lliards; and while two other hands started the
sheets and began to drag upon the clewlines, a third shambled aft and
helped the carpenter to clew up the main royal.

This relieved the brig a trifle; but there was a hard look about the sky
to windward that promised still more wind; so Leslie said--

"The breeze is coming still stronger before long, Chips; you had
therefore better make one job of it, and take in the topgallantsails as
well. And when that is done, if the men are not better engaged, let
them get to work and set up the topgallant and royal rigging fore and
aft; it is shockingly slack--hanging fairly in bights, in fact--and is
affording practically no support to the spars."

"Ay, ay, sir!" answered the carpenter, who was acting also as boatswain.
"I've had my eye on that riggin' for the last day or two; it wants
settin' up badly, and I'll attend to it at once."

The men had got the canvas clewed up, and were aloft furling it when
Miss Trevor emerged through the companion-way; and Leslie, with a word
of greeting, hastened to arrange a deck-chair for her accommodation on
the lee side of the deck, within the shadow of the main trysail; for
although there was a slight veil of thin, streaky cloud overspreading
the sky, the sun shone through it with an ardour that made shelter of
some sort from it very acceptable, especially to a girl who might be
supposed to set some value upon her complexion. She accepted Leslie's
attentions with a brief word or two of thanks, uttered in tones that
suggested an inclination to revert to her former unapproachable
attitude; and the ex-lieutenant at once left her to herself, passing
over to the weather side of the deck and devoting himself strictly to
his duties as officer of the watch.

At seven bells he called Purchas, who presently made his appearance on
deck, with an old-fashioned quadrant in his hand. He looked aloft, and
then to windward, noted the changes that Leslie had affected, and
graciously expressed his approval of them. Then he said--

"I s'pose, Mr Leslie, you're a first-class navigator and know all about
shootin' the sun?"

"Naturally, I do," answered Leslie; "navigation is, of course, an
essential part of the education and training of a naval officer; and I
learned all in that line that they thought it necessary to teach me a
good many years ago."

"Ay, so I supposed," returned Purchas. "As for me, I've learned what
was required to enable me to get my c