, "What we do,

Massa Easy, we do quickly time for allting, time for show face and fight timefor hide face, crawl, and steal."

"Very true, Mesty, we'll crawl this time,and steal if we can. It's not the warfareI like best of the two."

"Both good, Massa Easy; suppose youno steal board of polacca ship, you notsee Missy Agnes."

"Very true, Mesty. Bout ship, MrOxbelly."

"Mr Oxbelly not good for boatservice," observed Mesty, showing histeeth.

It was dark before the Rebiera wasanchored in the outer roads, a cable'slength astern of the outermostAmerican vessel. One of her quarter-boats was lowered down, andGascoigne and our hero pulledalongside, and, lying on their oars,hailed, and asked the name of thevessel.

"So help me Gad, just now I forget hername," replied a negro, looking overthe gangway.

"Who's the captain "

"So help me Gad, he gone on shore."

"Is the mate on board "

"No, so help me Gad he gone shore,too."

"Who is aboard then "

"So help me Gad, nobody on boardbut Pompey and dat me."

"Good ship-keepers, at all events," saidJack. "A ship in the outer roads, withonly a black fellow on board! I say,Pompey, do they always leave you incharge of the vessel "

"No, sar; but to-night great pleasure on

shore. Eberybody dance and sing, getdrunk, kick up bobbery, and all dat."

"What, is it a festival "

"So help me Gad, I no know, sar."

"Is there anyone on board of the othervessels "

"Eberybody gone on shore. Supposethey have black man, he stay on board."

"Good-night, Pompey."

"Good-night, sar. Who I say call whencaptain come on board "

"Captain Easy."

"Captain He-see, very well, sar."

Our hero pulled to another ship, andfound it equally deserted; but at thethird he found the second mate withhis arm in a sling, and from him theygained the information that it was agreat festival, being the last day of thecarnival; and that everyone wasthinking of nothing but amusement.

"I've a notion," said the mate, in reply,"that you're American."

"You've guessed right," replied Jack.

"What ship, and from what port "

"Rhode Island, the Susan and Mary,"replied Gascoigne.

"I thought you were north. We're ofNew York. What news do you bring "

"Nothing," replied he, "we are fromLiverpool last."

A succession of questions was now putby the American mate, and answeredvery skilfully by Gascoigne, who theninquired how the market was

It was necessary to make and reply toall these enquiries before they could ask

apparently indifferent questions ofAmerican traders; at last, Gascoigneenquired,

"Do you think they would allow us togo on shore the pratique boat has notbeen on board."

"They'll never find you out if you areoff before daylight; I doubt if theyknow that you are anchored. Besides,from Liverpool you would have a cleanbill of health, and if they found it out,they would not say much; they're notover particular, I've a notion."

"What are those vessels lying in-shore "

"I guess they have olive oil on board,the chief on 'em. But there are twodouble lateens come in from Valparaisothe day before yesterday, with hides andcopper. How they 'scaped the British, Ican't tell, but they did, that's sureenough."

"Good-night, then."

"You won't take a glass of sling thisfine night with a countryman "

"To-morrow, my good fellow, to-morrow; we must go on shore now."

Our hero and Gascoigne returned onboard the Rebiera, consulted with

Oxbelly and Mesty, and then mannedand armed the two quarter and sternboats. They thought it advisable not tohoist out their long-boat; no fire-armswere permitted to be taken, lest, goingoff by accident or otherwise, an alarmshould be given. Our hero and Mestyproceeded in the first boat, and pulledin for the town; Gascoigne shortly afterin the second, and the boatswain in thejolly-boat, followed at some distance.

There was no notice taken of them;they pulled gently down to the landing-place, which was deserted. There was ablaze of light, and the sounds ofrevelry in every quarter on shore; butthe vessels appeared equally deserted as

the American ones in the offing.

Finding themselves unobserved, forthey had taken the precaution to pullonly two oars in each boat, theydropped gently alongside one of thedouble-masted lateen vessels, andMesty stepped on board. He peepeddown in the cabin, and perceived a manlying on the lockers; he came up in hisstealthy manner, closed the hatch softly,and said, "All right." Jack leftGascoigne to take out this vessel, whichhe did very successfully, for it was verydark; and although there were sentriesposted not far off, their eyes and earswere turned towards the town, listeningto the music.

