"

"Of course I do; I always says what I means and means what I says,"
rejoined Mr Triggs, somewhat snappishly again, as if tired of the long
string of puzzling questions with which I was now bothering him, like I
used to do my dear old Dad. "By Jingo! I'm blessed if there it ain't
a-coming off now, I tell ye!"

"Coming off," I repeated. "Where?"

"There, booby," said Larkyns, slewing me round and shoving my head right
out of the port.

"Can't you see the powder hoy, there to your right, passing Blockhouse
Fort, at the mouth of the harbour?"

"That one flying the red flag, eh?"

"Yes, my dear Squaretoes; but we don't call a burgee a flag aboard
ships."

"I wish you would not call me Squaretoes, Larkyns," said I, peevishly,
for he hurt me, squeezing my neck in his tight grip, holding me out of
the port as if I were a kitten, so that I could not turn my head round.
"I hate nicknames. Do leave me alone, please!"

"Ah, would you, now!" he exclaimed in reply, as I tried to wrench myself
free. "Don't cry, my little pet, you haven't got your mammy here to
mollycoddle you!"

"Let me go, Larkyns, you're choking me," I gasped out, wriggling
violently and kicking out behind. "I'll hurt you if you don't loose me;
I will, indeed!"

He wouldn't release me yet, however, seeing I was out of temper; and,
some of the other middies not on duty gathering round, it being their
watch below, egged Larkyns on, suggesting that as I seemed to think
myself such a "big gun," I ought to be sponged and loaded and run out.

This humorous advice was immediately acted upon, a couple of the gang
laying hold of my legs in spite of my kicks, while another assisted
Larkyns, my tormenter; and the mischievous lot swung me backwards and
forwards in and out of the port, until nearly all my clothes were pulled
off my back and I hadn't a sound button left to my jacket.

I felt hot all over; and was in a fine rage, "I tell you," as the gunner
used to say.

Mr Triggs, meanwhile, had gone up the hatchway to see about getting on
board his ammunition, the vermilion-painted powder hoys I had observed
in the distance at the mouth of the harbour being now nearly alongside
the ship; and, all of a sudden, as my reckless shipmates were pulling me
almost to pieces between them in their mad prank, there came a cry from
the deck above, "Stand clear, below there!"

At the same instant, a coil of rope whizzed by the port-hole out of
which my body projec