il-yard; but
the thick darkness, and the wild flapping of the sail, had made them
uncertain. The other names were called over. No one answered to that
of Daniel Bacon. He was rated as a landsman, and would have been
forward at the time. Two, then, in the darkness of night had been cast
unnoticed into their ocean grave. "Poor fellows! poor fellows!" uttered
by their messmates, was the only requiem they received--the contents of
their bags were sold; the purser wrote D against their names, which
before the gale was over had ceased to be mentioned.

The slight excitement and the fresh air on deck had kept the midshipmen
up, but on going below they felt more miserable than ever. Utterly
unable to stand they threw themselves on their chests, half wishing that
they had gone overboard instead of poor Jenkins and Bacon. More than
once they were hove off, but they managed to crawl on again, and cling
to the lids in a way sick midshipmen alone could have done. Adair, on
going round the lower deck, found them in this condition.

"Uncle Terence, dear, when is it all going to be over?" groaned out
Gerald. "There's mighty little fun in this same."

"Only the ordinary seasoning youngsters have to go through," answered
Adair; "however, we'll see what can be done for you."

Tom, whose head hung over the end of his chest, with a kid which had
been brought him under his nose, was past speaking. Adair ordered their
hammocks to be slung, and being assisted in, they lay helpless till the
gale was over. Let no one despise the two midshipmen, although their
messmates might have laughed at them. Their experiences were those of
many other brave officers, Nelson included; and they had not a few
companions in their misery among those unaccustomed to the
tumblifications of the ocean. At length, the wind going down, the sea
became tolerably smooth, and turning out, they went on deck by Adair's
advice to enjoy a few mouthfuls of fresh air. The effect on their
appetites was such as to astonish even old Higson by the way in which
they devoured the pea-soup and boiled beef and potatoes, a junk of fat
pork even not coming amiss, washed down by stiff glasses of grog, which,
in consideration of their recent sufferings, he allowed them to take.

"Well, youngsters, you are filling up your lockers with a vengeance," he
remarked.

"Faith, it's no wonder when they were cleaned out three days ago, and
not a scrap the size of a sixpenny-piece