he, addressing himself familiarly to the
master, who had not been long in the vessel, "let us see what sort of
stuff you have stowed the forehold with. You know I am a water-drinker;
give me only the pure limpid stream, and a child may lead me. I seldom
touch liquor when the water is good." So saying, he poured out a
tumbler, and held it to his nose. "Stinks like hell! I say, master,
are you sure the bungs are in your casks? The cats have been
contributing to the fluid. We must qualify this;" and having poured
away one half of the water, which, by the by, was very good, he supplied
the vacancy with rum. Then tasting it, he said, "Come, miss puss, this
will rouse you out, at any rate."

A moment's pause, while he held the bumper before his eye, and then down
it went, producing no other emotion than a deep sigh. "By the bye,
that's well thought of--we'll have no cats in the ship (except those
which the depravity of human nature unhappily compels the boatswain to
use). Mr Skysail, you'll look to that. Throw them all overboard."

Taking his hat, he rose from the table, and mounting the ladder, "On
second thought," said he, addressing Skysail again, "I won't throw the
cats overboard; the sailors have a foolish superstition about that
animal--its damned unlucky. No! put them alive in a bread-bag, and send
them on shore in the bum-boat."

Recollecting that my dinner-party at the George was to take place this
day, and remembering the captain's promise that I should go on shore
whenever I pleased, I thought it only necessary to say I was going--
merely passing the usual compliment to my superior. I therefore went to
him, with a modest assurance, and told him of my engagement and my
intention.

"Upon my honour, sir," cried he, putting his arms akimbo, and staring me
full in the face; "you have a tolerable sea-stock of modest assurance;
no sooner come on board than you ask leave to go on shore again, and at
the same time you have the impudence to tell me, knowing how much I
abhor the vice, that you mean to wet your commission, and of course to
get beastly drunk, and to make others as bad as yourself. No, sir; I'd
have you to know, that as captain of this ship, and as long as I have
the honour to command her, I am _magister morum_."

"That is precisely what I was coming to, sir," said I, "when you
interrupted me. Knowing how difficult it is to keep young men in order,
without the presence of some one whom they r