le.

Titely groaned aloud.

"Steady, sir!" whispered the man. "That was a regular pig's whisper,
and no mistake.--Quiet, you lubber!" he added, giving his messmate a
shake. "Don't bully him, sir; his wound's made him a bit silly like,
and he don't quite know what he's about, or he wouldn't howl aloud like
that."

"Here, stop that," came from out of the darkness. "Who is it--you,
Frank? Don't play the fool with a fellow. It makes me so jolly giddy,
and it hurts."

"I'm not doing anything, Dick," whispered Murray. "Oh, do be quiet, old
chap! Can't you understand that your wound has made you turn weak, and
that the enemy are somewhere close at hand?"

"No! It all goes round and round and round. Stop it, will you?"

"Dick, I'm doing nothing," said Murray despairingly. "Be quiet, or
you'll betray us to the enemy."

"Hang the enemy! Who cares for the enemy? I'm not going to run away
from a set of woolly-headed niggers. Let's fight them and have done
with it."

"Say, Mr Murray, sir, we've got in a hole this time. Arn't you 'most
as bad as me?"

"Worse, Tom--worse!" groaned Murray.

"Oh, you couldn't be worse, sir," said the man hastily; "but you can't
tell me which way to go, can you?"

"No, Tom; the darkness seems to have quite confused me, and if I tell
you to make a start we're just as likely to run upon the enemy as to go
after Mr Anderson."

"That's so, sir; and that arn't the worst of it."

"There can be no worse, Tom," said Murray despondently.

"Oh yes, sir, there can, for you see it arn't you and me alone to look
after one another; we've each got a messmate on our hands, for I s'pose
it wouldn't be right for you to leave Mr Roberts to shift for hisself,
no more than it would for me to leave Billy Titely."

"Of course not, poor fellows; we must stand by them to the last."

"That's your sort, sir. A sailor allers stands by his messmate; but
they are a pair of okkard ones just now, just at a time when it's dark
as the bottom of a pitch kettle full right up to the very top. But do
say something, Mr Murray, sir."

"Say, Tom! I've got nothing to say."

"I know some one who will have, sir, when we come acrorst him, and
that's Mr Anderson, sir." Murray groaned.

"I think I shall get behind you, sir," said the big sailor, with a
chuckle, "so as he can take the sharp edge off his tongue on you first."

"Tom May!" whispered the midshipman bitterly. "How can you laugh at a
time like t