y returned on board, and
found us hauling up fish after fish, which left their scales sticking to
the frigate's polished sides. He sent for us aft.

"`I will show you, my lads, how to fish,' he said, with a bland smile,
and thereon he ordered three boarding-pikes to be brought, to each of
which he had about four feet of rope yarn secured, with a hand-lead at
the end. `Now, come along, lads, and you shall begin your fishing,' he
said, with a quiet chuckle, and he then made each of us hold a
boarding-pike straight out over the taffrail, at arm's length, during
the whole of the watch, telling the first lieutenant to keep an eye on
us. You may be sure our arms ached; and when the lieutenant turned
another way, we took the liberty of letting the pikes rest on the rail.
Every now and then the captain would come up, and with that bland smile
of his ask us in a cheerful voice--

"`Have you caught any fish, my lads?' and when we said `No, sir,' he
would answer--

"`Try a little longer; you will have better luck by-and-by.'

"I can tell you, it was about as aggravating a punishment as I ever
endured. It cured us, for the time at least, of our love of fishing."

"You must have seen some wonderful things in the course of your career,
Mr Higson," observed Tom.

"I have indeed, youngster," answered the lieutenant. "One of the most
wonderful was in that brig we were speaking of, and Snatchblock was the
man who played the most important part in the drama. It was a very
short one, though.

"We were shortening sail when a young midshipman, very small for his
age, fell from the fore-topgallant-yard. You must have thought that he
must, to a certainty, have been dashed to pieces: so he would have been,
but Snatchblock, who was on the fore-topsail-yard caught him as he fell
in a vice-like grasp, and placed him on the yard, thus saving his life."

"I cannot tell you how I did it, sir," said Snatchblock. "All I can
fancy is, I heard him coming, for it was but a moment after he let go
his hold that I had him tight enough."

"Do you mind, sir, Pat O'connor falling from aloft? He and another man
were in the main-topmast-crosstrees when they took to quarrelling. What
it was about I don't know; but Pat said something which made the other
hit him, and over went Pat, striking, as he fell, the mainsail with his
head, which took the skin right off his face, and down he came on deck,
his face all gory, and his shirt and trousers cove