ened.

Carline having unlocked the companion doors, we went below, and found
ourselves in a really beautiful little cabin, elegantly fitted up,
painted white and gold, well lighted and ventilated from above by the
big skylight, and with three large, circular ports on each side as well.
There were nice wide, comfortable lockers on each side, running fore
and aft, and a fine, solid, handsomely carved mahogany table in the
centre; but the cabin looked bare, for all the fittings of every kind
had been removed and put into store. Then, abaft the main cabin, there
was a small but exceedingly comfortable-looking stateroom, with standing
bedplace, drawers beneath, wash-stand, etcetera, and lighted by two
circular ports, one at the head and one at the foot of the bedplace,
which ran athwartships.

From the cabin we passed into the main hold; and I saw at once that this
could easily be fitted up and converted into a berth-deck for all hands
by merely running a few deck beams across, laying a deck, and running up
a bulkhead. We spent the whole morning aboard, making voluminous notes
of the various alterations that would be needed to fit the little vessel
for the new service to which she was destined; and that same afternoon
she was unmoored, taken alongside the wharf, and a strong gang of
dockyard workmen went aboard to begin upon the most obviously necessary
work, such as taking out her ballast prior to giving her interior a
thorough cleaning, and so on.

That night, at the Pen, after the guests had all left, Sir Peter called
upon me to give an account of my day's doings, to tell him what I
thought of the _Wasp_, and to produce and read my list of alterations
needed to complete the equipment of the schooner. Of all of these he
graciously approved, adding a few suggestions of his own; and on the
following morning, after going on board the hooker with me and examining
her inside and out, he gave orders for the whole of the work to be
proceeded with forthwith. As there were no other ships in port
refitting at the moment, it was a slack time at the dockyard, and almost
the whole of its resources were available to expedite the work, in
consequence of which the schooner was ready for sea a fortnight from the
day on which I first boarded her.

Meanwhile, the Admiral had made out and presented to me my acting order;
while, for my own part, I had been busy all day and every day, either at
the dockyard, superintending the work bein