The bell now struck six, when the pipe of All hands to dance, ahoy! hurried all the young men on deck in excellent trim for frolic and fun of any description, leaving all the more grave and aged below, happy in each other's conversation. Parties were speedily formed, and Hunt the slipper, and several other games of a similar nature, were immediately commenced. Other parties amused themselves with dancing on the forecastle, to the beat of the drum and the sound of the fife; and the grotesque manners of the huge hulks of fellows who personated the fair sex made every side ache with laughter. The scene was new to our hero, who enjoyed it very highly; although he could hardly avoid remarking, that all the sports and dances were of the rudest description, and were more like the prefatory lessons for initiating men into the mystery of bearing hard blows and heavy falls with good humour, than the pastimes of reasonable and rational beings: for as all the frolics, of whatever nature they were, commonly ended in a mock squabble, where the whole party engaged mutually gave one another a hearty drubbing with their knotted kerchiefs, taken from their necks for that purpose, in one or two instances it actually occurred, that where the parties thought themselves rather severely handled, it verged pretty nearly to a serious conclusion, and several heavy blows were interchanged with every apparent good will. This, however, was seemingly against all rule; for, wherever it was like to happen, the others, by dint of ridicule and laughter, soon put their anger to flight, and speedily restored good hu mour. Although the subject may appear somewhat trivial, yet will we venture a description of two of these sports, which we believe not to belong to the class more generally known, and both of which, we can assure our readers, please a vast deal better in the performance than they can ever be expected to do from a brief description. The first is termed building a cutter, and is merely a dramatic squib, concluded in the usual way at the expence of some simple good-natured landsman, ignorant of the sport."Come, shipmates," cries a known hand, "let's have a game at building the cutter," when, as soon as a party is formed, the three principal characters, of the Gentleman, the Carpenter, and his man Jack, are generally contrived to be thrown into the hands of three of the stoutest and most active seamen engaged. The game now commences with a conversation between the Gentleman and the Carpenter; and as a good deal of humour, as well as of satire, is often thrown into it, it is sometimes carried on for a considerable time with both wit and spirit. This, however, we do not pretend to aim at; merely wishing to sketch out a bare outline, by way of giving our readers an idea of the game. Enter a Gentleman and Carpenter. Gent. Good-morrow, Master Chips. I wants to purchase a neat, airy, smartsailing cutter, finely painted, and handsomely rigged;-in the newest fashion, of course, you know. Carp. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than to serve your honour. I have several cutters on hand at present, but not one, I believe, of your description. However, you know, we can build you one in a very short time, and probably that will do, sir ? Gent. Well enough, Master Chips, provided you begin it directly. Carp. You may depend upon me, sir. It will be sent home to you the moment it is finished. Gent. Very well, Master Chips; I shall expect it. (Exit. Carp. I say, John;-d'ye hear there, Jack? Where the devil's that foreman of mine? You, Jack, hilloah! Jack. Here I come, your honour. Carp. Come this way, you swab ; d-n me if ever you're to be found when you are most wanted. We must set about building a trim spanking cutter for Mr Broombottom directly. Come, bring me my tools, and go you and seek out a proper piece of stuff for a good keel to her. I don't care whether it belongs to England, Ireland, or Scotland, so that it's good. Come, look sharp and thief-like, you scoundrel. (Here John, after a seeming examination, singles out the selected individual from among the byestanders, and brings him forward, saying:) Master, to my mind, here is an excellent piece of stuff for the cutter's keel. Carp. So it is, my lad. To what country does this stuff belong? Jack. It is true native Irish, your honour; reared and grown in Lord Buntlin's plantations at sweet Mullingar. The very same you bought from that land-lubber, Dennis M'Carthy. Carp. Ay, very good, John. Now bear a hand, and assist me to lay it down properly. (Here the two laid a smart, smiling Irish lad flat on his back, with his legs and arms well stretched out.) Carp. Now, Jack, hand me the ribs and trucks, to keep the keel steady. Smart, now; there's a good lad. (Here four more stout fellows were brought forward, all aware of the business, who were each firmly seated at poor Patrick's arms and legs.) The most difficult part of the game was now accomplished, the victim of sport being now secured. A goodlylengthened, and tolerably-spirited, conversation was next commenced between John and his master, respecting the most approved modes of rigging the cutter's masts, cutting her sails, &c.; a part of the drama we have no intention to detail, and which is generally lengthened or curtailed according to the abilities of the speakers, and the applause which they meet with. We rather hasten to say, that the cutter being at last pronounced to be complete, and a great deal of mischievous bustle gone through in clearing her a passage to the water, the carpenter