I'll be bound, every one of you. You
mind me of marines, you do, and that's quite enough to turn a proper
seaman's stomach, any day in the week."

The soldier only laughed, and brought Jack up to the little group of
persons consisting of Dr. Chillingworth, the hangman, Charles Holland,
and the officer.

"Why, Jack Pringle," said Dr. Chillingworth, stepping before Charles, so
that Jack should not see him,--"why, Jack Pringle, what brings you
here?"

"A slight squall, sir, to the nor'west. Brought you something to eat."

Jack produced a bottle.

"To drink, you mean?"

"Well, it's all one; only in this here shape, you see, it goes down
better, I'm thinking, which does make a little difference somehow."

"How is the admiral?"

"Oh, he's as stupid as ever; Lord bless you, he'd be like a ship without
a rudder without me, and would go swaying about at the mercy of winds
and waves, poor old man. He's bad enough as it is, but if so be I wasn't
to give the eye to him as I does, bless my heart if I thinks as he'd be
above hatches long. Here's to you all."

Jack took the cork from the bottle he had with him, and there came from
it a strong odour of rum. Then he placed it to his lips, and was
enjoying the pleasant gurgle of the liquor down his throat, when Charles
stepped up to him, and laying hold of the lower end of the bottle, he
dragged it from his mouth, saying,--

"How dare you talk in the way you have of my uncle, you drunken,
mutinous rascal, and behind his back too!"

The voice of Charles Holland was as well known to Jack Pringle as that
of the admiral, and his intense astonishment at hearing himself so
suddenly addressed by one, of whose proximity he had not the least idea,
made some of the rum go, what is popularly termed, the wrong way, and
nearly choked him.

He reeled back, till he fell over some obstruction, and then down he sat
on a flower bed, while his eyes seemed ready to come out of his head.

"Avast heavings," he cried, "Who's that?"

"Come, come," said Charles Holland, "don't pretend you don't know me; I
will not have my uncle spoken of in a disrespectful manner by you."

"Well, shiver my timbers, if that ain't our nevey. Why, Charley, my boy,
how are you? Here we are in port at last. Won't the old commodore pipe
his eye, now. Whew! here's a go. I've found our nevey, after all."

"You found him," said Dr. Chillingworth; "now, that is as great a piece
of impudence as ever I heard in all my l