ld ha' whacked me if I hadn't run away; then you whacked me
when I did; and now I'm to be whacked again. Wish I was dead, I do."

"Eh! eh! what's that?" cried Captain Belton. "You thrashed him, Sydney;
what for?"

"Well, father, we did have a little misunderstanding," said Sydney,
composedly.

"It was 'cause I wouldn't come back, sir; that's it, sir," whimpered
Pan. "I knowd father had made the rope's-end ready for me, and he had."

"What's that?" said the captain. "I said you were not to be flogged
until you had been tried."

"Well, your honour, orders it was, and I didn't lay it on him," growled
Barney.

"No; but you laid it across me in bed, and you kep' on showing of it to
me, and you said that was my supper, and my breakfass, and--and--I wish
I hadn't come back, I do."

"Is this true, Strake?"

"Well, your honour, I s'pose it's about it," said the boatswain. "I
'member showing of it to him once or twyste."

"He's got it in his pocket now, sir," cried Pan.

"Ay, ay. That's a true word, lad."

"Let's see," said Sir Thomas, in magisterial tones.

Barney fumbled unwillingly in his pocket, and drew out a piece of rope
about two feet long, well whipped round at the ends with twine.

"Humph!" said Sir Thomas, taking the instrument of torture. "So that's
what you flog him with."

"Well, your honour, meant to make a man of him."

"Arn't yer going to speak a word for me, Master Syd?" whispered Pan.

"Silence, sir!" said the captain. "Now look here: you ran away from
your service, and from your father's house. Then, I suppose, you tried
to persuade my son to go with you."

Pan looked up reproachfully at Sydney.

"I wouldn't ha' told o' you, Master Syd. But I don't care now. Yes; I
wanted him to _come_."

"Well, I'm glad you spoke the truth; but your companion did not tell
tales of you. Now, look here, sir: I suppose you know you've behaved
like an ungrateful young scoundrel?"

"Yes, sir," whimpered Pan.

"And you know you deserve to be flogged?"

"Yes, sir, and I want it over; it's like all flogging, and wuss, for him
to keep on showing me that there rope's-end."

"Better pipe all hands to punishment, bo'sun," said Sir Thomas.

"Ay, ay, sir," said Barney, thrusting his hand in his breast; and
bringing out a silver whistle attached to his neck by a black ribbon, he
put it to his lips.

"No, no," cried the captain, "we're not aboard ship now. I wish we
were," he added, "eh?"

Sir