. Yellow Jack may lay his fist on
us, or a hurricane may send our craft to the bottom; so, you see, I have
thought it better to do up a little packet, which, in case of anything
happening to me, I wish you would give to Bertha from me. I don't wish
to die, but in case I should, tell her that my last thoughts were about
her, and my prayers for her welfare. Oh! Marmaduke, she is one in a
thousand. Cherish her as the apple of your eye. You do not know her
excellences."

He went on very justly praising Bertha for some time, till there was a
tremulousness came into his voice which compelled him to stop, and I
very nearly blubbered outright. At last he told me to return to the
Doris, and come and dine with him the next day.

"That is to say," he added, "if Yellow Jack has not got a grip of me in
the meantime."

With a heavy heart I went back to the frigate. I took two or three
turns on deck, considering if I could do anything, when it occurred to
me that I would confide the matter to Mr Johnson, and get his advice,
and, it might be, assistance. I found him as usual, when the duties of
the day were over, seated in his cabin, reading a book by the light of a
ship's lantern. He put down his book when I entered, and seeing by my
countenance that something was wrong, said--

"What is the matter now, Mr Merry? I'll do what I can, depend on
that."

I told him all I knew, and asked him if there was any way of preventing
my cousin being shot. He looked grave and thoughtful.

"And these men pretend to have sense in their heads!" he muttered.
"Sense! they haven't ten grains of it. Haven't they a chance, every day
of their lives, of having their brains knocked out all in the way of
duty, and they must needs try and kill each other very contrary to the
way of duty. I never really wished to be a Lord of the Admiralty, but
if I was, and had my way, I would break every officer who called out
another, or accepted a challenge, or acted as second."

"Then you'd have those hung who killed their men?" I exclaimed,
entering into his views.

"No, I would not. I would leave them to the just punishment their own
consciences would inflict ere long," he answered gravely. "But I would
not allow men like Captain Staghorn to retain His Majesty's commission,
and to ride roughshod over his brother officers, just because he fears
God's wrath less than they do. But you ask me how this duel is to be
prevented? If you were to let th