take the middle watch at midnight, which was as close-handy as the boot
he had sent at our heads to remind us!

This set us both giggling, which brought the companion boot to our
corner, where it thumped against the bulkhead, grazing little Tom's nose
and making him sniff.

However, this second missile had the desired end of sending us off; and
so we left Master Larkyns to enjoy his repose undisturbed any longer by
our chatter.

CHAPTER ELEVEN.

"SHORTENING IN CABLE."

"Rouse out, port watch and idlers! Rouse out! rouse out!" hoarsely
shouted out the boatswain's mates along the lower deck; and this call,
mingled with the shrill piping wail of their whistles and the tramp of
hurrying feet as the men straggled up the hatchway to stow their
hammocks in the nettings above, awoke me from my slumbers next morning
in the dreary semi-darkness of the so-called daylight.

I was so tired and sleepy that I was hardly half-roused even by all this
uproar. Indeed, I was just dropping off again, when Dick Andrews, one
of my fellow cadets from the training-ship, who had joined the
_Candahar_ the same time as myself and was rather a bumptious and
overbearing sort of chap, shook me violently.

"Turn out, you lazy lubber, turn out," he shouted. "It's long past
Eight Bells, and old Bitpin, who has taken Joe Jellaby's watch and is
looking after the men scrubbing decks, has been asking for you. He's in
a fine temper this morning, Master John Vernon, I can tell you; so,
you'd better look sharp, my lad, or you'll `catch Tommy' when he sees
you."

"Oh, bother!" I cried, with a yawn that nearly dislocated my jaw,
shoving a leg over the side of my hammock lazily enough, loth to leave
my snug, warm nest for the cold, uncomfortable quarter-deck, where I
knew there would be a lot of water sluicing about and the men
holystoning, to make it more unpleasant. "I wish you wouldn't call me
names, Andrews! You're not so awfully smart at rousing out yourself,
that you can afford to brag about it! Why, Larkyns had to drag you
round the gunroom last night in your nightshirt before he could make you
wake up."

"Larkyns is a bully!" exclaimed Andrews, angrily. "He's a mean,
cowardly bully!"

"Is he, my joker?" said that identical individual, whose approach was
unnoticed by either of us, catching his slanderer a crack on the head
which sent him spinning. "There, take that in proof of your statement!
If I'm a bully, Mr Andrews, I must