are you going to do with it?"

"Dick was going to give it to you, sir," said Bob, smiling.

"Give it--to me?" cried the doctor. "Thanks; no, my man, I must draw
the line somewhere. Keep it on board. Climb the rigging, and that sort
of thing. Here, you Roberts, tell the captain I'm here."

Bob went off, and then brought a message to the doctor, who went into
the cabin. On returning to where Dick was standing, that worthy was
scratching in a melancholy way at his head.

"I'm 'bout done over this here monkey, sir," he said. "I can't go and
get the chap to take him back."

"Keep him, and make a pet of him, Dick," said the middy, holding out a
lump of sugar to the subject of their conversation.

"No, sir, that wouldn't do. The skipper wouldn't stand it; and besides,
if the monkey was mine the chaps would lead him such a life, teaching
him to smoke tobacco and drink grog. Will you have him, sir?"

"No, Dick," was the reply. "I've no money to spend on monkeys."

"I didn't mean that, sir," said Dick. "I meant it for a present for the
doctor. Will you have him as a present, and take care of him?"

"Of course I will, Dick, but I don't like taking it."

"Why, bless your 'art, Mr Roberts, sir, you'd be doing me a kindness by
taking of it. You take it, and you can larn him all sorts of tricks.
Why, look at the pretty crittur, how he takes to you!"

"Pretty crittur, indeed!" cried Bob. "You mean how he takes to the
sugar. Here, come along, old man. Come, rouse up."

To Bob's surprise the monkey got up, and came close to him, while upon
Dick making a motion as if to refasten the chain, the animal snarled and
snapped at him.

"There now, look at that," cried Dick. "You see you'll have to take it,
Master Roberts, sir."

"I'll take him for a day or two," said Bob; "but I expect the skipper
won't let me keep it."

"Lor' bless you, sir, he'll let you keep it, see if he don't," said the
old sailor, and his words proved true.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

HOW BOB ROBERTS WENT A-FISHING.

Bob Roberts liked having the monkey, but there was a sore side to the
matter; it was unpleasant to hear that the first lieutenant had said
that one monkey was enough in the ship, and they did not want two.

"It's as good as telling me to my face that I'm a monkey," said Bob to
himself. "Now look here, I shall just go and ask him to lend me the
dinghy to sit in and fish, and old Dick to manage it; and if he says no,
I shall j