down after him; he was stunned, and I thought this a good
opportunity to pull off his wig, which I did very dexterously, and
concealed it. He was taken into the gun-room, and the surgeon called,
while I walked up on deck, and quietly dropped the wig overboard at the
gangway.

My reason for doing this was, that having no idea that my trick would
have created so much confusion, and have turned up the officers and men
as it did, I thought that the purser's wig would, the next morning,
account for the smell of fire, and an investigation take place, which,
although it might not lead to discovery, would certainly lead to
suspicion; so the wig was now floating away, and with the wig went away
all evidence.

After a search of nearly half an hour, nothing was discovered; the
drummer was ordered to beat the retreat, and all was quiet again.

I went to bed quite satisfied with the events of the night, and slept
the sleep of innocence--at least I slept just as soundly.

This mysterious affair ever remained a mystery: the only loss was the
purser's wig, but that was nothing, as Mr Culpepper acknowledged that
he did not know himself what he was about, and, for all he knew to the
contrary, he might have thrown it overboard.

My conduct on this occasion again gained me great credit. It had been
remarked by the captain and officers, and I rose in estimation. How I
might have behaved had I really supposed that the ship was on fire, is
quite another affair--I presume not quite so fearlessly. As it was, I
was resolved to take all the credit given to me and for that reason it
was not till a long while afterwards, that I hinted the secret even to
Bob Cross.

CHAPTER NINETEEN.

The next morning, when we arrived at Funchal, we found that our orders
were for the West Indies: we stayed one day to take in wine and then
hove up the anchor, and went on to our destination. We soon got into
the trades, and run them fast down till we arrived at Carlisle Bay,
Barbadoes, where we found the admiral and delivered our despatches. We
were ordered to water and complete as soon as possible, as we were to be
sent on a cruise.

Tommy Dott, my quondam ally, was in disgrace. He had several times
during the cruise proposed that I should join him in several plots of
mischief, but I refused, as I did not consider them quite safe.

"You are not the keen fellow I thought you were," said he; "you are up
to nothing now; there's no fun in you, as t