A second vessel, her consort, wasboarded in the same way, but here theyfound a man on deck whom they wereobliged to seize and gag. They put himdown in the cabin, and Mesty, withanother boat's crew, cut her cables, andswept her gently out towards theAmerican vessels. One more vessel wasrequired, and Jack, pulling two oars asusual, saluted a galliot heavily laden,but of what her cargo consisted wasnot known. In this vessel they foundtwo men in the cabin playing cards,whom they seized and bound and,cutting her cables, were obliged to makesail upon her, as she was much toolarge to sweep out. As they were

making sail they, however, met with aninterruption which they did not expect.The crew belonging to the vessel,having had enough amusement for theevening, and intending to sail the nextmorning, had thought it right to comeoff sooner than the others: it was thenabout midnight or a little later, andwhile some of Jack's men were aloft,for he had six with him, Jack, to hisannoyance, heard a boat coming offfrom the shore, the men in her singinga chorus. The galliot was at that timejust under steerage way, her topsails hadbeen loosed and her jib hoisted, but theformer had not been sheeted home, forthe three men below could not, in thedark, find the ropes. The other three

men were on the fore-yard loosing theforesail, and Jack was undeterminedwhether to call them down immediately,or to allow them to loose the sail, andthus get good way on the vessel, so asto prevent the boat, which was loadedwith men, from overtaking them. Theboat was not more than twenty yardsfrom the galliot, when, not finding herwhere they left her, they pulled to theright, and lay on their oars. This gave amoment of time, but they very soonspied her out. "Caramba!" was theexclamation and the head of the boatwas pulled round.

"Down, my lads, in a moment by theswifters," cried Jack. "Here's a boat on

board of us."

The men were in a few seconds ondeck, and the others, who had nowsheeted home the topsails, hastened aft.The vessel soon gathered way, butbefore that her way was sufficient, theboat had pulled under the counter, andthe Spaniards, letting their oars swingfore and aft, were climbing up, theirknives in their teeth. A scuffle ensued,and they were thrown down again, butthey renewed their attempt. Our hero,perceiving a small water or wine casklashed to the gunwale, cut it loose withhis cutlass, and with one of the men,who was by his side, pushed it over,and dropped it into the boat. It struck

the gunwale, stove a plank, and theboat began to fill rapidly; in themeantime the galliot had gained waythe boat could not longer be held on,from its weight, and dropped asternwith the men in it. Those who werehalf in and half out were left clingingto the gunwale of the vessel, and asthey climbed up were secured, and putdown in the cabin. Fortunately, no fire-arms having been used on either side,the alarm was not given generally, butthe sentry reported fighting on boardone of the vessels, and the people ofthe guard-boat were collected, andpulled out; but they only arrived in timeto see that the galliot was under way,and that the two other vessels from

Valparaiso were not in their berths.

They hastened on shore, gave thealarm: the gun-boats, of which therewere three at the mole, were orderedout, but half the crew and all theofficers were on shore, some at balls,others drinking at taverns or posadas;before they could be collected, all threevessels were alongside of the Rebiera:and not aware that anything had beendiscovered, our hero and his crew werelulled in security. Jack had gone onboard, leaving fourteen of his men onboard the galliot Gascoigne had donethe same Mesty still remained on boardhis vessel; and they were congratulatingthemselves, and ordering the men on

board to the windlass, when they heardthe sound of oars.

"Silence! what is that " exclaimedOxbelly.

"The gun-boats or row-boats, as sure asI'm alive!"

At this moment Mesty jumped up theside.

"Massa Easy, I hear row-boat not faroff."

"So do we, Mesty. Gascoigne, jumpinto the boat tell the men in the prizesto make all sail right out, and leave us

to defend their retreat stay on board ofone and divide your men."

"Dat all right, Massa Easy. MrGascoigne, be smart and now, sar, cutcable and make sail; no time get upanchor."

