learn anything you will
teach me."

"It is to perform on the violin, my boy," he answered. "I learned the
art for the reason I mention. I have never yet been called upon to gain
a livelihood by it; but I do not know how soon I may be, if things don't
mend with me."

"Is it to learn the fiddle you mean?" said I. "Faith, with all my
heart, Hanks; and the sooner I begin then, the better."

Hanks was delighted at gaining so willing a scholar, though I suspect
our shipmates would rather have had us both securely moored at the
bottom of Fiddler's Race, off Yarmouth. Whenever duty permitted us, our
fiddles were never idle. My performance was not very scientific,
certainly; but I learned to play, after some months' scraping, many a
merry tune, such as would make the men kick up their heels irresistibly
when they heard it.

"There, D'Arcy," said my kind instructor, at the end of the tune; "now,
my boy, whatever happens, and wherever you go, provided you can save
your arms and your fiddle, you'll be a welcome guest, and will never
want a morsel to put in your mouth."

I found his words true; and on parting, he gave me one of his two
fiddles, which he valued as much as any piece of property he
possessed.--But I am forestalling events. We had been cruising about
for several days in search of Myers, when one morning at daybreak, we
found ourselves in the midst of a dense fog. It was literally so thick
that one could not see from one end of the cutter to the other. Just
the sort of weather, indeed, when, without unusual care, vessels are apt
to run into each other. There was about wind sufficient to send us
gliding through the water at the rate of three to four knots an hour;
but the sea was perfectly smooth,--kept down, it seemed, by the very
weight of the fog. One hand was stationed forward on the look-out, and
two others on either quarter, to guard against our being run into, or
our running into something else. The wind was about west, and our
whereabouts was as nearly as could be half-way between Portland Bill and
Berry Head. We were all on deck in our thick Flushing coats, for the
fog in its effects was nearly like a shower-bath in regard to wetting
us, and it hung in large drops like heavy dew on many a tarpaulin hat,
bushy whisker, and shaggy jacket; while the sails were stiff and wet as
if it had been raining hard all night. It was not a pleasant morning,
but it might certainly have been very much worse in