ience, even if he could discover the guilty ones.

Mr. Lowington was not on deck. He had purposely gone below, for he
wished the new captain to act on his own responsibility, and overcome
the difficulty alone. This was in accordance with his previous course,
when, even in a gale of wind, he permitted the young officers to handle
the ship without any dictation. Though the action adopted by the boys
was not always in accordance with his own judgment, he never interfered
unless an obvious and dangerous blunder was made. His policy had worked
well thus far, and he was disposed to continue it. In the present
instance, he was no better informed than the captain in regard to the
real cause of the difficulty. He believed it was merely the effect of a
fun-loving spirit on the part of the crew; a mere disposition to haze
the new officers a little, and perhaps prove what they were made of. He
hoped the new officers would satisfy them, and, if necessary, send a
dozen or twenty of the mischief-makers to the mainmast for punishment.

"All hands, up anchor, ahoy!" piped the boatswain, after he had
received the order from the captain, through the proper officers.

Those whose stations were at the cable and capstan sprang to their
places with unwonted alacrity.

"Bring to, forward!" added the first lieutenant, giving the order to
attach the messenger. "Ship and swifter the capstan bars!"

As it was not intended to get the ship actually under way, only a
portion of the work indicated by the orders was really executed. The
form of hooking on the messenger was gone through with, as also were
the various preparations for catting and fishing the anchor. The
capstan bars were inserted in the pigeon-holes.

"Heave round!" shouted the first lieutenant; and the order was repeated
by the second lieutenant, whose station is on the forecastle.

Everything appeared to be progressing with proper order and regularity,
and Captain Shuffles hoped the warning words of the principal had
produced an impression upon the minds of the mischief-makers. But
appearances are very deceptive. While the hands were walking around the
capstan, four of the bars suddenly came out of the pigeon-holes at the
same instant, and a dozen of the seamen were thrown, apparently with
great violence, upon the deck. The bars, confined at one end by the
swifter, swung round and cracked the shins of others, and a scene of
confusion ensued, which set at nought all ideas of disci