ty!"

I had, however, to make short work of my meal, for the `assembly' just
then sounded; and, after our usual parade again on deck, according to
the routine, a part of our division went ashore to a large field between
Blockhouse Fort and Haslar on the Gosport side of the water, belonging
to the _Saint Vincent_, and which is used for drilling the boys in
marching and small-arm instruction.

Some of the remainder of us were put to signalling on the upper deck,
carrying on highly interesting dialogues with small flags that were
waved to and fro between the bows and stern of the ship; but the major
part of the division--I, much to my delight, being one of the number--
practised all the afternoon at boat-pulling. In this my experience with
father's wherry during the last three or four years stood me in good
stead; though I had some little difficulty at first in mastering the
usual man-o'-war stroke with the long ash oars in the heavy launch which
we pulled, the boat being double-banked.

The next day was the most exciting I had passed since I had been on
board the ship, now over a week.

To begin with, it was `pay-day,' the whole ship's company marching up to
the paymaster in turn at the temporary office he had rigged up _al
fresco_, as Mick's `Oitalian' friends would say, on the upper deck, and
receiving each his weekly pay; the boys being allowed, those of the
first-class a shilling, and those of the second sixpence, for pocket-
money, the balance being saved up to their account or else forwarded to
their parents.

Much amusement was caused amongst us as we received the respective coins
to which we were entitled, each holding out his cap for them; for a
sailor, you know, puts everything in his cap. Pocketing our coin as we
went below, Mick created the greatest fun of all as he spit on his and
spun it in the air. "Hooray!" he cried out, against the regulations,
though, fortunately for himself, not too loud, as he skated down the
hatchway. "Begorrah, it's the foorst money Oi iver arnt in me loif!
Faith, Tom mabouchal, we'll spind it togither an' hev a rig'ler
jollification ashore!"

The bugle sounded `cooks to their messes' as Mick was saying this; and
so off he hurried to the galley on the fore part of the middle deck when
we had got down the hatchway, I following after him.

On passing the entry-port, however, my old friend the master-at-arms
hailed me.

"Hi, Tom Bowling!" he called out, beckoning me into t