icers, who were about to fire.

"Let me have a shot," said the boatswain, taking one of them. "I seldom
miss my aim."

The captain, who had been below, just then coming on deck, observing
what they were about, ordered them to desist, observing--

"I don't wish to lower a boat to pick up the bird, and I consider it
wanton cruelty to shoot at it."

The boatswain pretended not to hear him, and taking aim, he fired. The
bird was seen to let go its prey, and, after rising a few feet, to fall
back with wings extended into the water, where it lay fluttering
helplessly. The ship gliding on, soon left it astern.

"I consider that a piece of wanton cruelty, Mr Capstick," exclaimed the
captain. "I must prohibit the ship's muskets being made use of for such
a purpose; they are intended to be used against our enemies, not
employed in slaughtering harmless birds."

The boatswain returned the musket to the rack, muttering as he did so;
but what he said neither the captain nor his mates were able to
understand.

The ship had now nearly reached the latitude of the Falkland Islands,
and in a short time she would be round Cape Horn, and traversing the
broad waters of the Pacific. Hitherto few ships had been seen, either
friends or foes; a lookout had been kept for the latter, as the crew
hoped that, should they fall in with an enemy's merchantman of inferior
size, the captain would capture her to give them some much coveted
prize-money. Two had been seen which were supposed to be small enough
to attack, but the captain had declined going in chase of them, greatly
to the annoyance of the crew; and the boatswain and others vowed they
would not longer stand that sort of thing.

Walter was walking the deck during his middle watch the next night, when
Dan Tidy came up to him.

"Hist, Mr Walter," he said in a low voice. "Will you plaise just step
to the weather-gangway, out of earshot of the man at the helm? I have
got something I would like to say to you."

Walter stepped to the gangway, and, seeing no one near, asked Tidy what
he had to communicate.

"I wouldn't wish to be an eavesdropper or a tale-bearer, Mr Walter; but
when the lives of you and your father and most of the officers are at
stake, it's time to speak out. I happened to be awake during my watch
below when the boatswain came for'ard, and I heard him and Tom Hulk and
about a dozen others talking in whispers together. I lay still,
pretending to be asleep, as