ss one of the blood-royal, and
the king, and the queen, and all the little princesses were to go down
on their knees, I'd keep him, without an Admiralty order for his
discharge. Now, my lads, do you perceive your chance?" Then turning
away to Mr Wilson, he said, "You will oblige me by stating upon what
grounds you ventured to interfere in behalf of these men, and I trust
your explanation will be satisfactory. Mr Knight," continued he, to
the first lieutenant, "send these men down below, watch, and station
them."

We went below by the gangway ladder and watched the conference between
the captain and Mr Wilson, who, we were afraid, had done himself no
good by trying to assist us. But when it was over the captain appeared
pleased, and Mr Wilson walked away with a satisfied air. As I
afterwards discovered it did me no little good. The hands were piped to
dinner, and after dinner we weighed and made sail, and thus were Tom and
I fairly, or rather unfairly, embarked in his majesty's service.

"Well, Tom," said I, "it's no use crying. What's done can't be helped;
here we are; now let us do all we can to make friends."

"That's just my opinion, Jacob. Hang care; it killed the cat; I shall
make the best of it, and I don't see why we may not be as happy here as
anywhere else. Father says we may, if we do our duty, and I don't mean
to shirk mine. The more the merrier, they say, and I'll be hanged but
there's not enough of us here."

I hardly need say that, for the first three or four days, we were not
very comfortable; we had been put into the seventh mess, and were
stationed in the foretop; for although we had not been regularly bred up
as seaman, the first lieutenant so decided, saying, that he was sure
that, in a few weeks, there would be no smarter men in the ship.

We were soon clear of the Channel, and all hands were anxious to know
our destination, which, in this almost solitary instance, had been
really kept a secret, although surmises were correct. There is one
point which, by the present arrangements, invariably makes known whether
a ship is "fitting foreign," or for home service, which is, by the
stores and provisions ordered on board; and these stores are so
arranged, according to the station to which the vessel is bound, that it
is generally pretty well known what her destination is to be. This is
bad, and at the same time easily remedied; for if every ship, whether
for home service or foreign, was or