ou dog, there's my fist;
I forgive you, for the love you bear to my godson. Go, man your tackle,
and hoist a cask of strong beer into the yard, knock out the bung, and
put a pump in it, for the use of all my servants and neighbours; and,
d'ye hear, let the patereroes be fired, and the garrison illuminated,
as rejoicings for the safe arrival of your master. By the Lord! if I had
the use of these d--d shambling shanks, I would dance a hornpipe with
the best of you."

The next object of his attention was Mr. Jolter, who was honoured with
particular marks of distinction, and the repeated promise of enjoying
the living in his gift, as an acknowledgment of the care and discretion
with which he had superintended the education and morals of our hero.
The governor was so affected by the generosity of his patron, that the
tears ran down his cheeks, while he expressed his gratitude, and the
infinite satisfaction he felt in contemplating the accomplishments of
his pupil.

Meanwhile, Pipes did not neglect the orders he had received. The beer
was produced, the gates were thrown open for the admission of all
comers, the whole house was lighted up, and the patereroes were
discharged in repeated volleys. Such phenomena could not fail to attract
the notice of the neighbourhood. The club at Tunley's were astonished
at the report of the guns, which produced various conjectures among the
members of that sagacious society. The landlord observed, that, in all
likelihood, the commodore was visited by hobgoblins, and ordered the
guns to be fired in token of distress, as he had acted twenty years
before, when he was annoyed by the same grievance. The exciseman, with
a waggish sneer, expressed his apprehension of Trunnion's death,
in consequence of which the patereroes might be discharged with an
equivocal intent, either as signals of his lady's sorrow or rejoicing.
The attorney signified a suspicion of Hatchway's being married to Miss
Pickle, and that the firing and illuminations were in honour of the
nuptials; upon which Gamaliel discovered some faint signs of emotion,
and, taking the pipe from his mouth, gave it as his opinion, that his
sister was brought to bed.

While they were thus bewildered in the maze of their own imaginations,
a company of countrymen, who sat drinking in the kitchen, and whose legs
were more ready than their invention, sallied out to know the meaning
of these exhibitions. Understanding that there was a butt of strong