y bird being easily able to unlatch at pleasure the swing door of his
cage.

"I'll wring your neck!" he screamed in his hoarse, sepulchral voice;
"I'll wring your neck! Say-rah! Say-rah!"

This, of course, made us all laugh, even mother joining in, though the
joke was certainly against her; and taking advantage of the opportunity
thus afforded of `throwing oil on the troubled waters,' little Jenny
went on to speak of the advantages to be gained by my going to sea and
earning my living as a gallant seaman in the service of my country,
pointing out to mother how I had always hankered after father's
profession, and that she was sure I would never be contented in any
shore billet, and might possibly go to the bad if I had my inclinations
thwarted!

"Who knows, too," she added, as a clincher to her argument, "whether Tom
may not rise to be a leftennant, ay, and even an admiral, through this
good Captain Mordaunt's introduction!"

"Right you are, my lass, bless you!" chimed in father, rising up
enthusiastically from his seat and tossing off the glass of beer he held
in his hand. "So he will too, you'll see, or I'm a Dutchman. Hurrah,
Sarah, here's good luck to the boy and speedy promotion!"

"'Oo-ray, Say-rah!" screamed `Ally Sloper,' the cockatoo, in cordial
appreciation, apparently, of this sentiment. "'Ip, 'ip, 'oo-ray!"

That settled the matter.

So, early the following morning, after an affectionate hug from mother
and a kiss from Jenny, who came to the corner to see the last of me, I
started off for the _Saint Vincent_ with father, who rowed me aboard
himself, I being the very first fare he had for the day, though, of
course, as you can imagine, he did not earn much by the job.

However, it pleased father at any rate; and, as soon as he had landed me
safe and sound at the foot of the accommodation ladder on the port side
of the old ship, which lay broadside on, almost on the mud abreast of
Haslar Creek, the tide being out, he handed me a big official letter
which Captain Mordaunt had given him overnight, as he had promised,
recommending me to the commander of the training-vessel, and enclosing
certificates of my birth and character.

"There, sonny, them's yer papers," said he, thus laconically wishing me
good-bye, sheering off out of the way of an approaching galley from the
shore whose sternsheets were chock-full of big quartern loaves of bread,
and then laying on his oars as I skipped up the ladder. "Y