e scuppers. "What's the matter, old fellow? You
seem rather down."

"Begorra, he's ownly havin' a cooler to aise that nashty timper av his
own," said the boatswain from the door of his cabin, which was just next
ours in the deck-house, only more forward. And then, turning to me, he
added, "Sure an' that wor a purty droive, Misther Gray-ham; ye lit him
have it straight from the shouldher."

"I'm sure I didn't mean to hurt him," I answered, sorry now for my
opponent as he scrambled at last up on his feet, looking very bedraggled
and showing on his face the signs of the fray. "I only held out my hand
to save the poor bird, and he ran against my fist."

"Oh, did you?" slobbered Weeks, half crying, in a savage, vindictive
voice, and rushing at me as soon as he rose up. "You spiteful beggar!
Well, two can play at that game, and I'll pay you out for it if you've
got pluck enough to fight!"

"Be aisy now," interposed Tim Rooney, stepping between us and holding
him back. "Sure an' if y're spilin' for a batin' I'm not the chap to
privint you; but, if you must foight, why ye'll have to do it fair an'
square. Misther Gray-ham, sorr, jist give me the burrd as made the
rumpus, I've a little cage in me bunk that'll sarve the poor baste for
shilter till ye can get a betther one. It belonged to me ould canary as
toorned up its toes last v'y'ge av a fit av the maysles."

"The measles?" exclaimed Tom Jerrold, bursting into a laugh. "I never
heard of a bird dying of that complaint before."

"Faix, thin, ye can hear it now," said the boatswain with some heat.
"An', sure, I don't say whare the laugh comes in, me joker! Didn't its
faythers dhrop off av the poor craythur, an' its skin toorn all spotty,
jist loike our friend Misther Wake's phiz here; an' what could that be,
sure, but the maysles, I'd loike to know?"

"All right, bosun; I daresay you're right," hastily rejoined Jerrold to
appease him; but he made me smile, however, by his efforts to look
grave, although my own affairs were just then in such a critical
position, with the prospect of a battle before me. "I was only laughing
at the idea of a canary with the measles; but I've no doubt they have
them the same as we do, and other things like us, too."

"In coorse they does, an' plinty of tongue, too, loike some chaps I've
come across on shipboard!" replied Tim, all himself again in all good
humour; and then, popping into his cabin, he reappeared quickly with the
ca