sea, as if very much interested in something he saw--so much so as not
to be able to attend to what Harry asked him.

"You dainty rascal, come along and eat this meal; it is good enough for
any dog." And Harry put the despised victuals on another part of the
deck, and, quite unintentionally, within a foot of the port scuppers.
"Here, Ugly, eat it, sir, every bit of it."

Ugly's sensitive little spirit could not brook such a public
mortification; but he was obedient in part. He approached the pieces
slowly--in a dignified, contemptuous way--as he would have gone up to a
cat, and, putting his nose to them, gave a push--away they flew into the
sea.

Shouts of laughter greeted the act--Harry's the loudest--and he
completed his attempt at discipline by calling to Ugly, "Come here, thou
pluckiest and smartest of dogs. If you won't eat sailors' rations, come
feast at the officers' mess on the luxuries of the fleet. How will that
do, eh, old fellow?" cutting him off, as he spoke, a fat slice of
mutton. "Another? well there! Bread and butter? Well, there is as
much as you can eat;" and Ugly stowed it all away, triumph beaming in
his eyes and wagging from his tail.

"Come, boys, now," said the Captain, "let's get under way. Cast loose
the sails, Alfred and Bob. Drake, stand by to hoist the mainsail.
Walter, take the helm. I want you to act as sailing-master this
morning. Drake and I will get up the anchor. Is the mainsail ready for
hoisting?"

"Aye, aye, sir," replied Drake.

"Then up with it. There--good!"

"Are your halliards all clear there, boys?"

"Aye, aye, sir," came from Alf and Bob.

"Hoist the jib, my hearties," cried the Captain, as the anchor came up.
"Keep her head for the old church tower, Walter. There--steady,
steady."

The Captain and Drake now secured the anchor, and the next order given
was--

"Now, Alf, another pull on your main halliards. Get them well up. All
right? Make fast."

The Captain lifted his hat and wiped with the bandanna his red forehead.
Then he shook out a reef in his suspenders, and threw back his coat.
"By golly! my hearties, we are snug now, ship and cargo; and what an air
to breathe! I only wish this was a good ship of twelve hundred tons or
so, Captain Mugford the skipper, and we were all bound for Calcutta
together this splendid morning."

"Don't I--don't I," came from each of us in response.

"Now, my mates," called the Captain again, "we'll go about