indly, seeing how
dumbfounded he looked; wherefore, the modest fellow, actually blushing
at the unexpected honour bestowed on him, mounted the poop-ladder in a
much more gingerly fashion than he would have done if he had been told
to take his trick at the wheel or exercise some sailor's job aft.
However, as soon as he got alongside the captain and Mr Marline, they
both shook hands with him, in order to give him a proper welcome to his
new station, and the steward singing out a few minutes afterwards that
dinner was ready, he was invited down into the cabin to "christen" his
promotion, as it were, by partaking of that meal, in token of his being
admitted to a social equality with his superior officers.

I may add, too, that if his sudden rise in rank was unexpected, Jackson
did not take long to settle down to his new duties, proving himself ere
long a much better officer in every way than his predecessor. The men,
too, were not in the least jealous of his being placed over them, but
executed his orders with alacrity; for, he exercised his authority
judiciously, remembering his former position--albeit he was ever a rigid
and impartial disciplinarian.

"After a storm comes a calm," says the old adage, but the reverse of
this axiom holds equally good at sea.

It was so, at all events, in our instance; for, after our ten days of
stagnation on the rolling ocean, a change came almost as suddenly as the
calm had set in, the weather breaking towards the close of the very day
that had witnessed the downfall of Davis and Jackson's elevation to the
dignity of the poop.

Every evening during the continuance of the calm, as I think I have
mentioned, the sun went down below the horizon like a ball of fire,
while a thick misty fog afterwards enveloped the sea; but this day when
we came on deck after dinner, about the middle of the second dog watch,
the sky, for a wonder, was quite clear, and the glorious orb sank to
rest with some of that old splendour of his which I had noticed when we
were threading our way amongst the islands. Long after he had
disappeared, too, from view the heavens were lit up with a ruby radiance
which was reflected below in the water, making it look like a crimson
ocean.

"We're going to have a change at last, Marline," said Captain Miles
rubbing his hands together. "It is better late than never!"

"Aye," responded the first mate who stood by the binnacle; "the
question, though, is, what change?"

"H