row morning, when he comes to
his senses, I have no doubt he'll be thankful to enter."

"I'm glad to hear you've got him safe at last, and I know you'll look
after him," said Rayner.

Next morning Tom, not knowing that Rayner was on board, or how he
himself came there, entered as an ordinary seaman, which placed him in
an inferior position to Jack Peek, who might soon, from his activity and
good conduct, be raised to the rank of a petty officer.

Our hero paid a last visit to Mrs Crofton and Mary, promising, as they
asked him to do, to write whenever he could obtain an opportunity.

At length the _Lily_, a fine corvette, carrying twenty guns on a flush
deck and a complement of one hundred and twenty men, was ready for sea.

On going down the Sound she found the _Latona_, which ship she was to
assist in convoying a fleet of merchantmen brought up in Cawsand Bay.

As the men-of-war approached, the merchant vessels, to the number of
nearly fifty, got under way and stood down Channel. It was pretty hard
work to keep them together, and the corvette was employed in continually
firing signals to urge on the laggers, or to prevent the faster craft
from running out of sight. What with shortening and making sail and
signalling, together with getting a newly commissioned ship into trim,
the time of all on board was pretty well occupied, and Rayner had no
opportunity of learning anything about Tom Fletcher. A bright look-out
was kept on every side, for an enemy might at any moment appear,
especially at night, when it was possible some daring privateer might
pounce down and attempt to carry off one of the merchantmen, just as a
hawk picks off a hapless chicken from a brood watched over so carefully
by the hen.

The wind was fair, the sea calm, and the traders bound for Jamaica
safely reached Port Royal harbour, the remainder being convoyed to the
other islands by the _Latona_ and _Lily_, which were afterwards to be
sent to cruise in search of the enemy's privateers. Our hero had not
forgotten Tom Fletcher, but watched in the hopes of doing him a service
Jack's report of him had not been favourable. He had talked of going
home to his father, and had plenty of money in his pocket to do so, but
instead of that he had gone to dancing-houses and similar places
resorted to by seamen, where his money rapidly disappeared. He might
have fallen into the docks, or died in the streets, had not Jack found
him and brought him on boar