This order was given, but although themen were aloft in a moment, and veryexpeditious, as the Rebiera payed herhead round and the jib was hoisted,they could perceive the boom of thethree gun-boats pulling and sailing notfive cables length from them. Althoughrather short-handed, topsails, coursesand top-gallant sails were soon set, themen down to their quarters, and the

guns cast loose, before the gun-boatswere close under their stern. Then Jackrounded to, braced up, and the Rebierastood across them to the westward.

"Why the devil don't they fire " saidJack.

"I tink because they no ab powder,"said Mesty. Mesty was right theammunition chests of the gun-boatswere always landed when they were atthe mole, in case of accidents, whichmight arise from the crew beingcontinually with cigars in their mouths,and in the hurry they had quiteforgotten to put them on board.

"At all events, we have powder," saidJack, "and now we'll prove it. Grapeand canister, my lads, and take goodaim."

The commanders of the gun-boats hadhailed each other, and agreed to boardthe Rebiera, but she now had good wayon her, and sailed faster than theypulled. A well-directed broadsideastonished them they had no idea ofher force; and the execution done wasso great, that they first lay on their oarsand then pulled back to the mole withall speed, leaving the Rebiera in quietpossession of her prizes, which hadalready gained two miles in the offing.

The Rebiera, as soon as Jack perceivedthat the gun-boats had retreated, wasput before the wind, and soon closedwith her captures, when she was hove-to till daylight with the three vessels incompany. Gascoigne returned onboard, prize-masters were selected, andJack determined to keep them all withhim, and take them to Palermo.

CHAPTER XL

In which there is another slightdifference of opinion between thosewho should be friends.

The two lateen vessels proved ofconsiderable value, being laden withcopper, hides, and cochineal. Thegalliot was laden with sweet-oil, andwas also no despicable prize. Atdaylight they were all ready, and, to themortification of the good people ofMalaga, sailed away to the eastwardwithout interruption.

"Me tink we do dat job pretty well,Massa Easy," observed Mesty, as he laidthe breakfast table.

"Nothing like trying," repliedGascoigne; "I'm sure when we stoodinto the bay I would have sold all myprize-money for a doubloon. How do I

share, Jack "

"Only as one of the crew, Ned, for youare a supernumerary, and our articlesand agreement for prize-money weresigned previous to our sailing."

"I ought to share with Mr Oxbelly'sclass by rights," replied Gascoigne.

"That would be to take half my prize-money away. I shall want it all, MrGascoigne, to pacify my wife for givingher the slip."

"Ah, very well; I'll get all I can."

For ten days they ran down the coast,

going much too fast for the wishes ofthe crew, who were anxious to makemore money. They seized a fishing-boatand put on board of her the fourprisoners, which they had found in thevessels, and arrived off Barcelona,without falling in with friend or foe.The next morning, the wind being verylight, they discovered a large vessel atdaylight astern of them to thewestward, and soon made her out to bea frigate. She made all sail in chase, butthat gave them very little uneasiness, asthey felt assured that she was a Britishcruiser. One fear, however, came overthem, that she would, if she came upwith them, impress a portion of theirmen.

"As certain as I'm here, and MrsOxbelly's at Southsea," said Oxbelly,"they'll take some of the men the moreso as, supposing us to be a Spanishconvoy, they will be disappointed."

"They will hardly take them out of theprizes," observed Easy.

"I don't know that; men must be hadfor his Majesty's service somehow. It'snot their fault, Mr Easy the navy mustbe manned, and as things are so, sothings must be. It's the king'sprerogative, Mr Easy, and we cannotfight the battles of the country withoutit."

"Yes," replied Gascoigne, "andalthough, as soon as the services ofseamen are no longer wanted, you findthat there are demagogues on shorewho exclaim against impressment, theyare quiet enough on the point whenthey know that their lives and propertydepend upon sailors' exertions."

"Very true, Mr Gascoigne, but it's notour fault if we are obliged to take menby force; it's the fault of those who donot legislate so as to prevent thenecessity. Mrs Oxbelly used to say thatshe would easily manage the matter ifshe were Chancellor of the Exchequer."

"I dare say Mrs Oxbelly would make avery good Chancellor of theExchequer," replied Gascoigne, smiling;"one thing is certain, that if they gavethe subject half the consideration theyhave others of less magnitude, anarrangement might be made by whichhis Majesty's navy would never be shortof men."

