he worst of it. 'Twas a decided thing, Greenly, to
engage such an odds in a gale; but we owe our success, most probably, to
the audacity of the attack. Had the enemy believed it possible, it is
probable he would have frustrated it. Well, Master Galleygo, I'm glad to
see you unhurt! What is your pleasure?"

"Why, Sir Jarvy, I've two opportunities, as a body might say, on the
poop, just now. One is to shake hands, as we always does a'ter a brush,
you knows, sir, and to look a'ter each other's health; and the other is
to report a misfortin that will bear hard on this day's dinner. You see,
Sir Jarvy, I had the dead poultry slung in a net, over the live stock,
to be out of harm's way; well, sir, a shot cut the lanyard, and let all
the chickens down by the run, in among the gun-room grunters; and as
they never half feeds them hanimals, there isn't as much left of the
birds as would make a meal for a sick young gentleman. To my notion, no
one ought to _have_ live stock but the commanders-in-chief."

"To the devil with you and the stock! Give me a shake of the hand, and
back into your top--how came you, sir, to quit your quarters without
leave?"

"I didn't, Sir Jarvy. Seeing how things was a going on, among the pigs,
for our top hoverlooks the awful scene, I axed the young gentleman to
let me come down to condole with your honour; and as they always lets me
do as I axes, in such matters, why down I come. We has had one rattler
in at our top, howsever, that came nigh lo clear us all out on it!"

"Is any spar injured?" asked Sir Gervaise, quickly. "This must be looked
to--hey! Greenly?"

"Not to signify, your honour; not to signify. One of them French
eighteens aboard the prize just cocked its nose up, as the ship lurched,
and let fly a round 'un and a grist of grape, right into our faces. I
see'd it coming and sung out 'scaldings;' and 'twas well I did. We all
ducked in time, and the round 'un cleared every thing, but a handful of
the marbles are planted in the head of the mast, making the spar look
like a plum-pudding, or a fellow with the small-pox."

"Enough of this. You are excused from returning to the top;--and,
Greenly, beat the retreat. Bunting, show the signal for the retreat from
quarters. Let the ships pipe to breakfast, if they will."

This order affords a fair picture of the strange admixture of feelings
and employments that characterize the ordinary life of a ship. At one
moment, its inmates find themselves