lf a dozen voyages to
Virginia and the West India Islands, besides to many others in different
parts of the world. He was rough enough to look at, being the colour of
mahogany, his countenance wrinkled and furrowed by strong winds and hot
suns. He was quiet in his manners, seemed kind-hearted, with plenty of
sense under his bald head and its fringe of grizzled hair. He was an
excellent seaman, and took a pleasure in instructing Roger, who always
went to him when he wanted information. He would tell him not only how
to do a thing, but the why and the wherefore each thing was done, so
that Roger made rapid progress under his tuition. Of the mates and
boatswain little need be said; they were tolerable seamen, but the first
two were but poor navigators, and the boatswain could not take an
observation or work a day's work, being unable to read or write, though
he was the best seaman of the three. The crew were rough-and-ready
fellows, were tolerably obedient when they were well treated and liquor
was kept out of their way; but if anything was done to displease them,
they were ready to grumble and try to right themselves after their own
fashion. The two mates and the boatswain, who constituted the officers
of the ship, were somewhat jealous of Stephen and Roger, whom they
considered unduly favoured by the owners. Neither of them, however,
took any notice of this. Roger's great object had been from the first
to master all the details of seamanship. From morning till night he was
at work getting the seamen to show him how to knot and splice, to steer
and reef; whenever sail was to be made or taken in he was always on the
yard, and as active as any one, so that he soon gained the respect of
the seamen. It was a great advantage to him and Stephen to have fine
weather for so long a period, though they made but slow progress on
their voyage, but it enabled them to gain experience far more easily
than they would have done had the sea been rough and the ship tumbling
about. Owing to light and contrary winds, five weeks had passed before
the _Dolphin_ got into the latitude of the Straits, nearly a hundred
miles to the westward of them.

"When, Captain Roberts, think you, shall we be into the Mediterranean?"
asked Stephen, who had been examining the chart.

"That must depend on the way the wind blows," answered the Captain. "It
has been out of temper with us for a precious long time, and I cannot
say when it is likely to