rk for the night, struck in
slowly, laughing heartily the while: "Why don't you say as you won't go,
my lads? He's sure to send you then."

"That's a good 'un," said Tom Tully.

"Ah! to be sure," said the boatswain. "I'm a officer, and can't do it;
but if I was you, seeing as we ought to fetch young Mr Leigh back
aboard, I should just give three rattling good cheers."

"What good would that do?" said Billy Waters dubiously.

"Why, then the skipper would send for one of us to know what's the
matter. `Ship's crew mutinous, sir; says they wouldn't have gone ashore
if they'd been ordered.'"

"Well?" said Billy Waters, "I don't see that that would have been no
good neither."

"Why, don't you see? Soon as you says that he claps on his sword, takes
his pistols, and orders you all into the boat; and says he, `If you dare
to come back without Mr Leigh I'll string one of you up to the
yardarm.'"

"That's it," chorussed several of the men.

"Yes," said Billy Waters; "but suppose we do come back without him, and
he do string us up--how then?"

"Ah! but he won't," said the boatswain. "Men's too scarce."

"Well, I wouldn't have gone ashore in the boat," said one man.

"Nor I", "Nor I," chorussed half-a-dozen; and then they stopped, for the
lieutenant had approached unseen, caught the words, and in a fit of fury
he shouted to the boatswain:

"Here, my sword--from the cabin!" he cried. "No; stop. Pipe away the
boat's crew. You, Waters, head that expedition!" And then, as if moved
to repeat the boatswain's words, he continued, "And don't you men dare
to come back without Mr Leigh."

The men had got their own way; but though they waited patiently for the
rest of the lieutenant's order respecting the extra tot of grog, that
order did not come, and they had to set off without it.

They were in capital spirits, and bent well to their oars, sending the
boat surging through the water, and chattering and laughing like so many
boys as soon as they were out of hearing. No wonder, for there is
something exceedingly monotonous in being cooped up day after day on
board ship, especially if it be a very small one; and there is no wonder
at Jack's being fond of a run ashore.

The evening was coming on very dark, and a thick bank of clouds was
rising in the west, gradually blotting out the stars one by one, almost
before they had had time to get well alight.

"Pull steady, my lads," said the gunner. "Save a little bit of