as full of good advice was sold three times,
from which circumstance I was inclined to form a better opinion of the
morals of my companions.

I mentioned the reason why I was so anxious for a letter, viz., because
I wanted to buy my dirk and cocked-hat; upon which they told me that
there was no occasion for my spending my money, as by the regulations of
the service, the purser's steward served them out to all the officers
who applied for them. As I knew where the purser's steward's room was,
having seen it when down in the cock-pit with the Trotters, I went down
immediately. "Mr Purser's Steward," said I, "let me have a cocked-hat
and a dirk immediately."

"Very good, sir," replied he, and he wrote an order upon a slip of
paper, which he handed to me. "There is the order for it, sir; but the
cocked-hats are kept in the chest up in the main-top, and as for the
dirk, you must apply to the butcher, who has them under his charge."

I went up with the order, and thought I would first apply for the dirk;
so I inquired for the butcher, whom I found sitting in the sheep-pen
with the sheep, mending his trowsers. In reply to my demand, he told me
that he had not the key of the store-room, which was under the charge of
one of the corporals of marines.

I inquired who, and he said, "Cheeks, the marine." [This celebrated
personage is the prototype of Mr Nobody on board of a man-of-war.]

I went everywhere about the ship, inquiring for Cheeks the marine, but
could not find him. Some said that they believed he was in the foretop,
standing sentry over the wind, that it might not change; others, that he
was in the galley, to prevent the midshipmen from soaking their biscuit
in the captain's dripping-pan.

As I could not find the marine, I thought I might as well go for my
cocked-hat, and get my dirk afterwards. I did not much like going up
the rigging, because I was afraid of turning giddy, and if I fell
overboard I could not swim; but one of the midshipmen offered to
accompany me, stating that I need not be afraid, if I fell overboard, of
sinking to the bottom, as, if I was giddy, my head at all events _would
swim_; so I determined to venture. I climbed up very near to the
main-top, but not without missing the little ropes very often, and
grazing the skin of my shins. Then I came to large ropes stretched out
from the mast so that you must climb them with your head backwards. The
midshipman told me these were called the