g our pipes in silence. Tom looked uncommonly grave,
and I knew that he was having some deep and knowing thoughts of his own
which would leak out in time. All at once he took his pipe from his
mouth and stared earnestly at the horizon.

"Bob," said he, speaking very slowly, "if there ain't a ship right off
the starboard beam, I'm a Dutchman."

"You don't mean it!" said I, starting with a feeling of excitement.

Before another word could be uttered, the cry of "Sail ho!" came
ringing down from the mast-head. Instantly the quiet of the morning
was broken; sleepers sprang up and rubbed their eyes, the men below
rushed wildly up the hatchway, the cook came tearing out of his own
private den, flourishing a soup-ladle in one hand and his tormentors in
the other, the steward came tumbling up with a lump of dough in his
fist that he had forgot to throw down in his haste, and the captain
bolted up from the cabin without his hat.

"Where away?" cried he, with more than his usual energy.

"Right off the starboard beam, sir."

"Square the yards! Look alive, my hearties," was the next order; for
although the calm sea was like a sheet of glass, a light air, just
sufficient to fill our top-gallant sails, enabled us to creep through
the water.

"Hurrah!" shouted the men as we sprang to obey.

"What does she look like?" roared the captain.

"A big ship, sir, I think," replied the lookout: "but I can only just
make out the top of her main t-gallan' s'l."--(Sailors scorn to speak
of _top-gallant sails_.)

Gradually, one by one, the white sails of the stranger rose up like
cloudlets out of the sea, and our hearts beat high with hope and
expectation as we beheld the towering canvas of a full-rigged ship rise
slowly into view.

"Show our colours," said the captain.

In a moment the Union Jack of Old England was waving at the mast-head
in the gentle breeze, and we watched anxiously for a reply. The
stranger was polite; his colours flew up a moment after, and displayed
the Stripes and Stars of America.

"A Yankee!" exclaimed some of the men in a tone of slight
disappointment.

I may remark, that our disappointment arose simply from the fact that
there was no chance, as we supposed, of getting news from "home" out of
a ship that must have sailed last from America. For the rest, we cared
not whether they were Yankees or Britons--they were men who could speak
the English tongue, that was enough for us.

"Never mind, boys