uttled, and sank before we boarded her." "Were her guns brass
or iron?" "Iron," said I, "and not worth bringing on board; there were
four brass one-pound swivels, but those were taken by the lieutenant of
the commodore's boat, and he ungenerously claimed the red flag I had
hauled down, but I refused to give it up." Whilst this conversation was
going on, a boat from the _Alarm_ came alongside with a midshipman and a
written order from the commodore for me to give up, no longer the flag of
defiance but that of dispute. "I think," said the captain, "you had better
comply with the order." On seeing my disinclination to do so, he said, "It
is not worth contending about." "I believe, sir," I replied, "you are
right. It is of too childish a nature to contend about, although I cannot
help considering it arbitrary, and I am surprised that a man like Captain
D. could ever give such an unjust order." "There are many men of various
minds," said he. There the disagreeable conversation ended. The mid
received the piece of red bunting, and I walked the deck as surly as a
bear with the Caledonian rash. The captain, who was going to dine with
Captain A., told me he would explain to him anything I wished respecting
what had occurred. This I declined, but I mentioned the swivels, and told
him that they were very handy to mount in the boats when going on service.
"I will ask him for two of them," said he; "by doing this I probably may
get one. You know," continued he, laughing, "he is from the Land of Cakes
and bannocks, where the device is 'To hold fast and not let go.'"

In the evening the captain returned on board, bringing in the boat one of
the swivels. "I have laid a point to windward of the Highlander," said he
to me; "but I was obliged to make use of all my best logic, for he chose
to be distressingly deaf on the subject of giving. But when I mentioned
that I had a canister of real Scotch which was of no use to me, as I had
left off taking snuff, his ears became instantly opened. 'You said
something about two swivels, I think,' said he; 'I cannot spare you two,
but I will give you one. Will you take it in your boat with you, or I will
send it in our jolly boat, and as I am nearly out of snuff, you can spare
me the canister you mentioned that you do not need.'" "This puts me in
mind," said I, "of an Irish pilot who asked the purser of a ship I
formerly belonged to, to spare him an empty barrel to make his pig a
hencoop, and he would g