Cape Chatham, and when bedtime came, Captain Brentwood,
honest gentleman, went off to rest, and having said his prayers and
wound up his watch, prepared for a comfortable night's rest, as if
nothing was the matter.

He soon found his mistake. He had got his boots off, and was sitting
pensively at his bedside, meditating further disrobements, when Jim
entered mysteriously, and quietly announced that his whole life in
future would be a weary burden if he didn't get a commission in the
army, or at least a cadetship in the East India Company's service. Him
the Captain settled by telling, that if he didn't change his mind in a
month he'd see about it, and so packed him off to bed. Secondly, as he
was taking off his coat, wondering exceedingly at Jim's communication,
Sam appeared, and humbly and respectfully informed him that he had that
day proposed to his daughter and been accepted,--provisionally; hoping
that the Captain would not disapprove of him as a sonin-law. He was
also rapidly packed off to bed, by the assurance that he (Brentwood)
had never felt so happy in his life, and had been sincerely hoping that
the young folks would fall in love with one another for a year past.

So, Sam dismissed, the Captain got into bed; but as soon as the light
was blown out two native cats began grunting under the washing-stand,
and he had to get out, and expel them in his shirt; and finally he lost
his temper and began swearing. "Is a man never to get to sleep?" said
he. "The devil must be abroad tonight, if ever he was in his life."

No sleep that night for Captain Brentwood. His son, asking for a
commission in the army, and his daughter going to be married! Both
desirable enough in their way, but not the sort of facts to go to sleep
over, particularly when fired off in his ear just as he was lying down.
So he lay tossing about, more or less uncomfortable all night, but
dozed off just as the daylight began to show more decidedly in the
window. He appeared to have slept from thirty to thirty-five seconds,
when Jim awoke him with,--

"It's time to get up, father, if you are going to Cape Chatham to-day."

"D--n Cape Chatham," was his irreverent reply when Jim was gone, which
sentiment has been often re-echoed by various coasting skippers in
later times. "Why, I haven't been to sleep ten minutes,--and a frosty
morning, too. I wish it would rain. I am not vindictive, but I do
indeed. Can't the young fools go alone, I wonder? No; hang