s, "we always thought you a real shipmate,
and as full of pluck as a pitman's badger. What's come over you, man;
surely its not the same old Jimmy Dinsdale that had the courage to
stand before Hennan and Tom Sayers? It's not as though you were not
going to have a nip with us."

"Look here," said one of the enterprising coterie; "if you are feared
to go, show me, and you bet I'll have the stuff on deck in a jiffy. If
I can do it, surely _you_ can."

The form of dashing flattery, the appeals to his bravery and
comradeship, and the prospect of himself partaking of the convivial
cup, punctured Jimmy's will, and he fell. The coveted jar was brought
on deck without arousing the captain, and the seamen insisted that they
could not touch or taste till James himself had partaken; they would
then have pleasure in drinking his health. This order of things was
carried out, the second officer joining in by assuring his men that he
"endorsed their complimentary remarks about the steward"; he was an
ardent sportsman, said the condescending officer, "whose popularity was
unequalled."

"Hear, hear," responded the breezy tars.

Jimmy had another nip, beamed all over with merriment, and pledged
himself to live for evermore up to the high reputation they had given
him, which he was proud to believe he deserved. At ten p.m. the wind
and sea had increased, and the vessel was plunging her jibboom and
bowsprit under. The second officer intimated that all hands would have
to be called to reef the topsails and haul the mainsail up and stow it,
but his men were imbued with heroic dash, and would not hear of such
unseamanlike weakness. They assured him that they could take the sail
in without calling the watch below. Amid much noise and many larks they
managed to get the foretopsail reefed. A chanty was lustily sung when
hoisting the yard up, and when they undertook to reef the main topsail
it was quite obvious the over plentiful supply of grog was taking
serious effect. Their articulation became thick and incoherent. They
were alternately effusive with joy and senseless laughter, and
occasionally quarrelsome. The lee yardarm man insisted on hauling out
to leeward before the weather yardarm man told him to, which was of
course contrary to the order of nautical ethics. The situation became
very strained between the men to windward and those to leeward, because
of the profusion of tobacco-juice the former were expectorating into
the eyes of tho