ets of a boat waiting alongside
to receive him. The rest was easy; we pulled ashore, lifted our
burden--still on the stretcher--out of the boat, and carried him up to
the hospital, where he was at once placed in a bed that had been made
ready to receive him. And all this without awaking him, so that when at
length he opened his eyes it was to find himself comfortably settled in
a fine, light, airy ward, with one of the hospital surgeons re-dressing
his wound. The change did him immediate good, and before I left the
building I had the satisfaction of learning that there was a possibility
of his recovery, although very little likelihood that he would ever be
fit for active service again. Meanwhile the rest of the wounded, or
rather such of them as it was deemed advisable to place in the hospital,
had also been taken ashore, and I was free to attend to other matters.

It is not necessary to describe in detail the conduct of all the
business that I found it would be necessary for me to transact. Suffice
it to say that I had a most satisfactory interview with the commodore of
the station, at the end of which he complimented me very highly upon
what he was pleased to designate as "the sound judgment and great
gallantry" with which I had played my part, not only in the capture of
the brigantine, but also in the affair of the _Indian Queen_. And, as a
crowning mark of his approval, he presented me with an acting order as
lieutenant, with an assurance that I might trust to him to see it
confirmed. Emboldened by this favourable reception on the part of the
great man, I ventured to hint that I believed poor Fawcett's recovery
would be greatly hastened if he could be reasonably assured of getting
his promotion, to which the old fellow very kindly replied:

"Leave that to me, my lad, leave that to me; I am not so very old yet
that I am not able to remember how you youngsters feel in the matter of
promotion, or to sympathise with you. I shall probably be seeing Mr
Fawcett to-day, and I venture to hope that my visit will do him more
good than all the doctors in the hospital. Come and dine with me to-
night; I want to hear the story of that _Indian Queen_ affair in a
little more detail, and there are other matters upon which I may have
something to say to you. And bring your shipmate--what did you say his
name is? Keene--ah, yes, bring Mr Keene with you!"

Full of elation at the good news that I felt I had to communicate to