.

There are those in the village, however, who are better acquainted with
some chapters from the story of my life--passages of it which they have
heard from my own lips, for I am never disinclined _to relate to_ those
who may be worthy of hearing it any interesting adventure through which
I may have passed; and even in our quiet village I have found an
audience that merits the narrator. Schoolboys have been my listeners;
for there is a famous school near the village--an "establishment for
young gentlemen" it is styled--and it is from this I draw my most
attentive auditory.

These boys and I used to meet in our rambles along the shore, and
observing my weather-beaten, salt-water look, they fancied that I could
tell them tales of wild scenes and strange incidents that I had
encountered far over the sea. Our meetings were frequent--almost
daily--and soon a friendly acquaintance sprung up between us; until, at
their solicitation, I began to relate to them an occasional adventure of
my life. Often I may have been observed, seated upon the "bent" grass
of the beach, encircled by a crowd of these well-dressed youths, whose
parted lips and eager eyes betokened the interest they felt in my
narrations.

I am not ashamed to declare that I, too, felt pleasure in this sort of
thing: like all old soldiers and sailors, who proverbially delight to
"fight their battles o'er again."

These desultory recitals continued for some time, until one day, as I
met my young friends in the ordinary way, only somewhat earlier than
common, I saw that there was something unusual in the wind. They
mustered stronger than was their wont, and I noticed that one of them--
the biggest boy of the crowd--held a folded paper in his hand, upon
which I could perceive there was writing.

As I drew near, the paper was placed in my hands without a word being
said; and I saw by the superscription that it was directed to myself.

I opened the paper, and soon perceived the nature of its contents. It
was a "petition" signed by all the boys present. It ran thus:--

"Dear Captain,--We have been allowed holiday for the whole of to-day;
and we know of no way in which we could spend it with so much of
pleasure and profit, as by listening to you. We have therefore taken
the liberty of asking you to indulge us, by the narration of some
remarkable incident that has happened to you. A stirring passage we
should prefer, for we know that many of thes