se in their wake, there would be light enough for us to see to steer
by."

"Law, you don't say so!" exclaimed Pigeon. "I should have thought the
water would have put them out."

"Not down in these latitudes. It's too warm for that," answered Hemming
gravely.

Pigeon was seen, when he went into the gun-room, entering the remark in
his notebook.

A few days after this Pigeon was walking the deck in solitary grandeur,
when, as he passed the marine-sentry at the gangway, of course no notice
was taken of him. Now he had observed that, on certain occasions, the
sentry presented arms to the officers. This he had taken into his head
was in consequence, not of their rank, but of their being gentlemen. He
therefore thought that the same respect ought to be shown to him.
Instead of complaining to the officers or to the captain, when he would
have been well laughed at, he thought fit to take the law into his own
hands, and, walking up to the sentry, soundly rated him for his want of
respect.

"And who bees you?" asked the sentry, cocking his eye--he was a wag in
his way; "do you belong to the horse-marines, sir?"

"No, I do not; I am Mr Theophilus Pigeon, and you must treat me
properly, or I shall report you."

"I thought as how you had drunk many a pint of Pigeon's milk when you
was a baby," observed the marine, with perfect gravity.

Pigeon's measure had already been very accurately taken on board by the
crew.

"Fellow, you are an impertinent scoundrel," exclaimed Pigeon. "What's
your name?"

"Mum's the word," answered the marine, with perfect gravity.

"Ah! you think I am not up to you, do you?" cried Pigeon, glancing at
the marine's musket. "I see it where you forgot that it was, ha! ha!"

It was some time before Pigeon could find the first lieutenant to make
his report. In the meantime the sentries had been changed.

"I am sorry, Mr Pigeon, that you should have received any impertinence
from any of the people on board," said the first lieutenant kindly.
"Can you describe the man!"

"Why, he had a red coat and white belt," etcetera, etcetera.

"I am afraid that won't help us," said the first lieutenant, laughing.

"Ah! he thought himself very clever; but I know his name, I saw it on
his musket. It was Tower!" exclaimed Pigeon triumphantly.

A general laugh followed this announcement, for Tower is the name
engraved on all Government arms issued from the stores in that ancient
fortress of London.