tered to the attentive ears of the responsible officers, this was
sufficient. After inspection, the men were dismissed, and the captain
with his following descended to the interior of the ship. It would
take reams of paper, my dear Jeffry, to refer to all that was said and
done. I must give you but a brief outline. We went along the sides
of the vessel, where the arms were ranged, and any speck of rust or
appearance of careless treatment of the polished and glittering
weapons was noted, and the responsible officer called then and there
to account. So was it in every department. The _Thunderer_ lies low,
as I have said; much of her is below water, therefore light is scarce
and valuable. During our perambulation we came to some machinery and
bulkheads, etcetera, which were dingy in colour. `Paint them white,'
said the captain to the officer of each department; `I don't point out
details, but use as much white paint as you can. It makes the ship
look light and cheerful.' Every order given was emphatic yet
considerate; given to the officer in whose department the hitch
occurred, and retailed by him to subordinates who knew well that they
would come to grief if they did not make a note of it. Many of the
`departments' were so well managed that no fault at all could be
found, and it was evident that the captain, in such cases, found a
pleasure in `giving honour to whom honour was due.'

"`Some men,' said Firebrand, who chanced to be close to me, and to
whom I commented on the advantage of thorough obedience, `some men,
however, carry this quality a little too far. I knew of a man once,
named Billy Ewart, who prided himself greatly on the care with which
he fulfilled every part of his duty, so that it was impossible for the
strictest disciplinarian to find fault with him. He had charge of the
main deck. One day the Admiral inspected the ship, and took occasion
to praise Billy Ewart for cleaning so well the main deck and
everything connected with it. "The only dirty things I see," he said,
pointing to a hen-coop, "are the legs of your geese." This was, of
course, a joke, but it preyed on Billy's mind, and at next inspection
he had the geese whitewashed and their legs and bills blackleaded.
Poor Billy had no peace after that; even at the theatres, when he
chanced to be observed there by his mates, one would call to another,
"I say, Jack, who whi