ng the youngest on board, and least able
to hold my own against the captain's tyranny, and the careless and often
rough treatment of the crew.

I had some time before told poor young Sam how I used to be called
"Happy Jack," and he went and let out what I had said among the men.
When one of them started me with a rope's end, he would sing out,
"That's for you, `Happy Jack.'" Another would exclaim, "Go and swab the
deck down, `Happy Jack;'" or, "`Happy Jack,' go and help Mungo to clean
out the caboose, I hope you are happy now--pleasant work for a young
gentleman, isn't it?"

"Look you," I replied one day, when this remark was made to me, "I am
alive and well, and hope some day to see my home and friends, so,
compared to the lot of poor young Sam and Dick Noland, who are fathoms
deep down in the ocean, I think I have a right to say I am happy--your
kicks and cuffs only hurt for a time, and I manage soon to forget them.
If it's any pleasure to you to give them, all I can say is, that it's a
very rum sort of pleasure; and now you have got my opinion about the
matter."

"That's the spirit I like to see," exclaimed old Tom, slapping me on the
back soon afterwards, "You'll soon put a stop to that sort of thing." I
found he was right; and, though I had plenty of dirty work to do, still,
after that, not one of the men ever lifted his hand against me. The
captain, however, was not to be so easily conquered, and so I took good
care to stand clear of him whenever I could.

The rough weather continued till we had made Cape Horn, which rose dark
and frowning out of the wild heaving ocean. We were some time doubling
it, and were several days in sight of Terra del Fuego, but we did not
see anything like a burning mountain--indeed, no volcanoes exist at that
end of the Andes.

The weather moderated soon after we were round the Horn, but in a short
time another gale sprung up, during which our bulwarks were battered in,
one of our boats carried away, our bowsprit sprung, and the
foretop-sail, the only canvas we had set, blown to ribbons. Besides
this, we received other damages, which contributed still further to sour
our captain's temper. We were at one time so near the ironbound coast
that there seemed every probability that we should finish off by being
dashed to pieces on the rocks. Happily, the wind moderated, and a fine
breeze springing up, we ran on merrily into the Pacific.

Shortly after, we made the island of Juan