r of
patronage, which they returned by a look of sovereign contempt. The second
lieutenant of marines was quite a different character. He was as playful
as a kitten, and never happier than when skylarking with the mids in the
cockpit. He was not a bad soldier, and a promising officer. When at sea he
always worked the ship's reckoning for his amusement. The mids, with the
exception of three, were fine-looking lads from the ages of fifteen to
eighteen, fond of fun and mischief and of their half-pint of rum; were
frequently at watch and watch, mast-headed, pooped, and confined to their
half-farthing candle-lighted mess-holes. But, notwithstanding all these
complicated miseries, they were wicked enough to thrive and grow, and when
on shore forgot all their troubles and enjoyed themselves like princes.

The first surgeon's assistant was a tall, slight young man, with his head
filled with the Pharmacopoeia, bleeding, blistering and gallipots. We
dubbed him "The Village Apothecary," and sometimes "Snipes."

The second assistant was a coarse Scotsman, full of pretension and
conceit, who assured us that if any of us should have occasion to have our
legs or arms amputated he could do it without any pain. He used to feel
our pulses after dinner with ridiculous gravity, and after examining our
tongues tell us we should take great care and not eat salt junk too
quickly, for it seldom digested well on young stomachs, and, added he with
great consequence, "I have a specific for sair heeds if ye ha' any." As he
was much pitted with the small-pox, we called him "Doctor Pithead."

With every feeling of reverence to the revered chaplain, I will tread as
lightly over him as a middy's clumsy foot encased with boots is capable.
Dear man, he came all the way from the Emerald Isle to join our ship, and
brought with him an ample supply of pure brogue, which he spoke most
beautifully. He was very inoffensive, perfectly innocent, and never
ruffled in temper, except when the wicked youngsters played tricks with
him while he was composing his sermon. One day he was much alarmed by the
following adventure, got up expressly by the mids. Some of these
incorrigible fellows, among whom I blush to acknowledge I was one, had
laid a train of gunpowder to a devil close to his cabin, whilst they
presumed he was very busy writing for their edification. The train was
fired from the cockpit hatchway, and soon caught the devil. As soon as the
dear, good man saw