of his wife.

"I am heartily glad of your success, Bowse, I can assure you," said the
midshipman warmly; "I owe you much; for you gave me my first lessons in
seamanship, and I shall never forget them. You must come and dine with
us to-morrow, and I shall introduce you as my friend, Captain Bowse."

"No, sir--no, pray don't do so," answered the mariner; "I've served on
board a man-of-war, and I know my place and rank better. Captains of
king's ships, if you please, sir,--but masters of merchantmen. I know
the difference between a collier and a seventy-four, I think. But I'll
dine with your mess, sir, with much pleasure, if I don't go to sea
to-morrow."

"We shall expect you, then, if we see the _Zodiac_ still in the
harbour," said Raby. "I see you've got a spy-glass there, let me take a
squint at her. You carry six guns, I observe; and I must say I like the
look of your craft."

"Very necessary, too, in the places to which we trade," answered the
master. "Those Greek chaps among the islands don't scruple to plunder
any vessels they may find unarmed, particularly in these times; but the
truth is, two of those are quakers--their look is much worse than their
bite. However, between this and Cephalonia there's no danger."

"Why, you know, if any pirates attacked you, and were caught, you'd have
the satisfaction of having them strung up by King Tom, like those chaps
yonder," said Raby. "By the bye, Duff, did you ever observe King Tom's
Rubber of Whist?"

"No," answered Duff. "What do you mean?"

"Take that glass, and look at the outer bastion of Port Ricasoli. What
do you see there?"

"Four figures, which are hanging by their necks from gibbets," answered
Duff. "What are they?"

"Those are four Englishmen,--at least, one, by the way, was a Yankee,
their master,--who turned pirates, and tried to scuttle another English
brig, and to drown the people. It's too long a story to tell you now.
But old King Tom got hold of them, and treated them as you see."

"That fellow, Delano, the Yankee master, was a terrible villain,"
observed Captain Bowse, shuddering. "It was not the first black deed of
the sort he had done, either. One doesn't know what punishment is bad
enough for such scoundrels. It's a hundredfold worse when such-like
acts are done by our countrymen, than when Greeks or Moors do them,
because one does not expect anything better from their hands. But I
see, sir, you are casting an eye at one o