of the cabin
for the future."

He then went down the ladder, and into the fore-cabin. I expected that
he would have discovered Tommy as if by accident, but such was not the
case. The captain had just gone into the after-cabin, and Mr Hippesley
immediately followed him, and shutting the door, informed him of Mr
Dott's position, and why I had made it known. The captain could not
help laughing, as, after all, it was no great offence.

He then gave the necessary information to the first lieutenant, and they
both walked into the fore-cabin; the first lieutenant saying, "If you
please, then, Captain Delmar, I will send a boat immediately with the
letter."

"Certainly," replied the captain, sitting down, and who evidently was
inclined to join in the joke with Mr Hippesley. "Sentry, send the
officer on deck to man the jolly-boat, and tell Mr Dott to come here
immediately."

I was on deck when the sentry put his head up the ladder and gave the
order, and I immediately perceived the plan of the first lieutenant and
the state of alarm in which Tommy Dott must have been put.

The jolly-boat was manned, and Mr Dott called for in every quarter of
the ship, but he did not make his appearance. After a delay of several
minutes, the officer on deck went down into the cabin, reporting that
the jolly-boat had been manned some time but that Mr Dott was not to be
found.

"Not to be found!" replied the captain; "why, he can't have fallen
overboard."

"Not he, sir," replied the first lieutenant; "he has gone to sleep
somewhere: either in the tops or the fore-topmast staysail netting."

"He appears to be a very troublesome boy," replied the captain.

"Very useless, indeed, sir," replied the first lieutenant. "Sentry,
have they found Mr Dott?"

"No, sir; quarter-masters have been everywhere. He's not in the ship."

"Very odd!" observed the captain.

"Oh! he'll turn up soon, sir; but really, Captain Delmar, if you were to
give him two or three dozen at the cabin gun, it would bring him to his
senses."

"That I most certainly will do," replied Captain Delmar; "and I
authorise you to do it, Mr Hippesley, as soon as he makes his
appearance; it will be of some service to him; but I hope no accident
has happened to him."

"I have no fear of that, sir," replied the first lieutenant: "if the
purser's steward's room had been open to-day, I should have sent to see
if he was not locked up in another attempt to steal raisins, but