ere he
would be likely to have more hard work, or better opportunities for the
acquirement of a large measure of seafaring knowledge in a very short
time.

Mr Sutcliffe, the chief mate, had been favourably impressed by Dick
from the moment when the two had encountered each other at the shipping
office, and Mr Sutcliffe's method of showing his favour was to provide
his favourites with an ample sufficiency of work to do. The ship had,
therefore, not been out of dock half an hour when Dick was sent aloft
with an able seaman named Barrett to get the fore and main royal-yards
across; and so eager was the lad to learn as much as he could that
Barrett very willingly permitted him to do all the work, merely
directing him what to do and how to do it, and at the same time
instructing him as to the nomenclature and purposes of the various parts
of the gear which were manipulated during the operation. Naturally,
Dick, being a novice, took about twice as long as his companion would
have taken over the job; but so eager was he to learn and such aptitude
did he exhibit that he won the unqualified approval of Barrett, as well
as of Mr Sutcliffe, who had been keeping a sharp eye upon what was
going on aloft. As for Dick, although it was the first time that he had
ever been aloft in anything deserving the name of a ship, and although
the hull upon which he looked down seemed ridiculously inadequate to
support the lofty spar upon which he was working--suggesting the idea
that unless he exercised the utmost caution in the disposition of his
weight he must inevitably capsize the entire complicated structure--he
felt neither giddy nor nervous, but went about his work with all the
coolness and confidence of a thoroughly seasoned hand.

Arrived off Gravesend, the anchor was let go, and the ship swung to the
now fast ebbing tide, the quarterboat was lowered, and the skipper was
rowed ashore, while Mr Sutcliffe went the rounds of the decks and
satisfied himself that everything had been done to make the _Concordia_
perfectly ready to get under way at a moment's notice; the yards were
accurately squared by the lifts and braces, the running gear hauled taut
and neatly coiled down, the decks once more swept; and then the worthy
mate found himself compelled to admit, with a sigh, that nothing more
could be done, at least to advantage, until the passengers should have
come off and the ship be once more under way. These two events happened
late i