agonist so soon again, his friendly feelings towards whom
were not increased by the foot of Larkyns giving him a "lift" up the
hatchway as the pair scrambled on deck together, the cadet,
unfortunately for himself, being a trifle ahead of the midshipman.

The first lieutenant, or "glass-eye" as the men called him, went out at
once on the forecastle, where a number of the hands, under the
superintendence of Mr Hawser, the boatswain, were already engaged
rigging the fish davit and overhauling the anchor gear, with Mr Bitpin
and Morgan looking on to see that everything was done properly.

"Charley" Gilham, and "Gunnery Jack," stopped down on the main deck to
look after the capstan, which was soon surrounded by a squad of
"jollies" under the command of one of the marine officers, Lieutenant
Wagstaff, a fellow as tall as a maypole and with a headpiece of very
similar material!

Mr Jellaby, however, not knowing where his deputy, Mr Bitpin, might
be, came up on the quarter-deck; but he had no sooner appeared there
than the commander despatched him to another station.

"Please go down at once to the lower deck, Mr Jellaby," said he, on
catching sight of him. "I want you to attend to the working of the
cables. See how smart you can be with those new hands we have from the
foretop!"

"Very good, sir," replied "Joe," all on the alert in an instant. "I
will go down directly."

Away he accordingly went; whereupon, I, having nothing special to do,
and seeing everyone else appointed to some station or other, was just
scuttling down the hatchway after him when the Commander called me back.

"Stop here, Mr Vernon," he cried. "I want you to act as my messenger
again. Try if you can be as useful as the one they have to bring in the
cable with. I suppose you know what sort of `messenger' that is, eh?"

"Oh, yes, sir," I replied glibly enough. "It is a species of endless
chain, passing round the base of the capstan amidships, and through a
stationary block called a `controller' on the forepart of the lower
deck, to which the cable is attached by nippers as it comes through the
hawse-hole inboard; and, as the capstan is hove round, the messenger
drags the cable up, the nippers being released and taken forward again
to get a fresh grip, while the slack of the cable passes down the deck
pipes into the cable lockers below, sir."

"Very well answered, youngster," said Commander Nesbitt, approvingly,
when I had reeled off this lon