y be
on board before me, but, at all events, if he were not, that I was to
give to the commanding officer the letter, with which he had furnished
me on the night before.

He left me with a more favourable impression on my mind than I had
before entertained. I paid my bill, and found my way to Chatham
dock-yard.

I had just gained the landing-place, to which I had been directed by a
gentleman, who wore some order of merit upon his ankles, and who kindly
offered me a box of dominoes for sale, when I saw a twelve-oared barge
pull in among the other boats that were waiting there. The stern-sheets
were full of officers, distinguishable among whom was one with a red
round face, sharp twinkling eyes, and an honest corpulency of body truly
comfortable. He wore his laced cocked-hat, with the rosetted corners,
resting each on one of the heavily-epauletted shoulders. His face
looked so fierce and rubescent under his vast hat, that he put me in
mind of a large coal, the lower half of which was in a state of
combustion. He landed with the other officers, and I then perceived
that he was gouty and lame, and walked with a stick, that had affixed to
it a transverse ivory head, something like a diminutive ram's horn.
Amidst this group of officers, I observed my coffee-room friend, the
major-general of the horse-marines, who seemed excessively shy, and at
that moment absorbed in geological studies, for he could not take his
eyes from off the earth. However, pushing hastily by the port-admiral,
for such was the ancient podagre, "Ah! major-general," said I to the
abashed master's mate, "I am very glad to meet with you. Have you been
to the bank this morning to cash your fifty-pound bill?"

"Don't know ye," said my friend, giving me more than the cut direct,
for, if he could have used his eyes as a sword, I should have had the
cut decisive.

"Not know me! well--but you are only joking, General Cheeks!"

The surrounding officers began to be very much amused, and the
port-admiral became extremely eager in his attention.

"Tell ye, don't know ye, younker," said my gentleman, folding his arms,
and attempting to look magnificent and strange.

"Well, that is cool. So, sir, you mean to deny that you drank two
bottles of my port wine yesterday evening, and that you did not give me
your IOU for the twenty shillings you borrowed of me? I'll trouble you,
if you please, for the money," for I was getting angry, "as I am quite a
strange