eutenant.

"Eh?"

"Cut his comb, sir. Good, gentlemanly-looking fellow, who understands
his duty, but a sad bully, I fear."

"Oh! And you will punish--er--them both?"

"Punish, sir?" said the lieutenant; "oh dear, no. I don't mean to hear
anything about it, sir. But I congratulate you upon the stuff of which
your son is made."

"Thank you, Mr Bracy," said the captain, as they touched their hats to
each other most ceremoniously, and the captain went back to his cabin.

For the next week all was confusion on deck, alow and aloft. The
captain stayed at the hotel ashore so as to be handy, and the first
lieutenant ruled supreme.

The riggers were still busy, and the crew hard at work getting in
stores, water, and provisions, including fresh meat and vegetables.
Coops and pens were stowed forward, and chaos was the order of the day.

Syd became thoroughly well accustomed to the middies' berth, for he was
obliged to keep down all day, mostly in company with Terry, but they
kept apart as much as possible, and Syd was old enough to feel that it
was a very hollow truce between them.

But as soon as it was dark he was up on deck, where it was not long
before he found out that he was the object of attention of the men, who
were not slow to show their admiration for the young fellow who had so
soon displayed his mettle by thrashing the bully of the mess.

The bo'sun was to answer for a good deal of this, and so it was, that go
where he would there was a smile for him, and an eagerness on the part
of the crew to answer questions or perform any little bit of service.

This was all very pleasant, and life on board began to look less black,
although it really was life in the dark.

"But, never mind, Roy," he would say, in allusion to his nocturnal life;
"keeps people from seeing what a face I've got. Don't look so bad
to-day, does it?"

"Bad? no. It's all right."

"Oh, is it? I suppose it about matches Terry's, and his is a pretty
sight."

During his week Syd was always expecting to be summoned by his father or
the first lieutenant, but he encountered neither; they seemed to have
forgotten his existence. So he read below a great deal of light,
cheerful, edifying matter upon navigation--good yawning stuff, with
plenty of geometry in it and mathematical calculations, seeing little of
his messmates, who were on the whole pretty busy.

At night, though, he began to acquire a little practical seamanship,
calling