"No doubt, no doubt, Mr Gascoigne;but, nevertheless, the king's prerogativemust never be given up."

"There I agree with you, Mr Oxbelly; itmust be held in case of suddenemergency and absolute need."

"We'll argue that point by-and-bye,"replied Jack; "now let us consult as toour measures. My opinion is, that if Imade more sail we should beat thefrigate, but she would come up withthe prizes."

"That's the best thing we can do, MrEasy; but let us send a boat on boardof them, and take out all the men thatcan possibly be spared, that there maybe no excuse for impressing them."

"Yes," replied Gascoigne; "and as thewind is falling it is possible it may fallcalm, and they may send their boats;suppose we separate a mile or two fromeach other."

"Dat very good advice, MassaGascoigne," observed Mesty.

This plan was acted upon; only threemen were left in the lateens, and four inthe galliot, and the vessels, in obedienceto the orders, sheered off on both sidesof the Rebiera, who made all sail andstarted ahead of the prizes. Thismanoeuvre was perceived on board ofthe frigate, and made them sure that itwas a Spanish convoy attempting toescape. The fire-engine was got ondeck, sails wetted, and every exertionmade to come up. But about fouro'clock in the afternoon, when thefrigate was eight or nine miles off, it fell

calm, as Gascoigne had predicted, andthe heads of all the vessels, as well asthe frigate, were now round thecompass.

"There's out boats," said Mr Oxbelly;"they will have a long pull, and all fornothing."

"How savage they will be!" observedGascoigne. "Never mind that," repliedJack; "Mesty says that dinner is ready."

After dinner, they all went on deck, andfound that the boats had separated, onepulling for each of the prizes, and twofor the Rebiera. In less than an hour,they would probably be alongside.

"And now let us decide how we are toact. We must not resist, if they attemptto impress the men "

"I've been thinking upon that matter,Mr Easy, and it appears to me that themen must be permitted to act as theyplease, and that we must be neuter. I, asa lieutenant in his Majesty's service,cannot of course act, neither can MrGascoigne. You are not in the service,but I should recommend you to do thesame. That the men have a right toresist, if possible, is admitted; theyalways do so, and never are punishedfor so doing. Under the guns of thefrigate, of course we should only have

to submit; but those two boats do notcontain more than twenty-five men, Ishould think, and our men are thestronger party. We had better leave it tothem, and stand neuter."

"Dat very good advice," said Mesty;"leab it to us": and Mesty walked awayforward where the seamen were alreadyin consultation.

Jack also agreed to the prudence of thismeasure, and he perceived that theseamen, after a consultation with Mesty,were all arming themselves forresistance.

The boats were now close on board,

and English colours were hoisted at thegaff. This did not, however, check theimpetus of the boats, who, with theirensigns trailing in the still water asternof them, dashed alongside, and anofficer leaped on board, cutlass inhand, followed by the seamen of thefrigate. The men of the Rebieraremained collected forward Easy,Gascoigne, and Oxbelly aft.

"What vessel is this " cried thelieutenant who commanded the boats.

Jack, with the greatest politeness, tookoff his hat, and told him that it was theRebiera letter of marque, and that thepapers were ready for his inspection.

"And the other vessels "

"Prizes to the Rebiera, cut out ofMalaga Bay," replied Jack.

"Then you are a privateer," observedthe disappointed officer. "Where areyour papers "

"Mr Oxbelly, oblige me by bringingthem up," said Jack.

"Fat Jack of the bone house," observedthe lieutenant, looking at Oxbelly.

"A lieutenant in his Majesty's service,of longer standing than yourself, young

man," replied Oxbelly, firmly; "andwho, if he ever meets you in any othersituation, will make you answer foryour insolent remark."

"Indeed!" observed the lieutenant,ironically; "now, if you had said youwere once a boatswain or gunner."

"Consider yourself kicked," roaredOxbelly, losing his temper.

"Heyday! why, you old porpoise!"

"Sir," observed Jack, who listened withindignation, "Mr Oxbelly is a lieutenantin his Majesty's service, and you haveno right to insult him, even if he were

not."

