before a smile began to curl his thin cheek, and he heard Edward's praises of his story with some seeming satisfaction.

"But after all, Lyson, I must say," concluded our hero, "that I think your story rather incomplete, pray what became of Madame Morelle, as you call her? for, as for the Captain, you know, you already told us he died raving mad."

"Ay, my lad, mad as a March hare, as they say a-shore. But, in faith, what became of his fancy-wench, is more than I ever heard say; thof I'd naturally suppose as how her father would take her home again."

"I'd as naturally supposed, Lyson," cried a listener, "as how they'd both been hung."

heard of a Planter's daughter being hung for murder in the West Indies, or a slave Captain either. Why, you silly fool, doesn't know that they could do in that there quarter what they pleased?" "So it would appear," rejoined a third, shrugging up his shoulders, " and the more is the pity, I say-for they both, to my mind, richly deserved it; particularly that petticoated she-hyena, who was the 'casion of all. D-n me, but I'd shut her up with a deck load of monkeys, who'd have fondled her to death."

The discourse was here most disagreeably interrupted by the bell tolling eight, backed with the boatswain's mate's pipe, and lusty call of All the larboard watch, a-hoy! who immediately hurrying below, and bawling out in gruff and bitter accents, "D'ye hear there, larbolians, up on deck, up on deck, all of you"-speedily dispersed these visionaries and their crowded assemblies.

CHAPTER IX.

"Say, shall I sing of a war-ship's humbugging,
Railing and rubbing, and washing and tugging?

Touch me the word, mates, and you shall have it readily."
"Glory! give it mouth, Jack, 'twill make a merry medley !"
THE watch was no sooner on deck,
and the usual process of muster over,
than Edward, with a curiosity pecu-
liar to his character, would have im-
mediately proceeded to obtain a view
of the corpse of the unfortunate Zam-
ba, had he not met with an opposition
which both mortified and surprised
him. He had no difficulty in discover-
ing that it was deposited under the
boats on the booms, for there two
large and well-blacked tarpaulins ha-
ving been thrown right across, the
ends hung down in sombre sadness on
the deck, and as effectually precluded
the smallest glimpse of the little body,
as if it had already reached the bottom
of the ocean. To raise these substan-
tial hangings, so far as to be able to
gratify his curiosity, was matter of
no trifling consequence, as it would
infallibly have given great offence to a
body of men, who, it was impossible
for him not to see, both by their ge-
neral gloom and evident repugnance
to approach a spot so carefully enclo-
sed throughout the whole watch, as
well as by the many frightful and ri-
diculous stories, which were liberally

whispered forth in every corner, were in no fit humour to be trifled with. In this dilemma, he resolved to consult with his new friend and instructor Dennis Mahony, who heard him to an end in unusual silence, and then replied, with great seriousness," I'll tell you what it is, Ned, and I hope you'll think your Dennis the devil an inch the bigger coward for it, I wouldn't go for to raise that there tarpauling, and so be after disturbing the dead, d'ye see, no! not for a mount of money, as big, by the hokey, as the ould Hill of Howth. No, no, Davis, my darling! I like you well enough, sure now, and I own it; but, thanks to good ould Father Daniel, who, Lord love him, larnt me my letters before I could spake, I like ould Mother Church a trifle or so better, my dear. Bubbaboo! will you belay now," continued he, clapping his bulky hand coaxingly on Edward's mouth," for the devil a word more will I hear on the subject. What! you wouldn't, sure, have Dennis guilty of that terrible thing-what d'ye call it again?-sacrilege ?-Murder and wounds! but your Scotch re

1823.

The Man-of-War's-Man. Chap. IX.

ligion must be a curious one, if it's any at all, at all, that allows you to be after going so coolly and needlessly about disturbing the dead, sure."

Dennis was evidently too serious in all this, for Edward any farther to press the subject; and he therefore amused himself in listening in silence to the various marvels with which every obscure corner abounded. In defiance, however, of the most dismal presages, the night proved one of uncommon beauty; the silver moon shone with peculiar brilliancy on the gentle ripple of the dark blue ocean; and such a resplendent galaxy of glory twinkled all o'er the face of the clear and unclouded heavens, as had the happiest effects in composing the mind to the most delightful serenity; and the period of the watch thus pleasingly stole away without any of those supernatural appearances, or dire mishaps, so confidently predicted, and so minutely described.

Next morning, immediately after divisions, had been appointed for the funeral-which proved to be a matter of infinite brevity and great simplicity. Captain Switchem appeared on deck in a mourning scarf and sword, followed by his officers and Mr Fudgeforit, who carried a splendidly bound Prayer-book under his arm: and all hands being summoned to the lee gangway, he immediately commenced operations, by prefacing the service of the dead with a few pithy and rather sarcastic observations on the heedlessness, stupidity, and other bright qualities of the living. Meanwhile, four boys having slowly advanced with a grating, on which the corpse lay extended, firmly sewed up in its hammock, (the operating needles being thrust transversely through its nose)— and having taken up a position, with it at their feet, on each side of an open port-hole, which had been cleared for the purpose, he immediately doffed his hat, followed by all hands, opened the Prayer-book, and began the Churchservice in a tone of voice at once grave and dignified, until, coming to the words expressive of committing the body to the deep, the four boys immediately gradually elevated one end of the grating, when the weight of the shots enclosed under the feet of the corpse, hurried it off into the ocean, where it disappeared in a twinkling. Having thus finished the service with

279

infinite decorum, Captain Switchem
had shut the Prayer-book, had hand-
ed it to his bowing secretary, and had
once more begun to descant, with his
usual acrimony, on the excessive care-
lessness, and slovenly, bustling man-
ner in which the work was gone
through by all hands-to which causes
he very adroitly imputed the boy's death
-and the total want of that steady
coolness, order, and dexterity, which
he had ever been accustomed to, and
which he was still determined to en-
force, when the swelling current of his
caustic elocution was rudely interrupt-
ed by the look-out vociferating from
the mast-head-" On deck, there!"
"Hilloah!" returned the Captain.
"Land a-head!" bawled the look-
out.

