mist hung over the face of the
deep--scarcely dense enough, however, to mitigate the heat of the sun's
rays, which, darting forth from the pure, blue sky, sparkled brightly on
the crisply curling wavelets, stirred up by a light southerly breeze.
Everything gave promise of a continuance of fine weather, and so, like
two pachas, we sat on the deck, calmly contemplating with philosophic
indifference all sublunary affairs. Not another sail was to be seen
within the circle of our horizon besides our two small craft, so that as
we had nothing else with which to compare ourselves, we were content to
believe that we were two very important personages indeed. We had our
coffee brought to us in due form. It was not a common beverage among
midshipmen, certainly in those days, but Tom had learned to make it well
of a Spanish seaman on board the Orpheus. We finished our repast with
more than one glass of grog apiece, but not sufficient, I am happy to
say, to risk the equilibrium of either our minds or bodies. While we
were discussing the seaman's favourite beverage, O'Driscoll indulged me,
and by necessity my ship's company, with some of his choicest songs,
trolled forth in a full, clear voice, and the liquor loosening the
muscles of his tongue, every word came forth with the richest brogue of
his native land. At first the people listened attentively as they sat
forward. Then they by degrees crept up nearer and nearer, till at
length Pat Doolan, a compatriot of the minstrel, seemingly unable any
longer to contain himself, burst forth into the full chorus of one of
the songs. To stop him would have been impossible. The poor fellow
flung his whole soul into the melody. What a flood of recollections--of
long pent-up feelings--it brought back! Sooner than hold silence he
would have jumped overboard, I believe. The example was infectious.
One by one the rest of the crew took up the strain. Not one but had the
spirit of melody within him; and there we were, officers and crew, all
singing away together like mad people, or as if our lives depended on
the noise we made.

At sun-down we hove-to, and O'Driscoll returned on board his own vessel,
insisting on my returning his visit the next day. The weather proving
calm, I was enabled to fulfil my engagement, and a merry time we had of
it. So pleasant did I find this sort of life, that I began to persuade
myself that there would be no outrageous impropriety in acceding to
O'Drisc