tever," I
replied. "It is only an idea of Lord Hood's that she is unfit to cross
the Bay. She, no doubt, appears to him a mere boat, compared with the
`Victory,' but _I_ should have no hesitation whatever about taking her
across the Bay, or across the Atlantic itself, for that matter."

"Ah! Is that the case?" he quickly returned. "Um! um! That is a
possible way out of the difficulty. Look here. I've a few red-coats in
the other room, spending the evening with me; I shall be very glad to
have the pleasure of your company for the remainder of the evening, if
you will join us, young gentleman. I can give you a bed here; and to-
morrow I will go on board this little hooker of yours with you, and see
for myself whether or no she seems fit to make the trip to England."

We accordingly adjourned to the dining-room, where we found some dozen
or so of military men seated round the table, discussing their wine and
cigars, chatting over the events of the war, and bewailing their own
ill-luck in being shut up in Gibraltar instead of sharing in the
miseries and glories (?) of the field.

I was introduced by the admiral to his guests as one fresh from the seat
of the operations in Corsica, and was welcomed cordially and freely
plied with questions of all kinds, to some of which, by-the-bye, I found
it rather difficult to reply without exciting a feeling of jealousy in
the breasts of the red-coats.

Fortunately, however, the evening passed without the occurrence of any
incident of a disagreeable character; and at a late, or, more strictly
speaking, at an early, hour next morning I turned in, so thoroughly
tired that I felt scarcely able to remain awake until I had undressed.

About 7:30 a knock sounded at my door, and a voice announced--in tones
which struck me as being somewhat tremulous with suppressed
laughter--"Your shaving-water, sir." Now, I may as well confess that at
this particular period of my life the one subject upon which, above all
others, I was most sensitive was shaving. I shaved with the most
scrupulous regularity every morning; but it was done furtively, so far,
at least as my elders were concerned. In the presence of my fellow-
mids, the act was performed openly and with all due ceremony and
solemnity--_all_ the mids on board the "Juno" shaved--but I had noticed,
upon more than one occasion, that any reference in the hearing of my
elders to the punctuality with which I performed this duty was
invari