oke
the other man out of his drunken trance, but it was some time before he
could comprehend what had happened. He was not a father, and when at
length he came to his senses, he, with brutal indifference abused his
companion for disturbing him. As I stood over the skylight which had
been got off to give air to the little stifling cabin, I heard him growl
out, "Jim's gone, has he? his own fault then, not to keep a better
look-out. It's he, then, who's brought us into this scrape; and I don't
see why you should make such a jaw for what can't be helped. There now,
old man, just belay all that, and let me finish my snooze. We can't
hang for it, you know; there, there, now,"--and he actually turned on
his side and went off to sleep again. At length the father of the
drowned lad wore himself out and fell off, it seemed, into a sort of
stupor.

"I never knew no good come of smuggling," observed Thole, rather
sententiously. "What they makes they spends as fast as they gets, and
no one's the better for it."

Nobody had a better right than had he to know this, for he had been
somewhat addicted to the practice in his youth, and had in consequence
been sent on board a man-of-war. The flood and fair wind carried us
right into Portsmouth Harbour, where I dropped my anchor and pulled on
shore to report my arrival to the custom-house authorities. I was in
one respect sorry that my cruise was over, because I was obliged to
descend from my rank as commander to that of midshipman; but as I hoped
some day to regain it, I did not grieve much about it, especially as I
expected to be soon able to set off and pay Larry a visit. The two
smugglers were sent to prison; one afterwards entered on board of a
man-of-war; the unhappy father died raving mad in the hospital, calling
himself the murderer of his son.

Thus ended what I may consider my first cruise.

CHAPTER FOUR.

MYERS THE SMUGGLER--I LEARN TO PLAY THE FIDDLE--SMELL GUNPOWDER--ACTION
WITH A LUGGER--LEFT IN THE LURCH.

The cutter soon after came in, and after seeing my men safe on board
her, I got leave for a day to pay a visit to Larry. On ringing, I heard
him stumping downstairs to open the door. When he saw me, he could
scarcely contain his delight; and forgetting etiquette and all rules and
precedents, he seized me in his arms as if I had been a baby, and almost
squeezed the breath out of my body. Though I had not been away six
weeks, he vowed that I had grown