Jack; "at all events, I will go and
turn in to-night."

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

IN WHICH OUR HERO BEGINS TO ACT AND THINK FOR HIMSELF.

Whatever may have been Jack's thoughts, at all events they did not spoil
his rest. He possessed in himself all the materials of a true
philosopher, but there was a great deal of weeding still required.
Jolliffe's arguments, sensible as they were, had very little effect upon
him, for, strange to say, it is much more easy to shake a man's opinions
when he is wrong than when he is right; proving that we are all of a
very perverse nature. "Well," thought Jack, "if I am to go to the
mast-head, I am, that's all; but it does not prove that my arguments are
not good, only that they will not be listened to;" and then Jack shut
his eyes, and in a few minutes was fast asleep.

The master had reported to the first lieutenant, and the first
lieutenant to the captain, when he came on board the next morning, the
conduct of Mr Easy, who was sent for in the cabin, to hear if he had
any thing to offer in extenuation of his offence. Jack made an oration,
which lasted more than half an hour, in which all the arguments he had
brought forward to Jolliffe in the preceding chapter were entered fully
into. Mr Jolliffe was then examined, and also Mr Smallsole was
interrogated: after which the captain and the first lieutenant were left
alone.

"Sawbridge," said Captain Wilson, "how true it is that any deviation
from what is right invariably leads us into a scrape. I have done
wrong: wishing to get this boy out of his father's hands, and fearful
that he would not join the ship, and imagining him to be by no means the
shrewd fellow that he is in reality, I represented the service in a much
more favourable light than I should have done; all that he says I told
him I did tell him, and it is I who really led the boy into error. Mr
Smallsole has behaved tyrannically and unjustly; he punished the lad for
no crime; so that what between the master and me, I am now on the horns
of a dilemma. If I punish the boy, I feel that I am punishing him more
for my own fault and the fault of others, than his own. If I do not
punish him, I allow a flagrant and open violation of discipline to pass
uncensured, which will be injurious to the service."

"He must be punished, sir," replied Sawbridge.

"Send for him," said the captain.

Jack made his appearance, with a very polite bow.

"Mr Easy, as you suppose that the ar