exclaimed, "Then I'll tell you what it is, Jack; when a fellow's hard up it's d-d onlucky, and that's all about it."

The axiom just suited honest Jack's ideas, and the mathematical precision with which it was uttered,-a precision enforced with all the stamina of a first-rate learned professor in the science, exactly tallied with old Sheavehole's notions of things in general, and he had only to clench it with his Q. E. D. (more properly Q. I. D.). "And, 'cause why, your honour," said he, whilst the boatswain's ears tingled at "your honour,”—" if a poor devil arn't got no 'bacca, he can't have no chaw!"

"And if his bottle's empty," resumed the boatswain, in accents half indignant, half sorrowful

"It stands in good reason that he arn't never got a toothful of stuff to bless hisself with," said his mate, finishing the sentence his superior had commenced.

"that's

"Well then, Jack," returned the boatswain with energy, just my predicklement, and I'm if my inside isn't going round and round, like a spun-yarn winch, and twisting my integrals into foxes!"

"That's almost as bad as a stark calm in the wind-pipe," said Jack, commiserating the situation of his officer; "but I'm thinking, Muster Savage, there's some good stuff in the prizes!"

"No doubt on it, Jack; no doubt on it," responded the boatswain; "and I wish I had a gallon or two here; you should have a stiff 'un to cheer the cockles of your heart, Jack; for arter all, I feels more for others than I does for myself. My bowels of compassion yarns for "

"A glass of grog, and some biscuits and cheese, on the capstanhead, Mr. Savage, with the captain's compliments," said his lordship's servant, addressing the old man. "It is brought up for all the officers; are there any more on the forecastle?"

"Can't say," returned old Savage; "it's quite enough to look out for number one, eh, Jack?" and the veteran walked aft.

"Ah, there he goes, with his bowels of compassion, which I takes to be all fiddle-strings!" uttered Sheavehole in an under-tone to Bob Martingal. "Well, I won't be envious, though I should like to—" "Splice the main-brace, boatswain's mate!" shouted Mr. Nugent from the quarter-deck.

"Ay, ay, sir!" responded Jack, shaking the dust out of his call. "He's just hit it, Bob. Twhit! twhit! Splice main-brace, ahoy!"

Never was summons more cheerfully obeyed. An allowance of stuff was served out to all hands, "that," as Lord Eustace said, "every soul fore and aft might be tarred with the same brush."

Again the yarn-spinners assembled on the old spot before the foremast, and once more they commenced their tough 'uns: their tongues being oiled with the lubricating liquor.

“I say, Bob!" exclaimed Joe Nighthead," then I'm blessed if we shan't cut the shine out o' all the saacy frigates on the station; and they may get up a gingerbread battle at the theatre, with the thrash'em-all Spankaway and her prizes!"

"I hope it ull be a better consarn than I once fell foul on in a place they called Bart'lemy Fair,'" said the captain of the forecastle. 66 Well, I'm blow'd if it warn't out-and-out gammon! D'ye

mind, I was in the owld Goliah seventy-four, in Ninety-eight, at the Nile; and led into the action, although Hood in the Zealous tried d- hard for it; but our skipper, Captain Foley, warn't the boy to let him do the trick, for the Goliah had the heels of the Zealous, and we passed a-head of her, inside the enemy's line, every gun doubleshotted: Because,' says our skipper, says he, we'll take 'em on the in-shore side, as the chance is they 'll not expect us there, and that broadside won't be manned;' which in course was all right enough, and just as we found it. Well then, I'm blessed if it didn't look funny to run so close to 'em that you might have seen a moskito wink his eye. We tried first for the French Gorear, but slipped past him to the Conkerant, 'cause the best bower hung in the stopper arter they'd got the cable out abaft. Howsomever, I arn't going to fight the battle over again; ownly at the peace we got long leave, and, having lots of prize-money, I thought I'd go up to Lunnun, just to see what sort of a place it was, as I'd heard my shipmates in their watch overhaul a good deal about it. Well, my boys, I just takes a berth 'pon deck in one o' your fly-by-night wehicles from Portsmouth; but, as to what sort of a passage we had, I don't much disremember about it, seeing as I'd had more plush that day than any cook o' the mess in the sarvice. Howsomever, next morning, I finds myself all snug, riding it out in a four-masted thing-'emhe, as they calls a post bed along shore, and the canvas was hanging in the brails; and there was chairs, and a table, and a looking-glass, and t' other thing, all ship-shape; and I'm blow'd if there warn't a beauty alongside o' me: Yo-hoy!' says I, what ship, my darling? The Goliah, to be sure,' says she; don't you know that?' -I'm blow'd,' says I, if you arn't more like a cousin than an acquaintance. How came you in my hammock?' says I.-' You was groggy last night,' says she, laughing like a tickled Wenus, and sc I was afeard you'd rowl out. All right, my precious!' says I; but, where's the shot, my darling?'-'All safe in the locker,' says she; and so it was, shipmates, every bit of it, not a stiver missing. 'That's my tight 'un!' says I; and, in course, Bob, we consorts together, and that arternoon we hauled our wind for what she called, showing me the city;' but I'm bless'd, shipmates, if I could see anything for the houses till we got to a place as I said afore was named 'Bart'lemy Fair.' Now, in regard o' Sal's kindness, d' ye mind, I'd rigged her out fore-and-aft, from the keel to the truck, with a spick-and-span new suit o' sails; and, as for colours, then I'm if she hadn't an ensign and pennant as long as that 'ere craft as swept all the sheep off the Isle of Wight going down Channel. Her gownd was covered with flowers, every one on 'em as big as a cabbage; and her bonnet would have sheltered the frigate's marines in a snow-storm. Then she'd pink silk stockings upon her legs, as warn't like yer kickshaw-spindle-shank slidinggunter ladies', but a reg'lar pair of good, stout lower-deck stancheons, as 'ud howld up stiff in a squall. She wanted boots; but I thought it 'ud be a sin and a shame to hide such handsome and proper consarns in leather-casings, so I stepped her heels into pink long-quartered pumps with blue sandals, in regard o' the colour o' the jacket. Then she'd a broad red band round her waist, with a fathom and a half of the same towing over her starn, and when the wind caught it, why it blow'd out like a pennant from the peak as a signal for go