"Point to it, my lad!" cried the Captain, leaping to the capstan, and hurrying with his glass to the fore

castle.

The look-out held out his arm, at the same time bawling down, "About two points on the weather bow!"

This intelligence seemed to produce a sensation in the mind of Captain Switchem, quite discordant to farther discussion; and, of course, sermonizing immediately gave way to more active and unpremeditative duty. "Mr Marlin," cried the Captain, hurrying aft ;-" Where is the Boatswain?-Call me Mr Marlin directly

d'ye hear there, young gentlemen?"

This was unnecessary, however, for the Boatswain, shouting "Here I come, sir!" immediately stood before him.

"Pipe, Make sail! directly, Marlin, there's a good fellow," cried the Captain-then turning to his first Lieutenant, he continued,-" And harkye, Fyke, shake out every reef, and clap every inch of canvass on her you can. I'd like to have a surveillance of the coast ere night fall.-Mr Fudgeforit, lay hold of these things and follow me-I'll be with you again in a minute, Fyke."

"It shall be done, sir," replied his first Lieutenant, as he disappeared from the deck, and immediately walked forward to put the people in motion. Meantime, the Boatswain had executed his orders, the topmen were aloft-the reefs were shaken out-the topsails hoisted-the fore and main tacks hauled close on board-top-gallant sails and flying gear followed

and no long period elapsed ere all hands beheld their fancy vessel snoring through it, with the land right a-head, at a rate little short of twelve knots an hour. At this rate she stood on for some time, when Captain Switchem deeming her to be as close in shore as he thought it prudent, ordered her on the other tack, and she now ran along the bleak and darkwooded coast of Norway, with a fine steady breeze from the land. She thus continued making way steadily, while Captain Switchem, and most of his officers, were busily employed with their glasses in a strict reconnoitre of the numerous groups of dark black clustering rocks, small islands, and innumerable creeks and openings of that strangely shattered coast, when nothing appearing, and the day beginning to close, the Tottumfog was finally put about, and once more stood to sea under shortened sail.

"Well, my mates, here we have had the devil's own day of it, after all, now that it's done," cried Bill Lyson, sitting down at the mess table; "but indeed I never saw it otherwise with a dead body in company-always a gale of wind, a mast going by the board, a chase, or some one ugly customer or t'other to bother a fellow."

"Phew! my lovely bright boy of the mountain!" cried Dennis, just arrived from the deck, " as the ould Goody of Gillingham says to her eels, when, you know, she's after skinning them alive, Why can't you be azy, honies, sure it is nothing at all, at all, when once you are used to it. Devil a haypurth!'-and Mahony agrees with her to a tittle. Troth does he-and the devil a skirrach's worth of bother it shall cost him, though he knows, shipmate-ay, that he does-that if you have had the devil's own day on't, gragh, you are likely to be blessed with his mother's own night of it, by way of good company, that's all. Och, by my soul, are you;-so keep your beautiful tongue lying azy-for I heard Mr Fyke speaking with that long ill-spun cooper of ours about water-and I'm sure you knows very well what follows that, dear."

"A devilish sight too well, in faith, Denny," replied Lyson;- "but are you certain it was the cooper? for you know it's a little darkish on deck at present."

you say? by the powers! as well might you ask me, am I sure if myself s Dennis Mahony, dear. Oho, shipmate of mine! the ould chopper of cask staves is by much too like a hop-pole for me to mistake him so azily. But the devil another squeak will I make on the subject at all at all, honey; for may I never knock my beautiful fist through a biscuit again, if there isn't Tom Bird himself coming down the ladder, and he'll soon be after telling you all about it, darling."

It was sure enough the huge fellow, who, taking his stance on the foregratings, and bending down his enormous carcase to get his head on a line with the beams of the upper deck, growled out in a thundering voice,

66

D'ye hear below there, fore and aft, it is the Captain's orders, that you all turn to, man and mother's son of you, and get ready, without loss of time or hinderance of business, for a good jolly hard spell at washing and scrubbing. The cooper has orders to supply all the messes with a gallon of fresh water a-man, which the ship's cook will boil for you in a jiffy; and that will serve for your shirts, embroidered trowsers, silk frocks, gold-laced jackets, and other such shore and church-going gear. If any on you wants soap, they must keep the Boatswain in their eye. The idlers, fancy men, and other loblollys, not forgetting Jack in the Dust, may either wash in the first or middle watches, just as their honours please. The clothes-lines to be hoisted as soon as the morning watch is turned up-but them only, mind me. Bags and hammocks to be scrubbed in the morning-watch, and nothing but clean hammocks to be stowed in the nettings. And, last of all, the whole clothes, bags, and hammocks of the hooker, will be mustered on Sunday after divisions, when the fellow who is dirty will of course be found lazy, and either get a cat or a broomstick to fondle.-So mark me, fore and aft, as you've all got fair warning, you may take your own minds on't-it's all one to Bird.-D'ye hear there, you captains of the tops, you'll see and have your clothes-lines properly marked and rove in good time, or else, by the Lord Harry, you'll catch it."

After this brilliant declaration, a scene ensued that completely beggars description-both decks being suddenAm I sure it was the cooper, did ly metamorphosed into a complete