"I presume you are all officers," repliedthe lieutenant. "I am, sir," retortedGascoigne, "an officer in his Majesty'sservice, and on board of this vessel bypermission of Captain Sawbridge ofthe Latona."

"And I was, until a few months ago,sir," continued Jack; "at present I amcaptain and owner of this vessel buthere are the papers. You will have noobstruction from us in the executionof your duty at the same time, I callupon the two young gentlemen by yourside, and your own men, to bearwitness to what takes place."

"O very well, sir just as you please. Yourpapers, I perceive, are all right. Nowyou will oblige me by mustering yourmen."

"Certainly, sir," replied Jack: "send allthe men aft to muster, Mr Oxbelly."

The men came aft to the mainmast,with Mesty at their head, and answeredto their names. As the men passed over,the lieutenant made a pencil-markagainst ten of them, who appeared thefinest seamen; and, when the roll hadbeen called, he ordered those men toget their bags and go into the boat.

"Sir, as you must observe, I am short-handed, with my men away in prizes;and I, as commander of this vessel,protest against this proceeding: if youinsist upon taking them, of course Ican do nothing," observed Jack.

"I do insist, sir; I'm not going on boardempty-handed, at all events."

"Well, sir, I can say no more," said Jack,walking aft to the taffrail, to whichOxbelly and Gascoigne had retreated.

"Come, my lads, get those men in theboat," said the lieutenant.

But the men had all retreated forward

in a body, with Mesty at their head, andhad armed themselves. Some of theseamen of the frigate had goneforward, in obedience to their officer,to lead the men selected into the boat;but they were immediately desired tokeep back. The scuffle forwardattracted the notice of the lieutenant,who immediately summoned all hismen out of the boats.

"Mutiny, by heavens! Come up all ofyou, my lads."

Mesty then came forward, with a sabrein one hand and a pistol in the other,and then addressed the seamen of thefrigate:

"I tell you dis, my lads you not sostrong as we you not got better armswe not under gun of frigate now, andab determination not to go board. 'Poseyou want us, come take us 'pose youcan. By all de power, but we makemince-meat of you, anyhow."

The seamen paused they were ready tofight for their country, but not to bekilled by or kill those who were theirown countrymen, and who were doingexactly what they would have donethemselves. The lieutenant thoughtotherwise; he was exasperated at thissensation.

"You black scoundrel, I left you outbecause I thought you not worthhaving, but now I'll add you to thenumber."

"Stop a little," replied Mesty.

The lieutenant would not take theAshantee's very prudent advice; he flewforward to seize Mesty, who, strikinghim a blow with the flat of his sabre,almost levelled him to the deck. At thisthe men and other officers of thefrigate darted forward; but after a shortscuffle, in which a few wounds werereceived, were beaten back into theboats. The lieutenant was thrown inafter them, by the nervous arm of

Mesty and assailed by cold shot andother missiles, they sheered off withprecipitation, and pulled back in thedirection of the frigate.

"There will be a row about this," saidOxbelly, "as soon as they come clear ofthe vessel. If the frigate gets hold of usshe will show us no mercy. There is abreeze coming from the north-west.How fortunate! we shall be threeleagues to windward, and may escape."

"I doubt if she could catch us. At anypoint of sailing they may come up withthe prizes, but can do nothing withthem."

"No, the boats which boarded them arealready returned to the frigate; she mustwait for them, and that will give us astart, and it will be night before theycan make sail."

"Fire a gun for the prizes to close," saidJack; "we will put the men on boardagain, and then be off to Palermo asfast as we can."

"We can do no better," said Oxbelly. "Ifever I chance to meet that fellow again,I will trouble him to repeat his words.Trim the sails, my lads."

"His language was unpardonable,"observed Jack.

"Since I've been in the service, Mr Easy,I have always observed that someofficers appear to imagine, that becausethey are under the king's pennant, theyare warranted in insulting andtyrannising over all those who have notthe honour to hoist it; whereas, the veryfact of their being king's officersshould be an inducement to them toshow an example of courtesy andgentlemanly conduct in the executionof their duty, however unpleasant itmay be."

