already appeared to have been hard at work for some time.

"So you are come down to join?" he said, on my presenting myself. "I am
very glad to see you, Mr Chester; and I wish one or two more of the
young gentlemen would follow your example. I am entirely alone here;
not a soul to help me, and I am wanted in half-a-dozen places at once;
so I shall really be glad of your assistance. I suppose you are
prepared to commence duty at once? That's right; then be good enough to
take the launch, and go to the dockyard with this order for stores, and
bring them off as quickly as possible. Just give them an overhaul,
however, before taking them over, and satisfy yourself that they are
good, sound, serviceable stuff. Those dockyard people have been trying
to palm off upon me a lot of old junk, which must have been in store for
the last twelve years at least. It is simply rotten, and would go like
so much burnt thread in our first breeze of wind. Of course I refused
to receive it, and have consumed a great deal of valuable time in
getting sound stuff in place of it. Do not let them take you in; but
_insist_ on having everything of the best. Now go; get back as quickly
as possible, and remember, I shall trust to you to do your very best for
the ship."

The boat was alongside, ready manned. I accordingly slipped down the
side, and took command, with the feeling that I had suddenly become a
personage of considerable importance.

On reaching the dockyard I found that I was only one of many who were
there upon a similar errand to my own, and I had to await my proper
turn. This occasioned a very serious loss of time; and when at length
my turn came, the stuff which they offered me was so unmistakably bad,
that even my comparative inexperience was not to be imposed upon, and I
refused point-blank to accept it. I was thereupon told in a very off-
hand way that I was quite at liberty to please myself as to whether I
took or left it; but if I declined what was offered me, I should get
nothing else; and without waiting for a reply, the storekeepers coolly
left me, and began issuing to the midshipman whose turn came after mine.
So thorough a snubbing as this clearly showed me that my own unaided
efforts would be wholly insufficient to enable me to carry out my
instructions to Mr Annesley's satisfaction, and I was debating within
myself whether it would not be better to go on board again and report my
non-success, when an officer