d wakened up the
captain to tell him that a fruit-boat from Rosetta was going to run us
down!" said he ironically, speaking at Tom, although he did not directly
address him.

"Rosetta does not lie astern of us," said the latter aside, as if to
Charley. "And they didn't answer your hail, at all events!"

"Pray, sir, did you understand what they said?" said the mate angrily,
speaking this time straight to Tom. "No," he replied.

"Well, then, I do, and I will thank you to hold your tongue. The men
have told me all about it. Those fellows in the schooner had lost their
reckoning and didn't quite know where they were, and our men, speaking
Greek of course, told them."

"And I wonder how they knew?" said Tom. The first mate was posed for a
moment, but he quickly recovered himself.

"I suppose any one without being a sailor could tell them that as we've
run more than a hundred miles since we left Beyrout yesterday afternoon,
and gone in a nor'-westerly course, we must be a little to the southward
of Cyprus. But, I'll thank you to mind your own business, as I told you
before, Mr Aldridge."

"It is my business," said Tom, "and I'll take care to tell Captain
Harding of it."

"Tell the cap'en and be--" said Mr Tomkins in a rage. "But I'll save
you the trouble, I will tell him myself," he added a moment afterwards,
dashing down into the cabin, and leaving Tom to dismiss his watch and
take over the duty without another word.

"That's pretty behaviour!" said Tom to Charley. "I call that relieving
a fellow in proper style. No unnecessary ceremony at all."

"Well, you brought it on yourself, Tom," said Charley, with a
sympathising grin. "You will badger him so. I suppose, now you are
second officer, you intend paying him back for old snubs, eh?"

"I don't want to notice the beggar at all," replied the other. "I
wouldn't have spoken to him then if it hadn't been my duty to do so. He
is a pig, though. I daresay he hasn't told the captain anything at all,
as he hasn't come up."

"You let him alone for making his story right," said Charley. "Captain
Harding hasn't come on deck because there's nothing to call him; for
that mysterious craft is hull-down now and almost out of sight ahead."

Such was the case; and when the captain did turn out at breakfast time
he had heard the first mate's version of the affair, and as the felucca
had now quite disappeared below the horizon, altogether pooh-poohed
Tom's account o