ly sergeant reverently removed a pile of books and papers from
a chair, dusted it, and placed it near an open window, and I amused
myself by looking out upon the busy scene in the harbour, while the
admiral proceeded to scrawl his signature upon document after document.

"There!" he exclaimed, with a sigh of relief, as he signed the last one
and pushed it away from him, "thank goodness that job is finished! Now,
Mr Courtenay--by the way, Captain Harrison told me last night that he
believed you would soon be eligible for your examination. Is that so?"

"Yes, sir," answered I; "I shall have served my full time in three days
more."

"Three days!" exclaimed the admiral. "Is that all?"

I replied that it was.

"And I understand that you are a good seaman and navigator," resumed the
admiral. "I suppose you have no fear of failing when you go up for your
examination?" I modestly replied that I had not, provided that I was
treated fairly, and had not a lot of catch-questions put to me.

"Just so," responded the admiral musingly. "Your navigation, I have no
doubt, is all right," he continued, "and of course you can work a ship
when she is all ataunto. But suppose you belonged, let us say, to a
frigate, and at the end of an engagement you found yourself in command,
and your ship unrigged, what is the first thing you would do?"

I considered for a moment, and then proceeded to describe the steps I
should take under such circumstances, the admiral listening all the time
intently, but uttering no word and giving no sign of any kind to
indicate whether my reply was satisfactory or not, until I had finished,
when he said--

"Very good, Mr Courtenay, very good indeed--on the whole. Have you
ever helped to fit out a ship?"

"Yes, sir," answered I, "I was aboard the poor old _Althea_ during the
whole time that she was in the hands of the riggers."

"Ah!" he exclaimed, "and you heartily wished yourself anywhere else than
there, I'll be bound. But it has done you good, young gentleman; you
have profited by your experience, I can see, and will perhaps some day
be deeply thankful for the knowledge you then gained. Now, supposing
that you found yourself on a lee shore, in a heavy gale of wind, with
all your masts gone, what steps would you take for the preservation of
the ship and the lives of your crew?"

Again I replied at length, stating that I should anchor the moment that
the ship drifted into a suitable depth of wa