utenant, gruffly.

"I was impressed last night, sir;--may I speak to you?"

"No sir, you may not."

"It might save you some trouble, sir."

"It will save me more to send you down below. Mr Vincent, shove this
man down forward; why is he at large?"

"He was under the doctor's hands, I believe, sir. Come this way, my
hearty--stir your stumps."

Newton would have expostulated, but he was collared by two of the
press-gang, and very unceremoniously handed forward to the hatchway; the
grating was taken off, and he was lowered down to the deck below, where
he found himself cooped up with more than forty others, almost
suffocated for the want of air and space. The conversation (if
conversation it could be called) was nothing but one continued string of
curses and execrations, and vows of deep revenge.

The jolly-boat returned, pulling only two oars; the remainder of her
crew, with Thompson and Merton, having taken this opportunity of
deserting from their forced servitude. With some hearty execrations
upon the heads of the offending parties, and swearing that by God there
was no such thing as _gratitude_ in a sailor, the commander of the
cutter weighed his anchor, and proceeded to sea.

The orders received by the lieutenant of the cutter, although not
precisely specifying, still implying that he was to bring back his cargo
alive, as soon as his Majesty's cutter, Lively, was fairly out at sea,
the hatches were taken off, and the impressed men allowed to go on deck
in the proportion of about one half at a time, two sailors, with drawn
cutlasses, still remaining sentry at the coombings of the hatchway, in
case of any discontented fellow presuming to dispute such lawful
authority.

Newton Forster was happy to be once more on deck; so much had he
suffered during his few hours of confinement, that he really felt
grateful for the indulgence. The sky was bright, and the cutter was
dashing along the coast with the wind, two points free, at the rate of
seven or eight miles an hour. She was what sailors term rather _a wet
one_, and as she plunged through the short waves the sea broke
continually over her bows and chesstree, so that there was no occasion
to draw water for purification. Newton washed his face and head, and
felt quite revived as he inhaled the fresh breeze, and watched the coast
as the vessel rapidly passed each head-land in her course. All around
him were strangers, and no one appeared inclined to be commu