ll struck Tim had to sing out, `Here am I for not cleaning the
galley,' which was responded to by Sambo, in the most dolorous tone,
with, `I here for no see 'um do it,' his peculiar voice and the comical
expression of his countenance eliciting roars of laughter from his
shipmates. Thus at every half-hour the words went sounding along the
deck, `Here am I for not cleaning the galley!' `I here for no see 'um
do it.' Jerry, however, on another occasion, surpassed even himself, he
caught a man smuggling a bottle of rum on board. The opportunity for
exhibiting his inventive genius was not to be lost. The bottle was
captured and the man put in the black list. The captain, after due
consideration, ordered a cock to be fixed in a seven-gallon beaker, into
which, being more than half-filled with water, the rum was emptied. It
was then secured by a rope yarn round the neck of the culprit, who
appeared thus at the commencement of the watch with a tumbler in his
hand, and as the bell struck he had to fill his glass and drink the
contents, shouting out at the top of his voice each time, `Here am I, a
smuggler bold!' He was never again caught smuggling spirits on board.
Some captains with less inventive genius are much more cruel than was
our friend Jerry in their black list punishments."

"That is not a subject I wish to bear spoken of," observed Captain
Sourcrout, in an angry tone.

"Come, come, we'll change it then, gentlemen," exclaimed the
good-natured admiral.

"I forgot," whispered Jack's neighbour to him. "Old Sourcrout is said
to have had a man's head shaved, and to have made him carry a kettle of
boiling water on the top of it for two hours during every day-watch for
a week, but that may be scandal."

"As to the shaving I fancy so, but with regard to the water it is true
enough, only it was not boiling," answered Jack. "He got hauled up for
it, notwithstanding, and no wonder that he does not like the subject of
black-listing spoken of."

Notwithstanding the grumpy remarks Captain Sourcrout occasionally let
drop, the party went off very pleasantly, and Desmond and Gordon assured
Tom that he had not overpraised the admiral, and that they had no notion
there were such jolly old fellows in the navy. He, at all events, was
worthy of all the patronage they could bestow.

Murray came on board the frigate the next day to see Jack and Terence.
He was pleased with the corvette as far as she herself was concerned.