erformance, for I was amusing myself by puffing the
smoke in his face, making him put up his lemon crest and spread out his
collar-like feathers, screaming for mother like mad.

I had `crossed the Rubicon,' however; and, ever after this, when at home
of an afternoon, sometimes with Mick, who, of course, imitated me,
sometimes without him on those occasions when he did not get permission
to go ashore, I used to have a whiff at father's pipe on the sly--
without his knowledge though, you bet!

By this means, I soon became a regular smoker; and, content no longer
with an occasional draw at father's churchwarden, I bought a fine briar-
root pipe for myself out of my pocket-money, which was increased by my
becoming a first-class boy now to a shilling a week.

This pipe I carried about with me, in company with an old brass tobacco-
box I found in the mud one day at Point, stowed carefully away with all
my other portable gear in my cap, according to the custom of the
service.

I got so bold at last, that even on board the training-ship I would take
a stray whiff of a while, when I got into some snug corner on deck where
I thought I would be unobserved; though my chum Mick, who didn't take
kindly to the habit like myself, often cautioned me about the risk I ran
in being caught.

"Faith, Tom, me bhoy," he would say to me, "Oi can't say howivver ye can
go fur to do it, sure, a gossoon loike yersilf who's got a carrackter
fur to loose; aye, an' fur sich a dirthy, nasty thing as thit, a-
spillin' the tasthe ov good ghrub, so thit ye can't tell whither ye're
aitin' spuds or pay doo. Ef it wor a chap loike that `Ugly' now, the
sulky baste ez wouldn't hev a koind wurrd fur ye, loike a Christian,
since ye saved his rascally loife last year, begorrah, Oi could say the
sinse ov it; but, fur a chap loike yersilf, Tom, fur to do it, with
ivverythin' to loose, Oi'm ashamed on ye!"

Mick's remonstrances, however, were all in vain; for, as mother
frequently accused father of being, I was `obstinate like all the
Bowlings,' and once I had set my mind on a thing I'm sorry to say
nothing would turn me from it.

The first time I was caught thus smoking on board against the rules, I
was let off with only a caution; Mr Brown, the ship's corporal, who had
always continued my friend, not bringing my offence to the notice of the
authorities.

"Don't let it occur again, though, Tom Bowling," said he to me, with a
pinch of the ear, on seeing m