oved.

When all was declared ready, the first lieutenant descended to the
cabin, but returned again almost immediately, followed closely by the
captain, in his cocked hat and sword, grasping in one hand the
well-known roll of paper containing the articles of war, and in the
other the master-at-arms' report of prisoners. Every head was
uncovered at his appearance; and as he lifted his hat in answer to
this salute, he laid it on the capstan, against which he leaned while
reading the article under which the delinquents had fallen.

"Now," said he, addressing the three prisoners, "you have been found
guilty of an offence against the good order and discipline of this
ship, which cannot be permitted, and which must positively be put a
stop to. Heretofore it has not occurred, and I trust this will be the
last case. Do you admit that you deserve punishment?"

No answer.

"Have you anything to advance why you should not be punished?"

The fellows nodged one another, scraped the deck with their feet,
fumbled with their hats and waist-bands, and muttered something about
"a letter they had written to the officer what reported them."

"Letter!" exclaimed the captain; "let me see it."

The epistle being handed to the captain, he read it aloud to the
assembled ship's company, who listened with all their ears. At the
conclusion, he folded it up, and, turning to the officer, asked,--

"What have you to say to this?"

"Nothing, sir--nothing," was the obdurate reply.

"Well now, my lads," observed the captain to the crew, after a pause
of several minutes, "I shall give you a chance. These fellows appear,
by their own confession, to have done what they knew to be wrong; and
accordingly, as you perceive, they have brought themselves close
aboard of the gangway. It would serve them all perfectly right to give
each of them a good sound punishment. But I am willing to hope, that
if I forgive them on your account--that is to say, if I let them off
in consideration of the good conduct of the ship's company, and in
confidence of your all behaving well in future--they will be quite as
much disposed to exert themselves to recover their characters, as if
they had tasted the bitterness of the gangway: at all events, I'll try
them and you for once. Pipe down!"

It is only necessary to state further, that for nearly a year
afterwards there occurred no instance of drunkenness or neglect at the
watering parties.

There is one other point o