miable fellow; and as he had
good sense and much observation, and had always attended to his duty, he
was a very fair seaman and a good officer. In his heart of hearts he
rather pitied, not to say despised, Saltwell, for his want of the polish
he possessed and his indifference to the elegancies of life, though he
was not unable to appreciate his messmate's frankness of manner and
truthfulness of character. His foible was his admiration for the poets,
and his belief that he could write poetry and was a first-rate critic.

The purser, Mr Jones, was an honest, painstaking man, with a large
family, and he came to sea for their benefit, after having nearly given
up the service.

Than the master, no one in the service was a better navigator. He was a
self-taught genius, for he had gone to sea originally before the mast,
and even in that capacity had found time to gain instructions in
navigation, geography, history, and many other sciences. He was for
some time rated as a schoolmaster of a frigate, and afterwards entered
as a master's assistant, and was soon promoted to the rank of master.
Mr Norton was, notwithstanding his early associates, a man of pleasing,
gentlemanly manners, and a real favourite with all hands, and his vast
fund of information and anecdote made him a great acquisition to a mess.

The surgeon, Mr Viall, was, for a wonder, an Englishman. He was
supposed to be able to amputate limbs with great accuracy, and was a
very respectable man. Though he had been some years at sea, he had
never contrived to learn anything about nautical affairs; and one day,
in Malta harbour, he went on board a large merchantman, which happened
to be brought up at no great distance from his ship, and was going below
before he discovered that he had got into the wrong box.

The assistant-surgeon, O'Farrall, was an Irishman, and much more of a
character. He had, shortly before the time of which I speak, come to
sea for the first time. A day or two after he had joined the _Ione_,
one of the marines insulted him by quizzing his Irish brogue, so he
forthwith lodged his complaint with Mr Saltwell. The first lieutenant
desired him to point out the man.

"Faith, I don't remember exactly the cut of his mug," said he; "but I
made sure of knowing the spalpeen again by that same, that his name is
Tower."

"How do you know that his name is Tower? I think he must have deceived
you. We havn't a man of that name on board."

"Oh! b