tense with various misery.

Towards evening, another piece of intelligence reached me, that alarmed
and astounded me. Since the laying on of the one lash on the back of
Joshua Daunton, our old servant had descended from the mizzen-top, again
to wait upon us. He was, in his way, an insatiate news-gatherer; but he
was as liberal in dispensing it as he was eager in acquiring it.

The midshipmen were drinking, out of the still unbroken cups and two or
three tin pannikins, their grog at eight o'clock in the evening, when
our unshod and dirty attendant spoke thus:

"Oh, Mr Pigtop!--such news!--such strange news! You'll be so very
sorry to hear it, sir, and so will all the young gentlemen."

"What, has the ship tumbled overboard, or the pig-ballast mutinied for
arrears of pay?"

"Oh, sir, ten thousand times worse than that! That thief of the world,
sir, Joshua Daunton, is not to have his six dozen, after all, though he
did corrupt all the midshipmen's clothes, sir. Dr Thompson has taken
him into his own cabin, and nothing is now too good for him."

"But hanging," said the indignant and scarred master's mate. "If he's
not flogged, I'll have the life out of him yet, though he should turn
out to be the only son of Lord Dunknow-Who." Pigtop was a wit, in a
small midshipman-like way. "He's turned out to be some great man they
say, however--in clog or so, I think they call it; though, for my part,
I remembers him in irons well enough not more than a fortnight aback--
and he's had a taste of the girl with nine tails, however--that's one
comfort, to me, whatever he may turn out."

The vulgar have strange sources from which to derive comfort.

"But are you sure of all this, Bill?" said Mr Staines. "Because, if he
should turn out to be somebody, I'll make him pay me for my traps;
that's as certain now as that he'll be sent to Old Davy."

"Certain sure. He showed the doctor papers enough to set up a lawyer's
shop. But that's not the best of it--hum--ha! Do you think, Mr
Pigtop, that Mr Rattlin's caulking?" (i.e., asleep).

"He has not moved these three hours. I owe Rattlin one for bringing
this blackguard on board. There may be something in this, after all.
He claimed Rattlin as his brother at the gangway, or something of the
sort. Now, that makes me comfortable. It will take our proud messmate
down a peg or two, I'm calculating--with his smooth face, and his little
bits of Latin and Greek, and his parleyvooing