of my
passengers," he observed; "but we sailors are apt to be superstitious,
and we hold to the idea, if one of those magnificent birds is wantonly
killed by any one on board a ship, she is sure to meet with some
misfortune."

"Why, captain, I do not see that there can be any more harm in killing
an albatross than shooting a pheasant," answered Ensign Holt, who was
somewhat vexed at being thus a second time interfered with.

"The pheasant, sir, might serve for dinner," observed the commander,
"but I do not fancy you would wish to eat an albatross, even should you
happen to shoot one, and we could lower a boat and pick it up. I
confess I do not like to see the creatures wantonly injured. You may
break a leg or wing of one of them, and leave it to suffer and die out
in the ocean here; but your rifle balls can scarcely penetrate the
bird's thick coat of feathers, unless you get a fair shot at close
range, so as to kill it outright."

The young ensign, who did not at all like to be thus thwarted by the
commander, had been watching a bird which, bolder than its companions,
had more than once swooped close up to the taffrail. Determined to
prove that he was not the bad shot it was supposed, he had kept his
rifle capped and ready; he lifted it as the commander spoke, and fired.
The albatross rose for an instant, and then, with expanded wings, fell
heavily into the water, where it was seen struggling in a vain effort to
rise.

"You have done for him, old fellow, at all events," cried Lieutenant
Dawson.

"Well, Holt, you have retrieved your character," remarked the other
ensign.

"I wish that Mr Holt would have listened to my advice," said the
commander, turning away annoyed. The young officers were too much
engaged watching the poor bird to observe this. In another instant the
struggles of the wounded albatross ceased, and immediately several of
its companions pounced down upon it, and, ere the ship had run it out of
sight, the body was almost torn in pieces.

"Why, it appears that your pets are somewhat ferocious creatures,"
observed Lieutenant Dawson, pointing out what had occurred to Commander
Newcombe, who had again returned aft.

"That is their nature, gentlemen," he replied; "I have an idea, too,
that it was implanted in them for a beneficent purpose. Better that the
creature should be put out of its pain at once than linger on in agony.
If we come to look into the matter, we shall find that every living