number of
the captain's stewards that are ashore, hey! Atwood? I have seen nine of
the harpies, myself, and the other seven can't be far off."

"Here is Galleygo, Sir Gervaise," returned the secretary, smiling;
"though _he_ can scarcely be called a captain's steward, having the
honour to serve a vice-admiral and a commander-in-chief."

"Ay, but _we_ feed the whole fleet at times, and have some excuse for
being a little exacting--harkee, Galleygo--get a horse-cart, and push
off at once, four or five miles further into the country; you might as
well expect to find real pearls in fishes' eyes, as hope to pick up any
thing nice among so many gun-room and cock-pit boys. I dine ashore
to-day, but Captain Greenly is fond of mutton-chops, you'll remember."

This was said kindly, and in the manner of a man accustomed to treat his
domestics with the familiarity of humble friends. Galleygo was as
unpromising a looking butler as any gentleman ashore would be at all
likely to tolerate; but he had been with his present master, and in his
present capacity, ever since the latter had commanded a sloop of war.
All his youth had been passed as a top-man, and he was really a prime
seaman; but accident having temporarily placed him in his present
station, Captain Oakes was so much pleased with his attention to his
duty, and particularly with his order, that he ever afterwards retained
him in his cabin, notwithstanding the strong desire the honest fellow
himself had felt to remain aloft. Time and familiarity, at length
reconciled the steward to his station, though he did not formally accept
it, until a clear agreement had been made that he was not to be
considered an idler on any occasion that called for the services of the
best men. In this manner David, for such was his Christian name, had
become a sort of nondescript on board of a man-of-war; being foremost in
all the cuttings out, a captain of a gun, and was frequently seen on a
yard in moments of difficulty, just to keep his hand in, as he expressed
it, while he descended to the duties of the cabin in peaceable times and
good weather. Near thirty years had he thus been half-steward,
half-seaman when afloat, while on land he was rather a counsellor and
minister of the closet, than a servant; for out of a ship he was utterly
useless, though he never left his master for a week at a time, ashore or
afloat. The name of Galleygo was a _sobriquet_ conferred by his brother
top-men, but had be