lowered,
and a fast galley pulled towards me. I was not a little pleased when I
saw them coming. They were soon up to me, and though I had not been
long floating on the broken mast, I can only say that I left it with
very considerable satisfaction. The brig, I found, belonged, as I had
suspected, to the _Juno's_ convoy. As we approached her, I looked with
a scrutinising eye at her hull. I thought I knew her build.

"What brig's that?" I asked, with no little interest.

"Why, the old _Rainbow_, lad," answered one of the boat's crew. "A good
craft she is still, though she's seen plenty of work in her day."

So I was indebted for my preservation to my old ship--my sea-cradle, I
might call her. I hauled myself up her side, and there on her
quarter-deck stood Captain Gale, working away as usual with his people,
encouraging them by word and action. He seemed very glad to see me, as
I am sure I was to see him.

"I see, sir," said I, after having had a little talk with him, "you have
plenty of work to do aboard, so, if I may just have some food to put
life into me, I'll turn to and lend a hand."

"Ready as ever for work, Jack, I see!" said he, smiling. "I am glad the
men-of-war haven't knocked that out of you."

Fortunately the fine weather continued, and by nightfall we were able to
rig a jury-mast and make sail on the brig. By the time we reached
Gibraltar the _Juno_ had sailed, and, as may be supposed, I being a
pressed-man, did not feel myself bound to follow her. I was very well
satisfied with the treatment I had received in the navy, and do not
think that I should have quitted it for any other vessel but my own
brig; but as Captain Gale was willing to take me, I could not resist the
temptation of remaining with him. After nearly foundering in a heavy
gale, being more than once chased by an enemy's cruiser, and narrowly
escaping being run down by one of our own line-of-battle-ships, we
reached Bristol, to which we were then bound, in safety.

I had not forgotten my promise to poor James Martin, my shipmate in the
_Syren_, who was killed in our action with the French frigate; and
knowing that his family lived at a village within forty or fifty miles
of Bristol, I set off to visit them. Except a small amount of pay due
to me for the voyage home, I had little enough money in my pocket, so I
was obliged to go on foot. I had never seen anything of the interior of
England before, and knew nothing of its var