as
awakened by the noise of his approach, and finding herself in such an
unusual position, sprang out of bed and rushed furiously for the door,
bleating wildly, and rolling about like a brig in a tornado, partly from
intoxication and partly from the night-dress which impeded her
movements. As Anchorstock saw this extraordinary apparition bearing down
upon him, he uttered a yell and fell flat upon his face, convinced that
he had to do with a supernatural visitor, the more so as the
confederates heightened the effect by a chorus of most ghastly groans
and cries. The joke had nearly gone beyond what was originally intended,
for the quartermaster lay as one dead, and it was only with the greatest
difficulty that he could be brought to his senses. To the end of the
voyage he stoutly asserted that he had seen the distant Mrs.
Anchorstock, remarking with many oaths that though he was too woundily
scared to take much note of the features, there was no mistaking the
strong smell of rum which was characteristic of his better half.

"It chanced shortly after this to be the king's birthday, an event which
was signalised aboard the _Lightning_ by the death of the commander
under singular circumstances. This officer, who was a real fairweather
Jack, hardly knowing the ship's keel from her ensign, had obtained his
position through parliamentary interest, and used it with such tyranny
and cruelty that he was universally execrated. So unpopular was he that
when a plot was entered into by the whole crew to punish his misdeeds
with death, he had not a single friend among six hundred souls to warn
him of his danger. It was the custom on board the king's ships that upon
his birthday the entire ship's company should be drawn up upon deck, and
that at a signal they should discharge their muskets into the air in
honour of his Majesty. On this occasion word had been secretly passed
round for every man to slip a slug into his firelock, instead of the
blank cartridge provided. On the boatswain blowing his whistle the men
mustered upon deck and formed line, whilst the captain, standing well in
front of them, delivered a few words to them. 'When I give the word,' he
concluded, 'you shall discharge your pieces, and by thunder, if any man
is a second before or a second after his fellows I shall trice him up to
the weather rigging!' With these words he roared 'Fire!' on which every
man levelled his musket straight at his head and pulled the trigger. So