! His cottage
was gone! The beach, and the pier where the nets used to hang, were
gone. The trees and fields were all gone, and there was nothing but
sea, sea, sea, all round, so that the _Fair Nancy_ seemed the only solid
thing in the whole wide world! But poor Davy did not look or wonder
long at this, for the breeze freshened, and the waves rose, and the ship
plunged, and Davy felt very queer about the stomach! There is a man in
every ship called the "steward," and everybody loves that man, because
he goes about from morning till night trying to do people good and to
make them happy. He looks after breakfasts, dinners, teas, and suppers.
He answers every one who calls, and gets for everybody anything that
they want. He is never ill, never in a hurry, never in a bad temper; in
fact, he is a very charming man.

Now, when the steward saw Davy with a pale face, and red eyes, and
awfully seasick, he went up to him with a smile, and said, "Sick, my
lad? you'll soon get used to it. Always sick when you first go to sea.
Come below and I'll give you summat to do you good, and tumble you into
your hammock." By going below the good steward meant going below the
deck into the cabin. A ship is just like a large house, divided into a
number of rooms--some of which are sitting rooms, some store and
provision rooms, some kitchens and pantries, closets and cupboards; and
there are two or three flats in some ships, so that you can go up or
down stairs at your pleasure. When Davy went down the ladder or stair,
which is called the "companion," and followed the steward through many
rooms full of all kinds of things that seemed to be all in confusion,
and saw the sailors sitting, and smoking, and laughing, and talking on
chests and tables, he almost believed that he was in a house on shore;
but then he remembered that houses on shore don't dance about and roll,
first on one side and then on the other, and plunge forwards and then
backwards; so he sighed and put his hands to his breast, which felt very
uncomfortable.

"Here's your hammock," said the steward; "all the sailors sleep in these
things, and this one is yours." So saying, he lifted Davy from the
ground and tossed him into bed. The "hammock" is a long piece of canvas
drawn in round an iron ring at each end. To this ring a number of cords
are attached, and the hammock is slung by them to the beams of the ship.
In the bed thus formed the blankets are put; and a very sn