. If he comes on board
here, go up to him, and take him by the hand; believe me, he will be
glad enough to see you!"

Frank started from his desponding attitude, and fixing his eyes full
upon mine, with clasped hands exclaimed, "White-Jacket, I have been
from home nearly three years; in that time I have never heard one word
from my family, and, though God knows how I love them, yet I swear to
you, that though my brother can tell me whether my sisters are still
alive, yet, rather than accost him in this _lined-frock_, I would go
ten centuries without hearing one syllable from home?"

Amazed at his earnestness, and hardly able to account for it
altogether, I stood silent a moment; then said, "Why, Frank, this
midshipman is your own brother, you say; now, do you really think that
your own flesh and blood is going to give himself airs over you, simply
because he sports large brass buttons on his coat? Never believe it. If
he does, he can be no brother, and ought to be hanged--that's all!"

"Don't say that again," said Frank, resentfully; "my brother is a
noble-hearted fellow; I love him as I do myself. You don't understand
me, White-Jacket; don't you see, that when my brother arrives, he must
consort more or less with our chuckle-headed reefers on board here?
There's that namby-pamby Miss Nancy of a white-face, Stribbles, who,
the other day, when Mad Jack's back was turned, ordered me to hand him
the spy-glass, as if he were a Commodore. Do you suppose, now, I want
my brother to see me a lackey abroad here? By Heaven it is enough to
drive one distracted! What's to be done?" he cried, fiercely.

Much more passed between us, but all my philosophy was in vain, and at
last Frank departed, his head hanging down in despondency.

For several days after, whenever the quarter-master reported a sail
entering the harbour, Frank was foremost in the rigging to observe it.
At length, one afternoon, a vessel drawing near was reported to be the
long-expected store ship. I looked round for Frank on the spar-deck,
but he was nowhere to be seen. He must have been below, gazing out of a
port-hole. The vessel was hailed from our poop, and came to anchor
within a biscuit's toss of our batteries.

That evening I heard that Frank had ineffectually endeavoured to get
removed from his place as an oarsman in the First-Cutter--a boat which,
from its size, is generally employed with the launch in carrying
ship-stores. When I thought that, the ver