intention of coming down, and of making him the
chief article of their supper. He was now utterly overcome with terror,
and dared not leave the shore lest he should fall into the hands of his
enemies. Yet, as he had not been supplied with food or water, he was
under the dread of dying from hunger or thirst. He sat himself down
disconsolately on a rock. The shouts continued round and above him,
which made him shrink within himself for fear.

"Oh, if ever I get back home to England it is the last time that I will
undertake to serve a writ in the West of Ireland, at all events," he
said, over and over again to himself. Still the savages did not
descend, though he every instant expected to see them rushing towards
him. At length the sounds ceased, and he sat himself down on the rock,
where he remained all the night long, afraid of moving lest he should
find himself attacked by them.

The morning broke. He saw a large ship in the offing, and after some
time a boat left her side and came towards the spot where he was
sitting. "Oh!" he thought to himself, "if I could get on board that
ship how happy I should be." No sooner did the boat's bow touch the
sand than he ran towards her. "Oh! Take me on board! Take me on board
out of this savage land!" he exclaimed. "I will do anything to serve
you! I will make myself generally useful on board! There is nothing I
will not do. Oh! Take me away out of the power of these blackamoors!"

"You may enter as a seaman, perhaps," answered the midshipman, in
command of the boat. "If you will promise to do that, we will take you
on board, but we have no idlers, and if you do not know your duty you
must learn it as quickly as you can."

Without further ado Quelch was lifted into the boat, which soon returned
to the frigate. He found that she was the "Grecian" frigate, and that
she was standing on and off the land, waiting to take the Captain and
some of the officers on board. He, however, was at once regularly
entered, and found himself speedily transferred into a man-of-war's-man.
Scarcely had he signed the papers, than loud peals of laughter broke
from the seamen round him. None, however, would explain the cause of
their merriment. At length once more the frigate put about and stood
towards the land. As he gazed at the shore, he could not help fancying
that its appearance was very much like that of the neighbourhood of
Ballyswiggan. At length he put the question to on