wind-up, proceeded to relate, in his most dismal voice, how
a gay party of English naval officers descended into this gloomy maze to
make a complete exploration of it, and were never seen again.

On the last night of their stay in Malta, the _Arizona's_ officers and
crew went in a body to the opera-house (a fine building of gray stone),
to hear a young American singer in _La Sonnambula_. At first the Maltese
seemed disposed to find fault with her; but all adverse demonstrations
were speedily overwhelmed by the uproarious applause of the English and
American sailors. Even when the heroine made a false step in her
crossing of the bridge, and tumbled bodily on to the floor of the stage,
the gallant blue-jackets applauded as lustily as if this were the best
part of the performance, though Jack Dewey afterward observed that
"'twas a bad sign of any craft to capsize that way in a calm."

Next morning they were off, but not without a "hitch" or two before
starting. At the last moment, the man who had been hurt at Gibraltar had
to be sent ashore invalided, and another hand shipped in his place. Then
two of the firemen were found to be missing, and turned up just in time
to scramble aboard in what the chief engineer called "a strictly unsober
condition." One of them, who seemed to be in a quarrelsome humor, was
beginning to shout and abuse every one, when Captain Gray suddenly
appeared beside him.

"Stop that noise," said he, very quietly, "and go forward at once."

"Pretty tall talk, that," growled the brawler. "_I_ ain't a-goin'
for'ard for nobody. One man's as good as another."

The words were barely out of his mouth, when the "quiet" Captain's
clinched fist flew right _into_ it, with a shock that made his teeth
rattle like dominoes, and sent him sprawling on his back.

"Put that man in irons, Mr. Hawkins, and pass him down 'tween-decks,"
said the Captain, walking aft as if nothing had happened.

"Ay, _he's_ the one to settle 'em," muttered old Herrick, nodding
approvingly. "I tell ye, Frank, my boy, it's as hard to git off any
foolin' on our 'old man', as to git a 'pology out of a middy."

"How's that?" asked Austin, seeing by the twinkle of the old
quartermaster's eye that there was a good story coming.

"Ah, don't ye know that yarn? Well, it's worth hearin', too; I got it
from a Britisher last time I was here. Ye see, there was a young middy
aboard one o' Nelson's ships in the old war, who was always in some
scrap