brig again, will you?"
asked our flagellator of each of us alternately, with an alternate lash
across our backs to give emphasis to his question, making us jump up
from the deck and quiver all over, as we tried in vain to wriggle out of
the lashings with which we were tied.

"No, I won't," screamed out Tom, the tears running down his cheeks from
the pain of the ordeal. "I'll promise you never to put my foot within a
mile of her, if you let me off!"

"And so will I, too," I bawled out quickly, following suit to Tom.

I can really honestly aver that we both meant what we said, most
sincerely!

"All right then, you young beggars; that'll do for your first lesson.
The thrashing will pay your footing for coming aboard without leave.
Jorrocks, you can cut these scamps down now, and find them something to
do in the fo'c's'le--make 'em polish the ring-bolts if there's nothing
else on hand!"

So saying, the skipper, satisfied with taking our passage money out of
our hides, walked away aft; while Jorrocks began to cast loose our
lashings, with many whispered words of comfort, which he was afraid to
utter aloud, mixed up with comments on the captain's conduct.

"He's a rough customer to deal with--as tough as they make 'em," said
he, confidentially, removing the last bight round Tom's body and setting
him free; "but, he's all there!"

"So he is," said Tom, with much decision, rubbing his sore shoulders.
"I will vouch for the truth of that statement!"

"And, when he says he'll do a thing, he allys does it," continued
Jorrocks, in testimony to the skipper's firmness of purpose.

"He won't flog _me_ again," said Tom, savagely, in answer to the
boatswain's last remark.

"Nor me," I put in.

"Ah, you'd better keep quiet till you're ashore ag'in," advised our
friend, meaningly. "You won't find much more harm in him than you've
done already; and bye-and-bye, when he's got used to seeing you about,
he'll be as soft and easy as butter."

"Oh yes, I can well believe that!" said Tom, ironically; but then,
acting on the advice of Jorrocks, although more to save him from getting
into a scrape on our behalf, than from any fear of further molestation
from the skipper, against whom our hearts were now hardened, we bustled
about the fo'c's'le, pretending to be awfully busy coiling down the
slack of the jib halliards, and doing other odd jobs forward.

Up to this time, neither of us had an opportunity of casting a glance
over th