only wet to the skin, but
narrowly escaped going to the bottom, as you know; and now, in return
for this kindness, you try to wop him, and end in getting wopped instead
yourself. Anstruther, you're an ass, and more than that, you're an
ungrateful ass; and I've half a mind to thrash you myself for your
conduct to Vernon!"

"I never thought of it in that light," said Ned, holding out his fist to
me in a different fashion to that in which I had presented mine to him
shortly before. "Let us be friends again, old chap. I'm very sorry I
struck you, Jack; but I was so jealous of your going off in the cutter
and angry at being left behind that I didn't think of what I was doing."

"Well, I'm sorry I hit you, too, my dear Ned," said I, shaking hands in
a cordial grip. "I hope I didn't hurt you much."

"You've only given me a black eye, which will make me go on the sick
list," he replied with a grin. "I can't very well appear on the
quarter-deck with the `Blue Peter' hoisted; for, the cap'en would notice
it in a minute and ask me how I came by it."

"There would be no difficulty about that," interposed Mr Stormcock;
"you could tell him the commander gave it to you, for you said just now
he was the cause of all the row, you know."

This made us both laugh, and dinner being now ready, Ned Anstruther and
I went into the gunroom together as soon as I had completed my
interrupted toilet.

Here, sitting side by side, the best of friends, and enjoying our pea
soup, no one looking at us not in the secret would have readily imagined
that any such "little unpleasantness," as I have described had just
occurred between us two; though, I am happy to be able to state, this
was our first and last quarrel, Ned and I remaining the closest chums
ever after and never subsequently having even a word squabble.

During the afternoon, the wind veered to the north-west, blowing
stronger after the sun passed the meridian and increasing hourly so much
in force that, at Four Bells, we hauled down the jib and close-reefed
the spanker, the mizzen topsail being also taken in at the same time.

There was every indication of our having a gale, the barometer having
fallen considerably since the morning; while the sea got up more and
more and the horizon ahead became banked with a mass of blue-black
clouds as dark as night, patches of lighter vapour also scudding rapidly
across the sky.

At Six Bells things began to look serious, the wind now shrie