y she was a
great deal larger and fatter, and her skin was very black. "But, after
all," as Bill observed, "what has that to do with it? It's the heart
that I am talking about, the nature of which just comes out through the
eyes and acts; and even mother could not be much kinder than Sally
sometimes is, though, to be sure, she can knock the black boys about
pretty smartly; but then maybe they deserve it, and their heads are
somewhat thick, so that they don't feel when she comes down with a
frying-pan on the top of them."

At length the corvette got put to rights; and stores and provisions
having been taken on board, the admiral ordered her away on a cruise.

Mr Collinson looked somewhat sad when he bade Miss Ellen Lydall
farewell.

"We shall be back soon, however," he said.

He did his best to keep up his spirits; and he told the young lady to do
the same. As the carriage drove off, Bill saw her watching it, and she
did not move from the point of the garden which commanded the road as
long as it was in sight.

The _Lilly_ was to be some time absent:--to proceed to the westward, and
then to come round the northern coast of Cuba, in search of the
privateers, which were an excessive annoyance to the English merchantmen
passing through those seas. They had been at sea some days, and had
seen no vessels.

"Well, Grimshaw," said Bill, "you see we have not had yellow Jack aboard
yet, and I hope, in spite of what you have said, he will not pay us a
visit."

"Don't sing out yet, Master Bill," answered old Grim. "Just stay till
we have been into some of the harbours we shall have to visit, or been
becalmed for a week together, with the water in the tank so hot that it
pretty well scalds your mouth to drink it, and no need of a fire in the
galley, because as how we can cook the meat by just hanging it up in the
sun."

Bill laughed. "It must be pretty hot for that," he observed; "and I
didn't expect we should have it much hotter than we have had it
already."

"Wait a bit, boy, wait a bit," answered Grimshaw. "Now, you youngsters,
what are you skylarking away there for?" he shouted out to several of
the lads, who were, as usual, in spite of the hot sun, frolicking about
in the rigging, accompanied by Queerface, the monkey.

Just as he spoke, Tommy Rebow was hunting the animal from shroud to
backstay, up over the mast-head and down again. At last, Master
Queerface made a spring out on the fore-yard. Tommy pursu