ing to church. She'd blue at the main, and a banging gold watch hanging a cockbill under one of her cat-heads; and a smarter-looking frigate-ownly she was pimpled a little about the nose with grog blossoms-I never set eyes on.

Well, shipmates, so she said she'd show me Lunnun; but, Lord love yer hearts! I couldn't never make out nothing but a big church as they called Sam Paul's, booming up in the air so, as you couldn't see anybody in the tops. At last we got to Bart'lemy fair, and then there was som'ut to look at, for I'm blow'd if they hadn't turn'd the hands up to skylark, or rather to mischief! There was such a halloo-bulloo, and some of the lubbers began to overhaul their jawing gear so as to pay out the slack of their gammon, that I should have been dead flabbergasted if it hadn't been for Sal, who pitched it at 'em again, sometimes sending a long shot a-head, and then giving 'em round and grape from her starn-chasers. As for the shows! well then, I'm bless'd if there warn't a little som'ut of every thing! At last I spies outside one of the booths The Battle of the Nile to be seen here!' with some more lingo about machinical figures and tommytons; but, Blow me tight, Sal!' says I, that 'ere's just what I must see, in regard o' the owld Goliah and Lord Nelson.' So I tips the blunt to a fellow in a box and walks in, with Sal alongside of me, and a woman comes round with a basket of oranges, and axes me to buy. Well, shipmates, seeing as I'd plenty o' dumps, I buys the whole cargo, and earves 'em out to all hands, young and old, whilst the fiddles struck up Jack's alive!' and presently they mans the fore-clew garnets, buntlings, and leechlins, and up went the foresel in a crack, and the music changed to Come cheer up, my lads!' and says I to Sal, Then I'm if I don't, owld gal, and so here goes!' and I took a precious nip from a bottle o'rum she'd stowed away in her ridicule. And there was the sea all pretty and picter-like, and the shore beyond; but the devil a bit could I see of the French fleet at anchor, or a craft of any build or rig, till there was a flash o' priming, and then in sails a ship under British colours, and fires a gun; and then, in comes another, and another, till there wur the whole of Nelson's squadron, though they were no more like line o' battlers than Mungo Pearl is like the Archbishop of Canterbury. Still, shipmates, I says nothing; for Mayhap,' thinks I to myself, it may do all very well for them know-nothings as never seed a seventy-four in their lives.' But, presently, when they'd all hove in sight, in comes the French fleet arter them, just as if for all the world Nelson had run away, and owld Brewy was in chase. 'D- my precious limbs!' says I to myself, but that's coming it pretty strong!' and I shies a orange at the French admiral and capsizes him, so that he went down directly. Who threw that 'ere?' shouts a man, poking his head up right in the middle of the sea, like a grampus coming up to blow. It was I, and be d-d to you!' says I, shieing another at him, that took him right in his bridle port. You lubberly son of a sea-coote!' says I, when did Nelson ever run from the enemy, you wagabone? And here goes again!' says I; for, shipmates, my blood was up, and I slaps another shot at a Frenchman, and sunk him in an instant. Sal hailed me to sit still, and everybody shouted, and the fellow bobs his head down under the sea again; Battle of the Nile!' says I, and me one of the owld Goliahs, as had young Muster Davies killed along