llion
coats and fine toggery, and buckling on their armor to do sad havoc
among the planters' families in the evening, away there in Upper
Kingston. As for the first lieutenant, the purser, the fleet surgeon,
the sailing-master, and the old major of marines, they had been ashore
before, and didn't care to go again; growling jocosely among themselves
on board the frigate, and glad to get rid of the juvenile gabble.

Presently, and before the hands were turned to from dinner, the cabin
bell rang so violently that the orderly's brass scale-plate fixtures on
his leather hat fairly rang too as he opened the sacred door.

"Tell the first lieutenant I want him."

The dismayed soldier forgot to lay his white worsted finger on his visor
as he slammed to the door and marched out on the gun-deck.

"Mr. Hardy, unmoor ship! Hoist a jack at the fore and fire a gun for a
pilot! Get the frigate under weigh, sir, and be quick about it!"

"Ay, ay, sir!"

As Hardy rapidly passed his old cronies, who were tramping along the
deck as he mounted the after-ladder, he said, with a nod,

"By the Lord! I haven't seen the commodore in such a breeze since he
blew that pirate out of water at Darien."

In a minute the "Monongahela's" bell struck two, and the boatswain and
his mates, piping as if their hairy throats would split, roared out,
"All hands!" and a moment later, "All hands unmoor ship!"

"What does that mean?" said a cook of a mess to Jim Dreen, the old
quarter-master, who had just come down from his watch.

"Mean? why, you lazy, blind duff b'iler, it means that I've lost my
blessed dinner."

"Hallo!" says Rat to Beaver, "what's that? Unmoor ship on my liberty
day! I swear I'll resign!"

No you won't, reefers, but you'll trip aloft as fast as your little legs
will carry you--Mouse in company--up to the fore, main, and mizzen tops,
and squeak there as much as you like; but jump about and look sharp that
nothing goes wrong, or Mr. Hardy will be down upon you like a main
tack.

Bang from the bow port and the union jack at the fore!

"God bless my soul, fellows, this is the most infernal tyranny I ever
heard of!" came from the wardroom; "all of us engaged to dine and dance
in Kingston this evening, and--"

"It's 'All hands up anchor, gentlemen!'" and away they all went.

Down went the mess-kids, and down came the awnings, and up came the
boats to their davits; in went the bars to both capstans, the nippers
clapped on, and th