; for, though old Hemming kept somewhat a taut hand over
them, they had a just regard for his good qualities. They secretly also
resolved to indemnify themselves on their return passage by having as
much fun as they could. The cutter was a fine boat; and as they had a
fair breeze they made rapid progress towards their destination. They
sat very demurely, one on either side of old Hemming, eating their bread
and cheese, and taking the half wineglassful of grog, which he handed to
them each time that he helped himself to a full tumbler.

"That is quite enough for such little chaps as you," said he. "If you
were to begin now, and to take two or three tumblersful as I do, by the
time you are my age, you would have drunk fifty hogsheads of rum, and I
don't know how many tons of water."

Perhaps Hemming's calculations were not exactly correct, but the advice
was, at all events, good. He took care that it should be followed by
leaving them only half a bottle of rum for their return--putting the
remainder of the bottles into the saddle-bags he had brought for his
journey. Jack and Terence watched him trotting off on a Greek Rosinante
with the said well-filled saddle-bags behind him, a thick stick in his
hand, and a brace of ship's pistols in his holsters, till he was out of
sight.

"Terence," said Jack, "we ought to return to the boat, and get under
weigh."

"Yes; but I vote we do something in the catering line first," was the
answer.

So they found their way to the market, where by dint of signs and a few
words of _lingua franca_, they laid in a store of fruit and fowls, and
fish and vegetables of various sorts, with two or three bottles of what
they understood was first-rate Samian wine. With this provision for the
inner man they returned to the boat, and made sail for Corfu. The wind
was light, and they made but slow progress. However, they were very
happy, and in no hurry to get back to the ship. It happened that they
had been lately reading James's _Naval History_, and Paddy especially
had been much struck by some of the exploits performed by single boat's
crews.

"Jack," said he, "I don't think we ought to go back to the ship without
doing something."

"We are doing a good deal," answered Jack, who was very matter of fact.
"We are eating a jolly good dinner." He held up the leg of a chicken.
"This is the last of a fowl I've had to my share."

"Ay, but I mean something to be talked about--something glo