reached his own deck. He soothed himself by
stopping the men's grog and mast-heading three
midshipmen that same afternoon.

The night before he weighed anchor, this
disciplinarian was drinking very late in a low public-
house. There was not much moon, and the
officer in charge of the ship did not see the gig
coming till it was nearly alongside: then all was
done in a flurry.

"Hy! man the side lanterns there! Jump,
you boys! or you'll catch pepper."

The boys did jump, and little Murphy, not
knowing the surgeon had ordered the ports to be
drooped, bounded over the bulwarks like an
antelope, lighted on the midship port, which
stood at this angle , and glanced off into the
ocean, lantern foremost: he made his little hole
in the water within a yard of Captain Robarts.
That Dignity, though splashed, took no notice
of so small an incident as a gone ship-boy: and,
if Murphy had been wise and stayed with Nep.
all had been well. But the poor urchin inadvertently
came up again, and without the lantern.
One of the gig's crew grabbed him by the hair,
and prolonged his existence, but without any
malicious intention.

"Where is the other lantern?" was Robarts's
first word on reaching the deck: as if he didn't
know.

"Gone overboard, sir, with the boy Murphy."

"Stand forward, you sir!" growled Robarts.

Murphy stood forward, dripping and shivering
with cold and fear.

"What d'ye mean by going overboard with
the ship's lantern?"

"Och your arnr sure some unasy divil drooped
the port; and the lantern and me we had no
foothold at all at all, and the lantern went into
the say, bad luck to ut; and I went afther to try
and save ut—for your arnr."

"Belay all that!" said Robarts; "do you
think you can blarney me, you young monkey?
Here, Bosun's mate, take a rope's-end and start
him!—Again!—Warm him well!—That's right."

As soon as the poor child's shrieks subsided
into sobs, the disciplinarian gave him Explanation,
for Ointment.

"I CAN'T HAVE THE COMPANY'S STORES
EXPENDED THIS WAY."

"The force of discipline could no farther go"
than to flog zeal for falling overboard: so, to
avoid anticlimax in that port, Robarts weighed
anchor at daybreak; and there was a south-
westerly breeze waiting for this favourite of
fortune, and carried him past the Azores. Off
Ushant it was westerly; and veered to the nor-
west just before they sighted the Land's End:
never was such a charming passage from the
Cape. The sailor who had the luck to sight Old
England first, nailed his starboard shoe to the
mainmast for contributions; and all hearts beat
joyfully: none more than David Dodd's. His
eye devoured the beloved shore: he hugged the
treasure his own ill luck had jeopardised, but
Robarts had sailed it safe into British waters;
and forgave the man his ill manners for his good
luck.

Robarts steered in for the Lizard; but, when
abreast the Point, kept well out again, and
opened the Channel, and looked out for a pilot.

One was soon seen working out towards him,
and the Agra brought to; the pilot descended
from his lugger into his little boat, rowed alongside,
and came on deck; a rough, tanned sailor,
clad in flushing; and in build and manner might
have passed for Robarts's twin brother.

"Now then, you sir, what will you take this
ship up to the Downs for?"

"Thirty pounds."

Robarts told him roughly he would not get
thirty pounds out of him.

"Thyse and no higher my Bo," answered the
pilot, sturdily: he had been splicing the main
brace, and would have answered an admiral.

Robarts swore at him lustily: Pilot discharged
a volley in return with admirable promptitude.
Robarts retorted, the other rough customer
rejoined, and soon all Billingsgate thundered on
the Agra's quarter deck. Finding, to his infinite
disgust, his visitor as great a blackguard as
himself, and not to be outsworn, Robarts ordered him
to quit the ship on pain of being manhandled
over the side.

"Oh, that is it, is it?" growled the other:
"here's fill and be off then." He prudently
bottled the rest of his rage till he got safe into
his boat: then shook his fist at the Agra, and
cursed her captain sky high. "You see the fair
wind, but you don't see the Channel fret a
coming, ye greedy gander. Downs! You'll never
see them: you have saved your money, and
lost your——ship, ye——lubber."

Robarts hurled back a sugar-plum or two,
and then ordered Bayliss to clap on all sail,
and keep a mid channel course through the
night.

At four bells in the middle watch Sharpe, in
charge of the ship, tapped at Robarts's door.
"Blowing hard, sir, and the weather getting
thickish."

"Wind fair still?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then call me if it blows any harder," grunted
Robarts.

In two hours more, tap, tap, came Bayliss, in
charge. "If we don't take sail in, they'll take
themselves out."

"Furl to-gallan'sels, and call me if it gets any
worse."

In another hour Bayliss was at him again.
"Blowing a gale, sir, and a Channel fog on."

"Reef taupsels, and call me if it gets any
worse."

At daybreak Dodd was on deck, and found the
ship flying through a fog so thick, that her
forecastle was invisible from the poop, and even her
foremast loomed indistinct and looked distant.
"You'll be foul of something or other, Sharpe,"
said he.

"What is that to you?" inquired a loud rough