the old man uttered, as he pushed his wherry from the beach,
and pulled up the harbour towards a fine corvette which lay at anchor
off Gosport.

CHAPTER THREE.

The _Lilly_ was a fine, rakish-looking corvette, with a crew of one
hundred and twenty, officers and seamen, as Joe Simmons informed Bill.

The old man went up the side with him.

"There's the first lieutenant," he said. "You just go up and tell him
you have come aboard. It will be all right. Although he looks very
grand, he is all right at bottom; and I have heard more than one thing
in his favour. He won't eat you; so don't be afear'd, Bill."

Bill did as he was advised, and presented the captain's card. Mr
Barker glanced at it.

"Oh! You are Bill Sunnyside. We will enter you. Master-at-arms, see
to this boy."

"It's all right, boy, you can go forward!"

Bill, thus dismissed, gladly rejoined his old friend, thankful that the
dreaded interview was over. He would not have minded it if the captain
had been aboard, for he had taken a great fancy to him, and felt ready
to go through fire and water to serve him.

Old Joe introduced him, as he had promised, to a fine, active-looking
seaman who had just come from aloft, with hands well tarred, and a big
clasp knife hung by a rope round his neck. Jack Windy was every inch a
sailor.

"Oh, ay, Joe! No fear; we'll look after the lad," he said, giving an
approving glance at Bill. "We will make a prime seaman of him, never
you fear. And here, Tommy Rebow, you just come here, boy. You show
Bill here what he will have to do, and what he must not do; and none of
your jackanape tricks--mind that."

Thus Bill had not been many minutes on board before he found himself
with several acquaintances. Old Joe, satisfied that all was right,
wished him good-bye.

"There, Bill," he said, taking him by the hand, "just do you go on doing
what you have been, and there's One who will look after you, and knows
better how to do so than I could, or your own father, if he was alive,
or the captain himself; and when I say my prayers--and I do say them,
and so must you, Bill--I will put in a word about you; and I am sure
your mother will, and your brothers and sisters as is big enough; and
you see, Bill, you have every reason to go away contented and happy.
Now good-bye, lad, God bless you!"

And again old Joe wrung Sunshine Bill's hand, and went down the side of
the ship into his wherry.

"Now, do you mind, B