thrashing through the short choppy
sea in a way which sent the spray flying continuously in dense clouds in
over her bluff bows, until her decks were mid-leg deep in water, and her
stumpy topgallant-masts where whipping about aloft to such an extent
that they threatened momentarily to snap off short at the caps. It was
not considered etiquette on board the _Betsy Jane_ for the mate to issue
an order while the captain had the watch, as was the case on the present
occasion; but seeing a heavy squall approaching he now waived etiquette
for the nonce and shouted--

"Stand by your to'gallan' halliards! Let go and clew up! Haul down the
jib."

"Eh!" said the skipper, deliberately removing his pipe from his mouth,
and looking around him in the greatest apparent astonishment.

Down rushed the squall, howling and whistling through the rigging,
careening the brig until the water spouted up through her scuppers, and
causing the gear aloft to crack and surge ominously.

"Let fly the tops'l halliards, fore and main!" yelled the mate.

The men leapt to their posts, the ropes rattled through the blocks, the
yards slid down the top-masts until they rested on the caps, and with a
terrific thrashing and fluttering of canvas the brig rose to a more
upright position, saving her spars by a mere hair's-breadth.

Captain Turnbull rose slowly to his feet, and, advancing to where the
mate stood near the main-rigging, tapped that individual softly on the
shoulder with his pipe-stem.

The mate turned round.

Captain Turnbull looked fixedly at him for some moments as though he
thought he recognised him, but was not quite sure, and then observed--

"I say, are you the cap'n of this ship?"

"No, sir," replied the mate.

"Very well, then," retorted the skipper, "don't you do it agen." Then
to the crew, all of whom were by this time on deck, "Bowse down yer
reef-tackles and double-reef the taups'ls, then stow the mains'l."

"Don't you think we'd better run back to the Tyne, afore we drops too
far to leeward to fetch it?" inquired the mate.

The captain looked at him in his characteristic fashion for a full
minute; inquired, "Are _you_ the cap'n of this ship?"

And then, without waiting for a reply, replaced his pipe between his
lips, staggered back to his seat, and contemplatively resumed his
smoking.

The fact is that Captain Turnbull was actually pondering upon the
advisability of putting back when the mate unluckily suggested