hat I had been unfeeling, I hurried
off to the cook, who was pretending to be very busy in the galley, and
who gave me a suspicious look as soon as I showed myself at the door.

"I say, have you got any beef-tea?" I asked.

"Beef-tea, sir!" he said, giving the lad with him a sharp look.
"Anything else, sir?--Turtle, sir; gravy, spring, or asparagus soup,--
like it now?"

I stared for a moment, then seeing that the man was poking fun at me, I
changed my tone and slipped a shilling in his hand.

"Look here," I cried; "Mr Walters has been very queer and he's now
getting up, can't you give me a basin of soup for him?"

"Soup, sir! Ah, now you're talking wisdom. I'll see what I can do; but
to talk about beef-tea just when the butcher's shop round the corner's
shut up--butcher's shop is shut up, arn't it, Tom?" he continued,
turning to his assistant.

"Yes; all gone wrong. Trade was so bad."

"Now, no chaff," I said; "you will get me a basin of something?"

"I should think so, sir. Here, Tom, strain off some of the liquor from
that Irish stoo."

A lid was lifted off, and a pleasant savoury steam arose as a basinful
of good soup was ladled out, strained into another, and then the man
turned to me--

"Like to try one yourself, sir?"

"Yes," I cried eagerly, for the odour was tempting. "No," I said,
resisting the temptation. "Give us hold," and the next minute I was on
my way back with the basin and a spoon toward the cabin aft.

I don't know how it is, but so sure as you don't want to be seen doing
anything, everyone is on the way to meet you. It was so then. I was
carefully balancing the steaming basin so as not to spill any of its
contents on the white deck, as the ship rose and fell, when I came upon
the doctor, who laughed. The next minute Mr Brymer popped upon me.

"Hullo!" he said, "who's that for?"

"Mr Walters, sir."

"Humph!"

I went on watching the surface of the soup, which kept on threatening to
slop over, when a rough voice said--

"Thankye, sir. I'll have it here. Did you put in the salt?"

I gave the speaker, Bob Hampton, a sharp look, and saw that the two men
who were generally near him, Barney Blane and Dumlow, were showing all
their teeth as they indulged in hard grins; and then I was close upon
the cabin-door, but started and stopped short as I heard a cough, and
looking up, there was the captain leaning over the rail and watching me.

"That's not your duty, is it, my lad?"