; "be as smart as you please, for the yards are not yet
squared."

"Shall I go ahead in this boat, and square them, sir?"

"That boat, no; let her drop astern, jump up here and lower down the
dinghy. What the devil do you sit there for, Mr Biggs?--you'll oblige
me by showing a little more activity, or, by Jove, you may save yourself
the trouble of asking to go on shore again. Are you sober, sir?"

The last observation decided Mr Biggs. He sprung up from the boat just
as he was, and touched his hat as he passed the first lieutenant.

"Perfectly sober, sir, but I've lost my trousers."

"So it appears, sir," replied Mr Sawbridge, as Mr Biggs stood on the
planeshear of the sloop where the hammock netting divides for an
entrance, with his shirt tails fluttering in the sea breeze; but Mr
Sawbridge could not contain himself any longer; he ran down the ship
ladder which led on the quarter deck, choked with laughter. Mr Biggs
could not descend until after Mr Sawbridge, and the conversation had
attracted the notice of all, and every eye in the ship was on him.

"What's all this?" said Captain Wilson, coming to the gangway.

"Duty before decency," replied Jack, who stood by, enjoying the joke.

Mr Biggs recollected the day before--he cast a furious look at Jack, as
he touched his hat to the captain, and then dived down to the lower
deck.

If anything could add to the indignation of the boatswain, it was to
find that his trousers had come on board before him. He now felt that a
trick had been played him, and also that our hero must have been the
party, but he could prove nothing; he could not say who slept in the
same room, for he was fast asleep when Jack went to bed, and fast asleep
when Jack quitted the room.

The truth of the story soon became known to all the ship, and "duty
before decency" became a by-word. All that the boatswain could do he
did, which was to revenge himself upon the poor boy--and Gascoigne and
Jack never got any fishing-tackle. The boatswain was as obnoxious to
the men as Vigors, and in consequence of Jack's known opinions upon the
rights of man, and his having floored their two greatest enemies, he
became a great favourite with the seamen, and, as all favourites are
honoured by them with a sobriquet, our hero obtained that of _Equality
Jack_.

CHAPTER TWELVE.

IN WHICH OUR HERO PREFERS GOING DOWN TO GOING UP; A CHOICE, IT IS TO BE
HOPED, HE WILL REVERSE UPON A MORE IMPORTANT OCCASIO