eed on their errand.

"Well, my lads, what is it you want?" asked the Captain in a
good-natured voice, as the seamen, being announced by the sentry, made
their appearance at the door of the cabin.

Paul Pringle cleared his voice before speaking, and then he said, very
nearly choking the baby in his mechanical attempt to pull a lock of his
hair as he spoke:

"We be come for to ax your honour to make a Christian of this here
squeaker."

The good Captain looked up with his one eye, and now perceived the small
creature that Paul held in his hands.

"Ah, you mean that you want him christened, I suppose," answered the
Captain, smiling. "Well, I must see about that. Let me have a look at
the poor little fellow. He thrives well. See, he smiles already.
He'll be a credit to the ship, I hope. I'll do what I can, my lads. I
don't think that there's anything about it in the articles of war.
Still, what can be done I'll do, most assuredly."

While Captain Penrose was speaking, he was looking kindly at the infant
and playing his finger round its mouth. He had had children of his own,
and he felt as a father, though little indeed had he seen of them, and
they had all long since been taken from him.

"Now you may go, my lads, and I'll let you know what I can do for you,"
he said after some time.

On this the deputation withdrew, well pleased with their interview.

As soon as the men were gone, Captain Penrose turned to the articles of
war, and all the rules and regulations of the service with which he had
been furnished, and hunted them through, and turned them over and over
again, but could find nothing whatever about the baptism of infants.
Most assiduously he looked through his Prayer-Book: not a word could he
discover authorising captains in the navy to perform the rite. He
pulled down all the books on his shelves and hunted them over; there
were not many, certainly, but they made up by their quality and
toughness for their want of number: not a word on the subject in
question could he find. For many an hour and for many a day did he
search, for he was not a man to be baffled by a knotty point or by an
enemy for want of exertion on his part, though at last he had to confess
that in this matter he was beaten. He therefore sent for Paul Pringle,
and told him that though he could bury all the ship's company, and could
hang a mutineer at the yardarm, or could shoot him on the quarterdeck,
he had no authority, that