n the gangway ladder, he turned, and said
aloud to his first-lieutenant, "Should the admiral and Captain so-and-so
arrive before I return give my compliments and say that I was compelled
to go on shore, but shall be back immediately." I found that Captain
Staghorn had invited a large party to breakfast with him on that
morning, and that their arrival on board was every minute expected.
"Ay, ay, sir," answered the first-lieutenant; and Captain Staghorn and
Major O'Grady took their seats. The oars fell with a splash into the
water, and the gig darted away in the direction taken by the Pearl's
boat. I watched the two boats pulling up the harbour as long as they
continued in sight. I had never in my life felt so anxious and grieved.
From what I had been told of Captain Staghorn, and of his wonderful
skill as a shot, I did not for a moment doubt that my poor cousin's life
was completely in his power, and from the words uttered by that
evil-visaged major, I had a dreadful apprehension that he would exercise
his skill to my relative's destruction. My grief was not only on his
account, but on that of my dear sister Bertha. I thought of the bitter
sorrow she would suffer when she heard how he had died. Had he been
killed in action with the enemies of his country, she would have mourned
his loss long and deeply; for time, I knew, would soften such sorrow;
but to hear that, weakly yielding to an abominable custom, he had died
infringing the laws of God and man, would prove to a person with a mind
and opinions such as hers almost unsupportable. "It will kill her, it
will kill her!" I kept exclaiming to myself, and I could scarcely help
wringing my hands and giving way to tears. I have often since thought,
that if boys and men did but reflect more than they are apt to do of the
sorrow and suffering which their acts may cause to those they leave at
home, whom they love dearly, and on whom they would be really unwilling
to inflict the slightest pain, they would often pause before they
plunged into sin and folly. I fancied that no one would know what the
two captains had gone about, and was walking the deck in solitude,
meditating, as I have said, on the cruel event about to occur, when I
was accosted by the midshipman who had paid the Doris a visit a few days
before, and invited down to breakfast.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

I was ushered with due form into the midshipmen's berth of the Daring.
A large party were assembled, dis