d having served his time, and a passing day being
ordered, he passed, and thought he might as well go home with me and see
if he could make any interest for his promotion."

"Pray, Captain Sawbridge, is the gun-boat our prize or yours?"

"It ought to be wholly yours; but the fact is, by the regulations, we
share."

"With all my heart, sir. Will you send an assistant-surgeon on board to
look after two of my men who are hurt?"

"Yes, directly; now send your boat away, Easy, with directions to your
officer in command. We must go back to Gibraltar, for we have received
some injury, and, I am sorry to say, lost some men. You are going then,
I presume, to stay on board and dine with me: we shall be at anchor
before night."

"I will, with pleasure, sir. But now I will send my boat away and shake
hands with Gascoigne."

Gascoigne was under the half-deck waiting to receive his friend, for he
had seen him come up the side from his station on the forecastle. A
hurried conversation took place, after our hero had dismissed his boat
with the assistant-surgeon in it to dress the two wounded men. Jack
then went on deck, talked with the officers, looked with pleasure at the
_Rebiera_ with the gun-boat in tow, keeping company with the frigate,
although only under the same canvas--promised Gascoigne to spend the
next day with him either on shore or on board of the _Rebiera_, and then
returned to the cabin, where he had a long conference with Captain
Sawbridge.

"When you first entered the service, Easy," said Captain Sawbridge, "I
thought that the sooner the service was rid of you the better; now that
you have left it, I feel that it has lost one, who, in all probability,
would have proved a credit to it."

"Many thanks, sir," replied Jack; "but how can I be a midshipman with
eight thousand pounds a year?"

"I agree with you that it is impossible:--but dinner is serving; go into
the after-cabin and the steward will give you all you require."

Our hero, whose face and hands were not a little grimed with the
gunpowder, washed himself, combed out his curly black hair, and found
all the party in the fore-cabin. Gascoigne, who had not been asked in
the forenoon, was, by the consideration of Captain Sawbridge, added to
the number. Before dinner was long off the table, the first lieutenant
reported that it was necessary to turn the hands up, as they were close
to the anchorage. The party, therefore, broke up sooner than othe