clude, my man?" said the lieutenant, addressing
Paul.

"No, sir, not mine more than Abel Bush's or Peter Ogle's, or any of them
astern there," answered Paul. "No, sir, he belongs to us all, d'ye see,
sir? He's the son of an old shipmate, sir, killed out in the West
Ingies, fighting with Lord Rodney; and his mother was an old shipmate
too; and so the boy was left to the ship's company, and they chose us to
look after him--and we have looked after him, and we intend to look
after him; and we loves him just as if he was a son, and more nor some
fathers do their sons, and that's the truth on't, sir; and so we all
intends to ship with him, that we may have him among us, that's it,
sir."

"That's it, sir," echoed the rest, to show that they were all of one
mind.

"Well, if you all like to join provisionally, I will see what the
Captain will consent to do," answered the lieutenant.

Now as none of the party had the slightest idea of what joining
provisionally meant, they were very much inclined to declare off
altogether, when just then a young active man, with an extremely
pleasant expression of countenance, in the full-dress uniform of a
Post-Captain, was seen coming up the High Street. He stopped when he
got up to the group of seamen.

"Ah, Mr Brine, are any of these men going to join us?" he asked,
glancing his keen eyes over them. His countenance brightened when he
saw Paul Pringle.

"Why, I believe that I see an old shipmate whom I have not met for many
a year; and not one only--two or three more of you I remember clearly.
Am I not right?" said he. "We served together in the old _Terrible_,
and afterwards in the _Fame_."

"I thought so, sir!" exclaimed Paul with a cheerful voice. "I remember
you now, sir, that I do, though I shouldn't if you hadn't told me where
we'd been together. Maybe, sir, you remember a little baby you used to
be kind to, born aboard the ship. There he is, sir."

"What, Billy True Blue! Of course I do," answered the Captain in a
pleasant tone. "Come here, my lad; and you still follow the sea, do
you? You began pretty early."

"There's no other calling to my mind a man would wish to follow, sir,"
answered True Blue.

"All right, my men," said Captain Garland; "if you haven't got a ship, I
shall be very glad if you will join the _Ruby_. I do not believe that
there are many frigates in the service will beat her in any way, and I
promise you it will not be my fault if she isn't