" exclaimed little Tommy Mills, a little later, when he and I,
with young Morgan, the mate and Ned Anstruther, on being relieved by the
starboard watch, all went down to the gunroom and sat down to have our
breakfast, "I call this a beastly shame."

"Hullo," said Popplethorne, one of the other middies, looking up from
the plate on which he was busily engaged; while several other fellows,
similarly employed ceased operations likewise, staring at Tommy in
astonishment. "What's up?"

"Nothing's up, but everything seems down," replied my little chum in an
aggrieved tone. "I don't see a crumb left for a poor, hungry chap; no
bloaters, no marmalade, no nothing. When I was in the _Illustrious_, if
they did grind a fellow a bit, one always had something decent to eat,
at all events!"

"First come, first served," mumbled Phil Plumper, the senior mate of our
watch, who had his mouth full and was tucking in some species of
"burgoo," or porridge with much gusto. He was an awfully fat fellow and
looked just like a boiled lobster bursting out of its shell, for the
buttons of his jacket were continually carrying away at odd moments.
"If you don't look out for yourself on board ship you'll find nobody 'll
look after you; and, you'll come off _minus_!"

"That'll never be your case," retorted Tommy, with a snigger. "Judging
by appearances, I should say your condition represents a _plus_
quantity!"

"Beg pardon, sir," apologised Dobbs, the gunroom steward, who from his
comical little screwed-up eyes and manner must have been first cousin to
my old friend the waiter at the "Keppel's Head," noticing the disdainful
expression with which Tommy Mills continued to glance round the empty
table, seeking in vain something appetising in the way of food for his
hungry eye to rest upon,--"Beg pardon, sir, but the bumboat woman didn't
come off this morning. Sunday, you know, sir."

"That's all gammon, steward," said Master Tommy, still looking about
here and there and finding nothing but a desert of empty dishes and
dirty plates. "You ought to have sent one of the ship's boats ashore if
you didn't have enough on board for everybody in the mess. Our steward
in the _Illustrious_ always kept a good look out and sent himself for
them when the things were not brought off in time. Why didn't you do
the same?"

"I'm sure I'm werry sorry, sir," answered Dobbs, humbly, awed by the way
in which little Tommy spoke to him; for my old comrade, I n