as
kept under his bed. The little fellow wondered what had caused such a
convulsion of endearment, as Captain Bourne's demeanour had hitherto
been the very antithesis of external tenderness. About an hour had
elapsed when he was asked again "How the wind was."

[Illustration: HAVING A NIP.]

"W.N.W.," said the youth, "and inclined to break off" (i.e., norther).

"What are you making such a noise about?" growled the now uneasy
captain; "shut my door so that I may be quiet; and get the cabin
properly scrubbed out ready for going into port."

The wind had freshened, the vessel began to jump into a nasty head
swell, and in order to ease the strain on the rigging the necessary
sail was shortened. Captain Bourne was aroused by the sombre music of
the wind rustling through the rigging and making occasional discordant
noises. His mind became centred on the possibility of the voyage being
prolonged, and in order that his suspicions should be confirmed or
otherwise, he called with a deep, agitated voice for the boy to come to
him; and when he presented himself the captain asked in a tone which
indicated coming trouble: "How is the wind now?"

The youthful seaman replied, with a voice and manner indicative of
knowledge and assurance: "The wind, sir, is strong N.N.W., and
increasing," and as this was the direction in which they were bound,
the captain's mental processes became confused. A strange guttural
sound came from his throat as though there was a struggle going on
between the flesh and the devil. The conflict did not last long, as the
sanctity which he had observed for some days went under. He jumped from
his bunk, seized his boot which lay hard by, flung it at the poor,
fatigued laddie, bellowing out at the same time: "On deck, you darned
young spawn of ----. I've been kept awake by your clatter ever since
you got up." And the boy flew before the hurricane of wrath lest he
should come to grief.

The men asked him the cause of being turned out of the cabin.

"The cause," he said, "is, the old man asked me how the wind was, and
as soon as I told him it was N.N.W. he flung his boot at me and ordered
me on deck for making too much noise. I hadn't been more than a minute
in the cabin after lending a hand to shorten sail. Besides, the old
beast almost hugged me when I told him the wind was west and that we
were off Whitby. Why, he was so pleased he asked me to have a nip of
that gin he keeps under his bed!"

"Did he swe