he produced them.

"Yes! I see that you are well provided. But why give up your good
berth on board the _London_?"

"Mr Rattlin, I have my reasons. Permit them, as yet, to remain secret.
There is no guilt attached to them. May I sail with you in the
capacity of your servant?"

"I have told you before that you cannot be my servant solely; you must
be the servant of the midshipmen's berth."

"Yes, with all my heart, provided that you pledge me your honour that I
shall never be put to any other duty."

I was astonished at this perseverance, and very honestly told him all
the miseries of the situation for which he seemed so ambitious. They
did not shake his resolution. I then left him, and spoke to Mr Farmer.
"Let the fool enter," was the laconic reply.

"But he will not enter but on the conditions I have mentioned, and his
protections are too good to be violated."

"Then I authorise you to make them. We are short of men."

But Joshua would not enter; he required to be pressed; so I went on
board his own merchant-ship, according to previous arrangement, and
pressed him. He made no resistance and produced no documents; he only
called the master of the ship, and the first and second officer, to
witness that he was a pressed man, and then, taking his kit with him, he
even cheerfully tripped down the side into the boat; and thus, for
nearly an eventful year, I was the instrument of placing my evil genius
near me.

CHAPTER FIFTY FIVE.

THE ART OF MISCHIEF MADE EASY--RATHER HARD UPON THE
EXPERIMENTED--"HEAVEN PRESERVE ME FROM MY FRIENDS! I'LL TAKE CARE OF MY
ENEMIES MYSELF," SAY THE HONEST SPANIARDS, AND SO SAYS HONEST RALPH.

And so, filling our cabins with invalided officers, we sailed for
England. We took home with us a convoy; and a miserable voyage we made
of it.

In taking my _soi-disant_ schoolfellow on board the _Eos_, I had shipped
with me my Mephistophiles. The former servant to the midshipmen's berth
was promoted to the mizzen-top, and Joshua Daunton inducted, with due
solemnities, to all the honours of waiting upon about half a dozen
fierce, unruly midshipmen, and as many sick supernumeraries; and he
formally took charge of all the mess-plate and munitions _de bouche_ of
this submarine establishment. There was no temptation to embezzlement.
Our little society was a commonwealth of the most democratic
description--and, as usually happens in these sort of experiments, there
was a communit