ught to see other things."

"He will do perfectly well; send the young gentleman to me, sir; but,
first inform the officer of the watch that I have need of him."

Bluewater was unusually fastidious in exercising his authority over
those who had temporary superiors on the assigned duty of the ship; and
he never sent an order to any of the watch, without causing it to pass
through the officer of that watch. He waited but a minute before the boy
appeared.

"Have you a good gripe to-night, boy?" asked the rear-admiral, smiling;
"or will it be both hands for yourself and none for the king? I want you
on the fore-top-gallant-yard, for eight or ten minutes."

"Well, sir, it's a plain road there, and one I've often travelled,"
returned the lad, cheerfully.

"That I well know; you are certainly no skulk when duty is to be done.
Go aloft then, and ascertain if the lights of any of Sir Gervaise's
squadron are to be seen. You will remember that the Dover bears
somewhere about south-west from us, and that she is still a long way to
seaward. I should think all of Sir Gervaise's ships must be quite as far
to windward as that point would bring them, but much further off. By
looking sharp a point or half a point to windward of the Dover, you may
possibly see the light of the Warspite, and then we shall get a correct
idea of the bearings of all the rest of the division--"

"Ay-ay-sir," interrupted the boy; "I think I understand exactly what you
wish to know, Admiral Bluewater."

"That is a natural gift at sixteen, my lord," returned the admiral,
smiling; "but it may be improved a little, perhaps, by the experience of
fifty. Now, it is possible Sir Gervaise may have gone about, as soon as
the flood made; in which case he ought to bear nearly west of us, and
you will also look in that direction. On the other hand, Sir Gervaise
may have stretched so far over towards the French coast before night
shut in, as to feel satisfied Monsieur de Vervillin is still to the
eastward of him; in which case he would keep off a little, and may, at
this moment, be nearly ahead of us. So that, under all the
circumstances, you will sweep the horizon, from the weather-beam to the
lee-bow, ranging forward. Am I understood, now, my lord?"

"Yes, sir, I think you are," answered the boy, blushing at his own
impetuosity. "You will excuse my indiscretion, Admiral Bluewater; but I
_thought_ I understood all you desired, when I spoke so hastily."

"No doubt