lates that littered the table, not a
scrap or a crumb being left by any of us. "But now, my lads, you must
set to work to pay for your grub. Here, look sharp and clear up! We
always have things shipshape aboard here, and the sooner you learn your
duties the better."

The same first-class boy who had previously got our dinners for us from
the cook's galley, and who, you may remember, had tried a `barney' on me
when he brought them, happening to be passing by at the time again, the
master-at-arms hailed him.

"Where are you going, my joker?" said he. "You seem to be having a good
time of it!"

"Jist goin' a message fur the bosun," stammered he. "He sent me to ax
the gunner, sir, fur a copy o' the mornin' paper."

"That's a bouncer," rejoined the `Jaunty,' who, no doubt, was up to such
tricks. "Why, you're going away from the gunner's cabin and not towards
it, as you very well know. You just stop here and show these new boys
how to clean up the mess-table."

"Yes, sir," replied the boy very humbly; and then a grin came over his
face as he looked at the empty plates, like as the master-at-arms had
done previously, asking demurely, "Shall I show 'em where to chuck the
scraps, sir?"

"Yes, if you can find them," answered the `Jaunty' shortly. "It strikes
me, Larrikins, you'll soon be on short allowance yourself if you don't
keep a better hold on your tongue! Let me see these mess-tables all
cleared up before I come back from the wardroom, or you'll smell powder
before Six Bells, I promise you, and shan't go ashore to-day."

This threat had the effect of sobering down our lively friend, who then
put us in the way of what we were to do; and, all of us lending willing
hands, we soon had the place as trim as it was before we had sat down to
our dinners.

After this, taking the dirty plates back to the galley, we washed all of
them up in a bucket of water and restored them to their proper racks,
returning to the entry-port just as the master-at-arms came sauntering
back along the deck from the officers' quarters aft.

"Ha, done that job all right, I see," said he in an approving tone.
"Now, let me see what we can find for you, to keep your hands out of
mischief. Corporal, have they told off any hands yet to clear the
bilge?"

"Yes, sir," replied one of the ship's corporals who had just come up the
forward hatchway from the lower deck. "I jest heered the bosun givin'
orders for a gang to go down on the orlop