boatswain, who offered to assume charge of him when Doctor Mopson
gave him up as a bad job and the other officers repudiated him; and,
being now able to associate with us forward more freely, he quickly
learnt all manner of new tricks, using a glass, for instance, as well as
a signalman, and another sort of glass, especially if it contained grog,
as expertly as Joblins did, when he had the chance.

On our voyage home from the Azores he afforded rare fun to all of us,
the men dressing him up in regular sailor rig, and the carpenter's mate
carving a rifle and sword-bayonet for him out of a bit of wood that was
handy.

With this, Jocko used to take his place with the starboard watch when we
beat to quarters, and the men would come hurrying up on deck hastily
with their weapons each to his station.

You should only have seen him sight his rifle and pretend to aim at an
imaginary enemy; while at the order to `repel boarders' he would drop
down in a half-sitting posture, looking as comical as possible, holding
his sword-bayonet at the charge.

On these occasions he would always range himself by the side of Mick,
whom he selected in preference to all the rest of the ship's company as
his chosen associate.

The boatswain noticed this; and one day in the early part of April, as
we were coming up Channel on our return from our cruise and nearing
Spithead, being just abreast of the projecting headland of Dunose on the
south side of the Isle of Wight, Mr Blockley comes up to Mick as he and
I and Jocko were standing on the forecastle.

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE.

I BECOME AN "ORDINARY SEAMAN."

"Tell us, Donovan," said he--"now, what would you do with that monkey,
supposing I make him over to you?"

"Faith," replied Mick, not knowing whether the boatswain was trying to
take a rise out of him or not, "Oi wudn't ate him, sor."

"I suppose not," said Mr Blockley, grinning, as Mick did, in sympathy.
"But would you take care of him, my lad, if I give the monkey to you?"

"An' is it whither Oi'll take care ov him ye're afther axin' me?" said
my chum, taking hold of Jocko as he spoke. "Begorrah, ye jist coom to
me arrums, ye little baiste, and show Misther Blockley how fond yez are
ov me, ye divvle!"

Jocko, who had been standing in front of: the pair at the time on the
forecastle in the position of `present arms,' holding his little wooden
rifle as correctly as the smartest drilled marine, at once dropped this
on the deck, an