might keep him asy. It but a little difference, _tay_ soup and _pay_
soup. Now a bowl of that, with some nuts and a flourish of pepper will
do him good, anyhow."

"Perhaps the best thing he can take, Mesty; get it as fast as you can."

In a few minutes the black brought down a bowl of soup and whole peas
swimming in it, put before our hero a tin bread-basket full of small
biscuit, called midshipmen's nuts, and the pepper-castor. Jack's
visions of tea, coffee, muffins, dry toast, and milk, vanished as he
perceived the mess; but he was very hungry, and he found it much better
than he expected; and he moreover found himself much the better after he
had swallowed it. It struck seven bells, and he accompanied Mr
Jolliffe on deck.

CHAPTER TEN.

SHOWING HOW JACK TRANSGRESSES AGAINST HIS OWN PHILOSOPHY.

When Jack Easy had gained the deck, he found the sun shining gaily, a
soft air blowing from the shore, and the whole of the rigging and every
part of the ship loaded with the shirts, trousers, and jackets of the
seamen, which had been wetted during the heavy gale, and were now
hanging up to dry; all the wet sails were also spread on the booms or
triced up in the rigging, and the ship was slowly forging through the
blue water. The captain and first lieutenant were standing on the
gangway in converse, and the majority of the officers were with their
quadrants and sextants ascertaining the latitude at noon. The decks
were white and clean, the sweepers had just laid by their brooms, and
the men were busy coiling down the ropes. It was a scene of
cheerfulness, activity, and order, which lightened his heart after the
four days of suffering, close air, and confinement, from which he had
just emerged.

The captain, who perceived him, beckoned to him, asked him kindly how he
felt: the first lieutenant also smiled upon him, and many of the
officers, as well as his messmates, congratulated him upon his recovery.

The captain's steward came up to him, touched his hat, and requested the
pleasure of his company to dinner in the cabin. Jack was the essence of
politeness, took off his hat, and accepted the invitation. Jack was
standing on a rope which a seaman was coiling down; the man touched his
hat and requested he would be so kind as to take his foot off. Jack
took his hat off his head in return, and his foot off the rope. The
master touched his hat, and reported twelve o'clock to the first
lieutenant--the first li