was the reply, and the white-coated sentry walked to the end
of his beat, and made a sign to the next sentry, who came to the end of
his beat, heard what was wanted, and passed the message on, so that at
the end of a few minutes Ensign Long came slowly down to the
landing-place, with an umbrella held up to keep off the sun, and found
the boat's crew smoking, and Bob Roberts, with his cap tilted over his
eyes, sitting in the bottom of the gig, with his legs over the side, so
exactly arranged that the water rippled round the soles of his shoes,
and pleasantly cooled his feet.

"Did you wish to speak to me, Mr Roberts?" said Long, stiffly.

"Hallo, Tom, old man! Here, jump in! I've got some news for you."

Ensign Long looked very stand-offish; but the eager face of Bob, the
only one about his own age of whom he could make a companion, was too
much for him; and as Bob got up and made a place for him, Mr Ensign
Long unbent a little, and really, as well as metaphorically, undid a
button or two, and got into the captain's gig.

"I say, look here, Tom, old man, what's the use of us two always falling
out, when we could be so jolly together?" said Bob.

"I don't quite understand you," said Tom Long, stiffly. "I am not of a
quarrelsome disposition, as any of my brother officers will tell you."

"Then it must be me then who is such a quarrelsome beast, and there's my
hand, and we won't fall out any more."

Ensign Long undid a few more buttons, for it was very hot, and
condescended to shake hands.

"I'm sure it's not my wish to be bad friends," said Ensign Long. "I
think the members of the two services ought to be like brothers."

"So do I," said Bob. "I say, sentry, keep a sharp look-out for the
captain, and I'll stand a glass for you at the canteen next time I come
ashore."

"Yes, sir," said the sentry. "But p'raps, sir, I mayn't see you next
time you come ashore."

"There's an artful one for you, Tom," cried Bob, getting his hot wet
hand into his pocket with no little difficulty, and throwing the man a
fourpenny piece. "Now, look here, Tom," he continued, as the man
cleverly caught the tiny piece and thrust it in his pocket, Ensign Long
carefully closing his ear and looking in the other direction the while,
"you and I might have no end of games if we could only keep friends."

"Well, let's keep friends, then," said Tom Long.

"Agreed," said Bob, "and the first one of us who turns disagreeable, the
other is