_he_ had a luff upon luff!"

"I've heard the carpenter overhauling them matters," remarked Sam Wad,
another quarter-gunner, "and he chalked it all out by the square and
compass. It seems reasonable, too."

"If you'd seen Jack's head dragging his body overboard, just like the
Frenchman dragging his wreck under his lee, you'd ha' _thought_ it
reasonable. What's a fellow's shoulders for, but to give a spread to his
shrouds, which lead down the neck and are set up under the arms
somewhere. They says a great deal about the heart, and I reckons it's
likely every thing is key'd there."

"Harkee, Ned," observed a quarter-master, who knew little more than the
mess generally, "if what you say is true, why don't these shrouds lead
straight from the head to the shoulders, instead of being all tucked up
under a skin in the neck? Answer me that, now."

"Who the devil ever saw a ship's shrouds that wasn't cat-harpened in!"
exclaimed Ned, with some heat. "A pretty hand a wife would make of it,
in pulling her arms around a fellow's neck if the rigging spread in the
way you mean! Them things is all settled according to reason when a
chap's keel's laid."

This last argument seemed to dispose of the matter, the discourse
gradually turning on, and confining itself to the merits of the
deceased.

Sir Gervaise had directed Galleygo to prepare his breakfast as soon as
the people were piped to their own; but he was still detained on deck in
consequence of a movement in one of his vessels, to which it has now
become necessary more particularly to recur.

The appearance of the Druid to the northward, early in the morning, will
doubtless be remembered by the reader. When near enough to have it made
out, this frigate had shown her number; after which she rested satisfied
with carrying sail much harder than any vessel in sight. When the fleets
engaged, she made an effort to set the fore-top-sail, close-reefed, but
several of the critics in the other ships, who occasionally noticed her
movements, fancied that some accident must have befallen her, as the
canvass was soon taken in, and she appeared disposed to remain content
with the sail carried when first seen. As this ship was materially to
windward of the line, and she was running the whole time a little free,
her velocity was much greater than that of the other vessels, and by
this time she had got so near that Sir Gervaise observed she was fairly
abeam of the Plantagenet, and a little t