t you have," cried Nic.

"There, the work's done, and we'll have a rest, and enjoy our voyage.
And do you know what sort of a ship we're going in, Nic?"

"Yes; the _Northumbrian_."

"Of course; but do you know what she is?"

"East Indiaman."

"That's true enough; but has nobody told you what we shall have on
board?"

"No."

"Then I'll tell you now. We might have waited for the next, but that
would have been for a month, and I want to get back home again, Nic; so,
as Sir John's name was enough to get me what I wanted, I settled we'd go
in the _Northumbrian_, which is taking out a lot of convicts."

Nic's brow grew rugged.

"But there's a big draft of the 300th Regiment and their officers too,
and they'll take care of us, boy, so you won't mind."

"Oh! no," cried Nic, "I shall not mind."

In fact, he failed to see what there would be to mind, for it did not
occur to him that it might be unpleasant and awkward for the governor's
wife.

The bustle of departure had commenced when they reached the dock, and
the quay swarmed with the friends and relatives of the company of
infantry off on foreign service, while dock officials were busy issuing
the orders which began to take effect a few minutes after Nic had seen
Lady O'Hara into her cabin and hurried back on deck to gaze on the novel
scene.

For hawsers were being secured round posts, men were leaving, a couple
of boats were out ahead ready to tow, and soon the great three-masted
vessel began to move slowly along by the quay to the great gates, with
the soldiers cheering and waving their caps, and shouts and cries rising
from those being left behind, till the gates were passed, and the long
narrow channel between stone walls gave place to the river, with its
tide at the height; the faces began to grow smaller and smaller, and
soon the _Northumbrian_, with her littered decks and bustle and
confusion, began to drop slowly down with the tide.

There was plenty to see as well as plenty to learn. The first thing was
to be able to see in peace, and to do this Nic found he had to learn to
get out of the way of the men busy lowering down packages, getting rid
of the litter of the deck, and blunderingly making matters shipshape--
blunderingly, for the crew, almost without exception, were suffering
from the effects of their holiday ashore, and were working the mate and
boatswain into a state of red-hot indignation at the slow progress made.
The latter, too, a big,