ery side to
stare at the procession, admired him amazingly, and cheered, and
shrieked, and laughed, and clapped their hands in gleeful approbation of
his performance.
Thus the procession advanced through the streets of Kingston till it
reached the church door, it wanted still some time to the commencement
of service, so the men were enabled to take their seats at one end of
the building without creating any disturbance. There was plenty of room
for them, for unhappily the proprietors, merchants and attorneys, the
managers of estates and other residents, were very irregular attendants
at places of worship. The few people who did collect for worship stared
with surprise at seeing so unusual a number of sailors collected
together; and more so when the service was over, to see Paul Pringle,
acting as best man, lead his friend Freeborn, and the two nurses, and
the rest of his shipmates, up to the font.
The clergyman had been warned by the clerk what to expect, or he would
have been equally astonished.
"What is it you want, my good people?" he asked.
"Why, bless your honour, we wants this here young chap, as belongs, I
may say, to the old _Terrible_, seeing as how he was born aboard of her,
made into a regular shipshape Christian."
"Oh, I see," said the minister, smiling; "I will gladly do as you wish.
You have got godfathers and a godmother, I suppose?"
"Oh, Lord bless your honour, there are plenty on us!" answered Paul,
feeling his bashfulness wear off in consequence of the minister's kind
manner. "There's myself, Paul Pringle, quartermaster, at your honour's
service; and there's Peter Ogle, captain of the foretop, and Abel Bush,
he's captain of the fo'castle; and then, d'ye see, we've each of us our
mates to take command if any of us loses the number of our mess; and
then as there's the two godmothers Nancy and Betty, right honest good
women, the little chap won't fare badly, d'ye see, your honour."
"Indeed, you come rather over-well provided in that respect," observed
the minister, having no little difficulty in refraining from laughing.
"However, I should think that you would find two godfathers and one
godmother, the usual number, sufficient to watch over the religious
education of the child."
"No, your honour," answered Paul quietly; "I'll just ax you what you
thinks the life of any one of us is worth, when you reflexes on the
round-shot and bullets of the enemy, the fever,--`Yellow Jack,' as we
ca
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