l could not help smiling, though in the
presence of his superior officer.

"Nonsense, boy, don't you try to gammon me," cried the master-at-arms,
as soon as he was able to speak. "An Italian from the county Cork, I'm
thinking!"

"Oi'm that same, yer honour," protested the other, as grave as a judge.
"Me fayther came over here harvestin' last summer, sor, an' turned
organ-grinder; an' now, sure, he's an Oitalian."

"Was it him that signed this paper?" asked the master-at-arms, when he
was able to control his speech again after a second burst of merriment
at the Irish boy's droll way of expressing himself, and comical look.
"I s'pose it's his new foreign style of writing and spelling that
prevented my making out your name at first?"

"Sure, sor, he wanted the praste fur to soign it," said the other in his
racy brogue. "But Father Maloney said he'd be persecuted for bigummy if
he did it, an' he'd have fur to do it himsilf; an' so, bad cess to it,
fayther stuck the ind of his dhudeen in the ink-bottle, I'll take me
oath, sor, an' soigned his name thare, sor, jist whare ye say it, wid
his own hand, as Oi'm a livin' sinner!"

"Well, well, Donovan, that's enough. I'll take your word for it," said
the master-at-arms, anxious to get rid of him, feeling his gravity
giving way again. "But you'll first have to pass your medical
examination, my lad, before you can join the ship. Corporal, take all
three of them to the doctor in the sick-bay, at once!"

With that, the lot of us started off, in company with the corporal.

CHAPTER THREE.

I BECOME AN "UNCLOTHED BOY!"

"Look sharp, my lads!" sang out after us the master-at-arms, or "Jaunty"
as he is always called on board ship. "The sick-bay's away there forrud
on the starboard side; and if you're spry and pass the doctor soon,
before the bugle sounds for `cooks to their messes,' why, you'll be able
to eat your first meal at Her Majesty's expense, my lads, afore you're a
day older."

"Faith an' sure," rejoined our ragged comrade Mick Donovan innocently
enough, as we hurried along the middle deck towards the fore part of the
ship, under the tutelage of the corporal, "I'll pass the gintleman aisy
an' civilly if he ounly comes foreninst me an' gives me a chance,
begorrah, to go by him!"

The corporal sniggered at this audibly, not being any longer in the
presence of his superior officer the master-at-arms, and therefore not
now bound in the interests of discipline t