"It is only those who, insignificantthemselves, want to make themselvesof importance by the pennant they

serve under," replied our hero.

"Very true, Mr Easy; but you are notaware that a great part of the ill-willshown to the service is owing to theinsolence of those young men in office.The king's name is a warrant for everyspecies of tyranny and unwarrantableconduct. I remember Mrs Oxbellytelling one of them, when "

"I beg your pardon, Mr Oxbelly,"interrupted Jack, "but we have no timeto chat now; the breeze is comingdown fast, and I perceive the prizes areclosing. Let us lower down the boat,send the men on board again, and givethem their orders which I will do in

writing, in case they part company."

"Very true, sir. It will be dark in half anhour, and as we are now standing in-shore, they will think that we intend toremain on the coast. As soon as it isquite dark we will shape our course forPalermo. I will go down and look at thechart."

CHAPTER XLI

Which winds up the nauticaladventures of Mr Midshipman Easy.

In half an hour the prizes were again

alongside, the men put on board, andthe boat hoisted up. The frigate stillremained becalmed to leeward, andhoisted in her boats. They watcheduntil she was hid by the shades ofnight, and then wearing round stoodaway, with the wind two points free, forthe coast of Sicily. The next morningwhen the sun rose there was nothing insight. Strange anomaly, in a state ofhigh civilisation, where you find yourown countrymen avoided and moredreaded than even your foes!

The run was prosperous, the weatherwas fine, and the prizes did not partcompany.

On the sixteenth day the Rebiera andher convoy anchored in Palermo Bay.The wind was light in the morning thatthey stood in, and as Jack had a largeblue flag with Rebiera in white lettershoisted at the main, Don Philip andDon Martin were on board andgreeting our hero, before the Rebiera'sanchor had plunged into the clear bluewater.

The information which our heroreceived, after having been assured ofthe health of Agnes and her parents,was satisfactory. The disappearance ofthe friar had, at first, occasioned muchsurprise; but as the servants of DonRebiera swore to his return without the

black, and the letter of Don Rebiera,sent to the convent, requesting hispresence, was opened and read, therewas no suspicion against the family. Ahundred conjectures had been afloat,but gradually they had subsided, and itwas at last supposed that he had beencarried off by the banditti, some ofwhom had been taken, andacknowledged that they had seized afriar, on a day which they could notrecollect. The reader will remember thatit was Mesty.

The Rebiera received pratique, and Jackhastened on shore with Don Philip andhis brother, and was once more incompany of Agnes, who, in our hero's

opinion, had improved since hisdeparture. Most young men in lovethink the same after an absence,provided it is not too long. The prizeswere sold and the money distributed,and every man was satisfied, as thecargoes fetched a larger sum than theyhad anticipated.

We must pass over the pros and consof Don Rebiera and his lady, thepleading of Jack for immediatenuptials, the unwillingness of themother to part with her only daughter,the family consultation, the dowry, andall these particulars. A month after hisarrival Jack was married, and was, ofcourse, as happy as the day was long.

A few days afterwards, Mr Oxbellyadvised departure, as the expenses ofthe vessel were heavy, and it was hisduty so to do. Don Philip and DonMartin obtained leave to go toEngland, with their sister and herhusband. Nevertheless, Jack, whofound Palermo a very pleasantresidence, was persuaded by the Donand his wife to remain there a month,and then there was crying and sobbing,and embracing, and embarking; and atlast the Rebiera, whose cabins had beenarranged for the reception of the party,weighed and made sail for Malta, Jackhaving promised to call upon thegovernor.

In four days they anchored in ValetteHarbour, and Jack paid his respects tohis old friend, who was very glad to seehim. The governor sent his own bargefor Mrs Easy, and she was installed inthe state apartments, which wereacknowledged to be very comfortable.Our hero had, as usual, a long story totell the governor, and the governorlistened to it very attentively, probablybecause he thought it would be the last,which opportunity Jack employed tonarrate the unfortunate end of hisfather.

"I would not have said so at the time,Mr Easy, but now the wound is healed,

I tell you, that it is the best thing thatcould have happened poor oldgentleman! he was mad indeed."

