actly afraid," said Syd.

"But you daren't go."

"Yes, I dare," he said; and he went up boldly now.

"Beg pardon, sir," he said, touching his hat.

"Eh? Yes, Mr Belton; what is it?"

"May I go with the second cutter, sir?"

"You? Mr Roylance is going."

"Yes, sir. I wanted to go too."

"Like to take Mr Jenkins as well as Mr Bolton for a good game?"

"Yes, sir; very much," said Syd, eagerly, in astonishment that the
severe officer was so amiable.

"Humph! of course. Look here, Mr Belton, do you know what the old
proverb says?"

"About idleness, sir?"

"No, not that one. This:--A boy is a boy."

"Yes, sir."

"Two boys are half a boy."

"Yes, sir."

"And three boys are no boy at all. I want some work done, so I send one
boy with each boat. Hi! bo'sun; better take another breaker of water;
you may not find any, and we do not want to communicate for some hours."

"Ay, ay, sir," cried Strake, and he busied himself about the order.

"Got your arms all right, and plenty of ammunition?"

"Yes, sir," said Roylance.

"May I go, sir?" said Syd, tentatively.

But the lieutenant did not appear to have heard him, and stood giving
order after order to the officer and the boat's crew, asking endless
questions about the stores they had on board.

"And I should so like to have gone," thought Syd, as he gazed longingly
at the rock, standing up grey and brown and green against the deep blue
sea, whose waters washed with creamy foam the bottom of the huge mass of
stone.

He turned with a sigh to watch the first lieutenant, who was now busily
talking to Lieutenant Dallas and Roylance, and Syd knew that in another
minute or two the boat, would be pushed off, when the boatswain came up
behind him.

"Aren't you going with us, Master Syd?"

"No, Barney," he replied, sadly; "I'm not going."

"Why don't yer ask the luff to let yer go, sir? Be a bit of a change."

"I did ask him, Barney."

"And did he say you warn't to go, sir?"

"No; he seemed as if he wouldn't answer me."

"Didn't say downright as you shouldn't go?"

"No."

"Well, sir, you're a young gent, and the capen's son, and course I
wouldn't tell yer to do nothin' wrong; but in the old days when we was
goin' to cut out ships from under the guns of a fort, or to land and
upset some town, the young gents used to smuggle theirselves into the
boat and get down among the men's legs, and the skipper and the luff
wouldn't see 'em."

"Wouldn't s