n after his reinstatement as corporal for his gallantry in
the assault on the Taku Forts, appeared at the door of the gunroom in
his old fashion, being yet retained by express permission as Dr
Nettleby's factotum.

"Plaize, yer 'onner," said he, addressing Larkyns, who was still caterer
of the mess and the senior in rank of those present, as he was twanging
away at his banjo with infinite zest, "the docthor sez if ye can't be
aisy he axes ye to be as aisy as ye can."

An uproarious shout was all the answer he got; and, grinning from ear to
ear, he retreated, only to be succeeded by the master-at-arms, who came
down to put out the lights by the commander's orders, when those who had
not to go on night duty turned in and peace was restored.

Sailing with the south-west monsoon, we did not have so speedy a passage
homeward as we did when outward bound, but we made way southward as well
as we could, close-hauled, and reached the Cape two months after passing
through Java Heads.

At Simon's Bay we refitted ship and took in fresh supplies; and while we
remained getting these latter on board several old friends came to see
us from Cape Town.

Amongst these was no other than Don Ferdinando Olivarez, who told us he
had given up the sea as a profession.

He still adventured on the deep, however, despite his memorable
experiences of its perils; for, he said, he had to voyage about a good
deal from port to port in the prosecution of his new avocation as the
agent for a large firm of wine exporters at Cadiz, where he lived when
at home, being now married.

At Captain Farmer's request, Don Olivarez took passage with us to
Madeira; and while on board with us made himself, if possible, better
liked than before.

All of us parted with him with regret when he left us at Funchal, where
we put in to land him and correct an error in our chronometers, which
had gone wrong from an accident resulting from a violent thunderstorm we
fell in with when crossing the Equator for the last time, in which the
ship got struck by the lightning, when the captain's cabin, where the
chronometers were kept, was seriously damaged by the electric fluid.

From Madeira to England we had fair winds and fine weather, crossing the
Bay of Biscay, which had given us so much trouble going out, with all
our kites flying and the wind well in the quarter, which made all the
old hands say that the "Portsmouth girls had got hold of our towrope."

Talking of the