Our hero remained a fortnight at Malta,and then Signora Easy was re-embarked, and once more the Rebieramade sail.

"Fare you well, my lad; what I have seenof your brothers-in-law pleases memuch; and as for your wife, it will beyour own fault if she is not all that youwould wish. If ever I come to Englandagain, I will pay my first visit to ForestHill. God bless you!"

But Sir Thomas never did go back to

England, and this was their final adieu.Once more the Rebiera pursued hercourse, stopped a day or two atGibraltar, shared the proceeds of thecaptured gun-boat, and then made sailfor England, where she arrived withoutadventure or accident in three weeks.Thus ended the last cruise of MrMidshipman Easy. As soon as theirquarantine at the Motherbank was over,they disembarked, and found DrMiddleton and Mr Hanson waiting forthem at the George Hotel. Our heroscarcely had time to introduce his wife,when the waiter said, that a lady wishedto speak to him. She did not wait toknow if Jack was visible, but forced herway past him. Jack looked at her large

proportions, and decided at once that itmust be Mrs Oxbelly, in whichconjecture he was right.

"Pray, sir, what do you mean bycarrying off my husband in that way "exclaimed the lady, red with anger.

"God forbid that I should have to carryyour husband, Mrs Oxbelly, he is rathertoo heavy."

"Yes, sir, but it's little better thankidnapping, and there's a law forkidnapping children at all events. I shallsend my lawyer to you, that you maydepend upon."

"You hardly can consider your husbandas a child, Mrs Oxbelly," replied Jack,laughing.

"Very well, sir, we shall see. Pray, whereis he now "

"He is on board, Mrs Oxbelly, and willbe delighted to see you."

"I'm not quite so sure of that."

"He's very anxious to see little Billy,"said Gascoigne.

"What do you know of little Billy,young man "

"And more than anxious to be onshore again. He's quite tired of sleepingsingle, Mrs Oxbelly."

"Ah, very well, he has been talking, hashe very well," exclaimed the lady, in arage.

"But," said Easy, "I am happy to say,that with pay and prize-money, duringhis short absence, he has brought homenearly five hundred pounds."

"Five hundred pounds! you don't sayso, sir " exclaimed Mrs Oxbelly; "areyou sure of that "

"Quite sure," rejoined Gascoigne.

"Five hundred pounds! Well, that iscomfortable dear me! how glad I shallbe to see him! Well, Mr Easy, it washard to part with him in sounhandsome a way but all's for the bestin this world. What a dear nice ladyyour wife is, Mr Easy but I won'tintrude beg pardon. Where is the brig,Mr Easy "

"Now coming into harbour," repliedGascoigne; "if you bargain, you can getoff for twopence."

"Five hundred pounds!" exclaimed MrsOxbelly, whose wrath was nowappeased.

"By all power, she no fool of a womandat," said Mesty, as she retreatedcurtseying. "I fink Mr Oxbelly veryright sleep tingle."

We have now come to the end of ourhero's adventures: that afternoon theyall started for Forest Hill, whereeverything was ready for theirreception. The Rebiera's men were paidoff, and were soon distributed onboard of his Majesty's ships; the vesselwas sold, and Mr Oxbelly retired toSouthsea, to the society of his wife andlittle Billy. Whether he obtained fromhis wife a divorce de thoro is nothanded down.

OUR HERO, who was now of age,invited all within twenty miles of hometo balls and dinners, became a greatfavourite, kept a pack of hounds, rodewith the foremost, received adeputation to stand for the county, onthe conservative interest, was electedwithout much expense, which was verywonderful, and took his seat inParliament. Don Philip and DonMartin, after two months' stay, tooktheir passage back to Palermo, fullysatisfied with the prospects of theirsister as to competence and happiness.Jack had no occasion to argue the pointwith Agnes; she conformed at once tothe religion of her husband, proved an

excellent and affectionate wife, andeventually the mother of four children,three boys and a girl.

Mesty held his post with dignity, andproved himself trustworthy. Gascoigne,by the interest of the conservativemember, soon obtained the rank ofpost-captain, and was always hisdevoted and sincere friend.

And thus ends the history of MrMidshipman Easy.

THE END