Kit, Teddy, &c., forfeits two marks, unless
it be arranged that they will be allowed.

A DAY ON BOARD H.M.S. _BRITANNIA_.

_By the Rev._ J. CLEMENT P. ALDOUS, _Chief Instructor and Chaplain to
Cadets_.

The _Britannia_ is the training-school for naval officers. All boys who
are to be fighting officers in the British Navy go to the _Britannia_.
They enter when they are about thirteen, and stay there two years, and
from this ship they go as midshipmen to our ships in all parts of the
world. We are going to pay a visit to the _Britannia_, and see how these
young naval cadets spend their day.

[Illustration: CADET IN FULL UNIFORM.]

If we want to see the whole day through, we must start early. So we will
take a boat and go off from the shore at five o'clock in the morning of
a fine summer day. It is only a row of some 200 yards to reach the
_Britannia_ from the shore. She is anchored in the middle of the River
Dart or Dartmouth Harbour.

Have you ever seen one of England's old wooden walls--a three decker?
How high she stands out of the water! If you will look at the picture
you will see that there are quite six storeys to this great floating
house. As you come up to the ship's side in a boat, she towers above you
like a great cliff--a wooden wall--you can see what these words mean
now.

Let us step up the ladder; they will be surprised to see us so early.
The sentry on the middle deck wishes to know our business. "We have come
to see _everything_," we say, and show our authority for coming.

So we go up a ladder--not a staircase, mind!--to the sleeping deck.
There we see two long rows of chests, which represent the wardrobe,
chest of drawers, washing place, private locker, every piece of
furniture, in fact, which a naval cadet possesses.

Over these hang the hammocks, each the sleeping-place of a cadet. A
hammock is such a funny thing to sleep in. I dare say you have a string
hammock on your lawn, in which you sometimes lie on a very hot summer's
afternoon. But it is a queer bed to sleep in, for your head and your
heels are both of them stuck up in the air, while your body hangs
underneath in a graceful curve.

[Illustration: HAMMOCKS ON BOARD THE _BRITANNIA_.]

Half past five is struck, or rather _three bells_, for man-of-war time
goes by half-hours till eight bells are reached at noon and midnight,
four and eight o'clock, when it starts again. Three bells! a corporal
walks along and picks out here