ily
dispossessed of it at any moment; however, I did not trouble myself
about such thoughts just then. Having taken possession of the master's
cabin, and allowed him to occupy his mate's, I called my ship's company
together, and, having divided them into two watches, told them I
expected they would do their duty and behave themselves. Nol Grampus
had charge of one watch with one of the seamen and Mr Scuttle under
him, and I took the other with the other seaman, Tom Rockets and the
boy. Tom had not got over his innocent country look, though he was
sharp enough in reality, and did his duty as a seaman very fairly. Old
Grampus, who had taken a fancy to him, was always teaching him something
or other likely to prove useful. "Now, Tom, you may be no wiser nor a
young gull as has never learned to fly," I heard the old man say; "but
listen, my boy, if you follows my advice you'll soon be able to spread
your wings and skim over the water just for all the world like one on
them big albatrosses one meets with off the Cape of Good Hope, you've
heard speak of." Tom had not heard of such a place, so Grampus told him
all about it, and a great deal more besides. In that way my young
follower picked up his sea lore. The contrast between the two was
perfect. Tom's young, smooth, innocent face, and round boyish figure,
and the thorough old sea-dog look of Grampus, with his grizzly bushy
hair and whiskers, his long cue, his deeply-furrowed, or I may say
rather bumped and knobbed and bronzed countenance, and his spare, sinewy
form, having not a particle of flesh with which he could dispense.

As Mr Jotham Scuttle's eye fell on Tom he took him at once for a simple
lad, who could readily believe anything he had to say, and he formed his
plans accordingly. I got on very well with my scanty crew, for as there
were winches and tackles of all sorts on board, I managed to work the
vessel easily enough. We had an abundance of provisions, so that,
contrasted especially with the fare to which I had for many months past
been accustomed, we lived luxuriously.

The second day I invited Mr Scuttle to dine with me. The commencement
of the entertainment was not very lively, for though he did not play a
bad knife and fork, he uttered no sound except an occasional deep sigh
from beneath the very lowest button of his waistcoat. At last, after
leaning his head on his hand for some time, he looked up.

"It is very hard to be borne, mister," he e