after arriving at Rio, one of the gig-men fell sick,
and, to my no small concern, I found myself temporarily appointed to
his place.

"Come, White-Jacket, rig yourself in white--that's the gig's uniform
to-day; you are a gig-man, my boy--give ye joy!" This was the first
announcement of the fact that I heard; but soon after it was officially
ratified.

I was about to seek the First Lieutenant, and plead the scantiness of
my wardrobe, which wholly disqualified me to fill so distinguished a
station, when I heard the bugler call away the "gig;" and, without more
ado, I slipped into a clean frock, which a messmate doffed for my
benefit, and soon after found myself pulling off his High Mightiness,
the Captain, to an English seventy-four.

As we were bounding along, the cockswain suddenly cried "Oars!" At the
word every oar was suspended in the air, while our Commodore's barge
floated by, bearing that dignitary himself. At the sight, Captain
Claret removed his chapeau, and saluted profoundly, our boat lying
motionless on the water. But the barge never stopped; and the Commodore
made but a slight return to the obsequious salute he had received.

We then resumed rowing, and presently I heard "Oars!" again; but from
another boat, the second cutter, which turned out to be carrying a
Lieutenant ashore. If was now Captain Claret's turn to be honoured. The
cutter lay still, and the Lieutenant off hat; while the Captain only
nodded, and we kept on our way.

This naval etiquette is very much like the etiquette at the Grand Porte
of Constantinople, where, after washing the Sublime Sultan's feet, the
Grand Vizier avenges himself on an Emir, who does the same office for
him.

When we arrived aboard the English seventy-four, the Captain was
received with the usual honours, and the gig's crew were conducted
below, and hospitably regaled with some spirits, served out by order of
the officer of the deck.

Soon after, the English crew went to quarters; and as they stood up at
their guns, all along the main-deck, a row of beef-fed Britons,
stalwart-looking fellows, I was struck with the contrast they afforded
to similar sights on board of the Neversink.

For on board of us our "_quarters_" showed an array of rather slender,
lean-checked chaps. But then I made no doubt, that, in a sea-tussle,
these lantern-jawed varlets would have approved themselves as slender
Damascus blades, nimble and flexible; whereas these Britons would have
be