ated, as the Doctor used to
say. D----m the Doctor; the words were scarcely out of his mouth, when
down he ~162~~ went; and as I stood alongside him, ready to attend to
his orders, I was very near being sent down the hatchway stairs without
assistance; for the same shot that doused my old master, carried away my
arm just here.--" D----me," said the old man, to his brave crew, as they
carried us down to the cockpit--"I shall never forget it as long as
I live--That was a pepperer--Once more, my boys, and the day's your
own.--My eyes, he had hardly said the words, before--Bang, bang, went
our bull dogs--and sure enough it was all over. They cried Piccavi, and
went to the Doctor; but after that I know no more about the matter--we
were a long while before we got the better of our wounds; and as for
him, he has never spoken since--and as to hearing, I believe he never
wished to hear any more, than that the enemies of his country had got a
good drubbing."

By this time the old gentleman having gone through his manouvres,
with perhaps as much accuracy as my Uncle Toby did the siege of
Dendermond--having blown up the enemy with a flourish of his stick, made
a profound bow, and hobbled away.--"Thank you, my friend," said the Hon.
Tom Dashall, "for your information; we should never have understood
him without your assistance, for which accept of this, and our best
wishes--giving him a couple of half-crowns, with which, after thanking
the donors, he made the best of his way in search of the old Commodore,
who put our heroes forcibly in mind of the following lines:

"What a d----d bad time for a seaman to sculk,
Under gingerbread hatches on shore;
What a d----d hard job that this battered old hulk,
Can't be rigg'd out for sea once more."

"Thus you see," said Dashall, "how our habits become rooted in us: the
old Commodore, though unable to give the word of command, or to hear the
thunder of the cannon, still lives in the midst of the battle, becomes
warmed and animated by the imaginary heat of the engagement, and

"Thrice he routed all his foes,
And thrice he slew the slain."

"But come, we will now proceed to a view of the Chapel, the Painted
Hall, and the other curiosities of the ~163~~ interior; which done, we
will take our refreshment at the Crown, and pursue our way home."

They now took another cursory survey of this magnificent pile of
buildings, the grandeur