d him aft to
the captain.

"Now let me introduce my friend, Mr Richard Hargrave. I can especially
recommend him to you, sir, as a young man of sterling worth, possessed
of talents of no ordinary kind, and he has twice saved my life."

The captain, to Dick's great surprise, shook him cordially by the hand.
"I shall be happy, Lord Reginald, to do my best to serve him," he said,
not recognising Dick as one of his crew.

"The greatest favour you can do me would be to place him on the
quarter-deck, and I can answer for it that he will prove an ornament to
the service," answered Lord Reginald.

Perhaps no one was more astonished than was Mr Curling, who remembered
Dick, though the others did not, and also the ill feeling shown towards
him by Lord Reginald, but he kept his counsel, waiting to hear the
captain's reply.

"He is rather old to enter the service, but as I am glad to do anything
you wish, and to reward him for saving your life, I cannot refuse your
request," answered the captain; "and as we have several vacancies which
I can fill up, I will appoint Mr Hargrave as one of the midshipmen of
this ship."

Lord Reginald expressed his gratitude to the captain, and, shaking Dick
by the hand, heartily congratulated him on his promotion. "I ought to
have said, sir, that he has served on board this ship, and I think the
officers who observed him will acknowledge that he always did his duty."

"I can answer for that," said the first lieutenant. "I am truly glad to
find that I was not mistaken in the opinion I long ago formed of him."

"Now, my dear Hargrave," said Lord Reginald, "I must introduce you to
the other midshipmen. They will all be eager to hear an account of our
adventures on the island, and I am sure you need have no fear as to the
way they will receive you."

Before, however, Lord Reginald took him into the berth he got him rigged
out in a uniform supplied by the purser, which, with other articles of
clothing belonging to Voules, made up his outfit.

The midshipmen received Dick in a friendly manner, no allusion being
made to his former rating. He took the first opportunity of paying a
visit to the cabin of Mr Bitts the boatswain.

"I thought I knew you when you came on board, but was not certain enough
to go up and speak to you," said Mr Bitts. "And now, Mr Hargrave,
pray understand that though I did use my rattan now and then pretty
sharply, I did it for your good, but as I had then a sincere w