of exuberant animal spirits.

The hands had just been piped to breakfast, when the lookout aloft
reported, "A sail right ahead!"

Recalling to mind the skipper's request on a previous occasion, I at
once ran down into the cabin for his telescope, which I brought on deck
and handed to him.

"Thank you, Mr Chester," said he. "I have remarked with very great
pleasure your real in the discharge of your duties. Go on as you have
begun, my boy, and you will soon become a valuable and efficient
officer."

Captain Brisac did not, however, himself go aloft this time; Mr
Clewline, the second lieutenant, happened to be on deck at the moment,
and the skipper handed him the glass, with a polite request that he
would "see what he could make of her."

Mr Clewline, I thought, seemed rather to resent the suggestion as an
affront to his dignity; he, however, made no demur, but proceeded aloft
with great deliberation, and, seating himself upon the fore-topsail
yard, took a very leisurely observation of the stranger.

Having devoted about a quarter of an hour to this occupation, he slowly
closed the telescope, and carefully slinging it over his shoulder,
descended to the deck with the same deliberation which had characterised
his ascent. It was not until he had regained the skipper's side that he
condescended to make his report; when, handing back the glass with a
stiff bow, he said, "I make out the stranger to be, sir, a brig,
apparently French, of about our own size; she is standing directly
toward us, upon the starboard tack, under topgallant-sails."

"Thank you, sir," returned the skipper shortly; then turning upon his
heel he went below to his cabin, Patterson having come on deck a minute
or two before, to announce that breakfast was ready.

The news quickly spread through the ship that the sail in sight was
supposed to be a Frenchman; and as the two vessels were approaching each
other, and an action, in the event of Mr Clewline's supposition proving
correct, inevitable, a considerable amount of excitement prevailed. The
men bolted their breakfast in less than half the time usually devoted to
that meal, and returned to the deck the moment they had disposed of
their last morsel; while the officers betrayed at least an equal amount
of eagerness, two or three of them hastily swallowing a cup of scalding
coffee, and munching up a biscuit, without giving themselves time even
to sit down.

"Old Sennitt"--as he was irreverentl