ne, to hear him talk, would suppose that he was the most
harum-scarum fellow alive, always excepting his old shipmate, Captain
Adair. He is, however, staid and steady enough in reality. I was very
glad to hear that he got his post rank at the same time as my brother
Jack did; and now the three old messmates, as they delight to call
themselves, are post-captains, and will some day, I hope, be admirals.
I wish, however, that they had not to wait so long. Your grave cousin
Murray is as fit to be an admiral now as he will be twenty years hence,
and, unless not a few fine fellows die off, it will take the best part
of that time for any of them to get their flag."

"It is encouragement for us, though," observed Archie; "for if they have
all been posted without any great amount of interest, we may hope to get
promoted in consequence of our good conduct."

"Yes, but then remember that they have seen a great deal of service, and
should the piping times of peace return, we may find it a hard matter to
get employed and be able to exhibit our good conduct."

"Weel, mon, we'll hope for the best, and may be some other nation will
kindly think fit to come to fisticuffs with old England, and give us
something to do," said Archie.

"There's every chance of that, I should think," said Tom. Just then
seven bells struck in the afternoon watch. "I'll go and see how Gerald
is getting on, before I have to come on deck again; it's dull work for
him lying all by himself."

Tom found his old messmate, whose cot was slung a little way outside the
berth, so that he might have the advantage of the air coming down the
after-hatchway, sucking lustily at an orange which he grasped in one
hand, while he held a book in the other. He was so absorbed in its
perusal that he did not notice Tom. Suddenly he burst into a loud fit
of laughter.

"Capital fun; I should have liked to have seen it!" he exclaimed;
"soused over head and ears a second time. Ah, ah, ah!"

"What's the joke?" asked Tom.

"I've just got to where old Peregrine Wiffle tumbles into the water a
second time, when he is showing how he saw the small fish playing under
the wharf, and was picked up with a boat-hook." Tom and Gerald had a
good laugh together.

"You don't seem very bad," observed Tom.

"No; the fever, or whatever it was, that had got hold of me, has cut its
stick, though I don't feel quite as nimble as I ought to be," answered
Gerald. "I believe that the disap