e my
master. It's no great matter, after all, being just to hand this bit of
a letter over to Admiral Blue."

"And where did this letter come from, and how did it happen to fall into
your hands?" demanded Bluewater, looking at the superscription, the
writing of which he appeared to recognise.

"It hails from Lun'nun, I hear; and they tell me it's to be a great
secret that you've got it, at all. The history of the matter is just
this. An officer got in to-night, with orders for us, carrying sail as
hard as his shay would bear. It seems he fell in with Master Atwood, as
he made his land-fall, and being acquainted with that gentleman, he just
whipped out his orders, and sent 'em off to the right man. Then he laid
his course for the landing, wishing to get aboard of the Dublin, to
which he is ordered; but falling in with our barge, as I landed, he
wanted to know the where-away of Admiral Blue, here; believing him to be
afloat. Some 'un telling him as I was a friend and servant of both
admirals, as it might be, he turned himself over to me for advice. So I
promised to deliver the letter, as I had a thousand afore, and knowed
the way of doing such things; and he gives me the letter, under special
orders, like; that is to say, it was to be handed to the rear-admiral as
it might be under the lee of the mizzen-stay-sail, or in a private
fashion. Well, gentlemen, you both knows I understand that, too, and so
I undertook the job."

"And I have got to be so insignificant a person that I pass for no one,
in your discriminating mind, Master Galleygo!" exclaimed the
vice-admiral, sharply. "I have suspected as much, these five-and-twenty
years."

"Lord bless you, Sir Jarvy, how flag-officers will make mistakes
sometimes! They're mortal, I says to the people of the galley, and have
their appetites false, just like the young gentlemen, when they get
athwart-hawse of a body, I says. Now, I count Admiral Blue and yourself
pretty much as one man, seeing that you keep few, or no secrets from
each other. I know'd ye both as young gentlemen, and then you loved one
another like twins; and then I know'd ye as luffs, when ye'd walk the
deck the whole watch, spinning yarns; and then I know'd ye as Pillardees
and Arrestee, though one pillow might have answered for both; and as for
Arrest, I never know'd either of ye to got into that scrape. As for
telling a secret to one, I've always looked upon it as pretty much
telling it to t'other."

The