stle
rang out, and he and some ten more pressed men were ordered on deck to
be examined by the first lieutenant and some of the other officers,
before being informed that they were now King's men, and ordered to
receive their kits, after which they were distributed amongst the crew
according to whether they were land or sea men, the latter having little
to learn.

Jack uttered a grunt as he learned his destination, which was to be
under the order of the captain of one of the big guns on the main deck,
and the meaning of that grunt was that he determined to make the best of
it. But his grunt sounded deep, because he had little Phil Leigh upon
his mind, so he addressed one of the officers, and stated his case.

"Eh? The boy brought aboard with you when you were pressed?"

"Yes, sir," said Jack. "Run away from home, he did. Uncle thrashed
him. Young gen'leman he is, and I want you to put him in a boat and set
him ashore."

"Oh! do you, my lad?" said the officer, gruffly. "Run away from home,
did he?"

"Yes, sir, because--"

"That'll do, my lad; no more talk. If he has run away from home he has
run into the very best place to learn how to be a good boy."

"But--"

"That'll do, sir. I've no time to listen to you. We want boys."

"But he's such a little un, sir," pleaded Jack.

"Then we'll feed him well and make him grow big. Where is he?"

"Dunno, sir. He run away again this morning."

"What, again?"

"Yes, sir."

"Ah, well, he can't run far, and we shall find him soon. Set him
ashore, eh? Next shore we shall see will be somewhere on the coast of
Portugal or Spain, I expect."

The officer said the last words to himself as he tramped away, leaving
Jack Jeens to stand scratching his head and muttering.

"Pore little chap!" he said. "They'll make a powder monkey on him?
Well, and a fine thing too. Better than being a boy at home with an
uncle who gave him the stick for crying after his father and mother who
are dead. Here, Phil, messmate, where are yer?" he said softly, and his
voice sounded as if somehow he had a soft place in his rough, honest
heart. "Where are yer, little un? I want to tell you that you're going
to be powder monkey aboard Admiral Lord Nelson's ship."

CHAPTER FOUR.

Jack Jeens found himself at last piped down below, swinging his hammock
and turning in like the rest, to lie listening to the wash of the waves
against the rolling sides of the great man-of-war, whose