suddenly cried, Launch, there, launch! when instantly, to the astonishment of numbers, and the joy of the whole, about a dozen of buckets of water, which had been carefully prepared during the passing conversation, were discharged smack in the face of the unfortunate prostrate Irishman, and were followed by others in such rapid succession, that he was nearly suffocated, and completely drenched, before he could fight himself clear of his tormentors, while all around him were convulsed with laughter. The other game we have selected is named The British and the Bold Buccaneer; and is one which exclusively belongs to the most active and alert seamen in the navy. According to the number on board inclined or capable of taking a part in this very hazardous piece of amusement, the performers may be four, three, or two in number. At the time that our hero beheld it, it was done by three:-Captains St George, St Andrew, and Morgan the Bold Buccaneer,-the two former of whom were Shields colliers, and the latter a fearless Irishman. They were three athletic, well-made young men, rather below the middle size; and such was their known celebrity in this performance, that no sooner was the game publicly announced than every other was immediately suspended, and young and old, officers, cooks, and scullions, hurried on deck to witness an exhibition at that time universally popular. The candidates for applause soon divested themselves of their hats, kerchiefs, jackets, and shoes; and having braced themselves tightly up for exertion, and taken their stations, the performance began on the forecastle by Captains St George and St Andrew chaunting the following humble rhyme, to, however, a very sweet and lively air: Our countries on the ocean stand, Who dares dispute when we command, He never shall dispute again. For thus we resolve, and thus we decree, Hurra, hurra, hurra! "Well, brother," cried St George, "how do your bearings stand?" 66 By observation yesterday, Porto Rico, E.N.E., 20 leagues." "Have you seen any thing lately?” "Yes, brother, I saw a sail last night, and gave chase-but I've lost her." "What did she look like ?" "She loomed like a square-rigged vessel? "The same I saw myself. Keep you as close to the wind as you can hug, and I'll go large; for I'm almost certain we're in the track of the object of our wishes, the Braggadocia privateer. We have only to capture her, and then home to old England as if the devil kicked us! I think we had better part company, and make sail, brother." 66 Ay, ay, the sooner the better." Both now cleared the forecastle at Ay, ay," replied he, "that's the very ship, dear, to be sure." 66 "Confound the rascal!" continued St George. D'ye hear, there, fellow, what ship is that?" "For sartin, honey, it's the very ship." "If you don't answer me directly, I'll fire into you," cried St George. "If you do this time, my darling, it's more than the son of your mother ever did before, joy." "Is not that the Braggadocia privateer ?" "Mayhap she is Braggadocia enough to take every devil's inch of consate out of you, however.-Oh! by St Patrick! so there's two of you, is there? Then, by the lovely maid of Killarney, it is full time I was after shaking my own beautiful trotters, sure now. [Rises, and moves slowly up the rigging.] "Hilloah! you ship there," bawled St George after him. "What want you now, gragh ?" was the answer. "Won't you tell us your ship's name?" cried St George. "No, troth now, that I won't.-I'll be after telling the flying Braggadocia's name to ne'er a spalpeen like you.I'm away, for I like none of your company, my darling." "Make sail, brother, and give chace," cried St George to his companion, and both instantly sprung to the boom. A trial of the most dexterous agility and presence of mind now ensued. They ran up the rigging, and slid down the stays, even from the very mast heads, with the rapidity of arrows, and leaped from one yard to another, by means of slip-ropes, with the confidence and agility of the monkey tribe, amidst the reiterated shouts and plaudits of the whole ship's company. They continued this fatiguing and perilous exercise a great length of time; for though the two Saints moved swiftly and fearlessly on, the Bold Buccaneer, well worthy his name, scorning to yield, no sooner led them down to the deck, than off he flew again, nor would he halt for a moment until he reached the top-gallant yard'sarm. Here, making fast a rope's end he had brought from the top, he would coolly await their arrival on the crosstrees, and then, when his firey-faced pursuers had almost inade sure of him, would the daring fellow spring to the yard's-arm at a bound, and slipping down his rope with astonishing rapidity, would either stand the next moment on the top-sail yard's arm, or, seizing hold of a stay, continue his run to the deck, leaving his disappointed and breathless pursuers looking after him from the top-mast head. Thus they continued, with the most admirable exertion, until the Buccaneer had brought them to the deck three several times, when, unfortunately, in a rapid descent on the main-top-gallant stay into the fore-top, he wounded his foot on a marlin-spike. Still, however, he scorned to give in, though his speed was greatly retarded by his wound, which bled pretty profusely. At length, after uncommon exertion, he was laid hold of by St George, in the act of making fast a slip-rope to the foreyard's arm; and a struggle ensued which baffles all description; the Buccaneer endeavouring to shake him off, and either escape by the lift, or else make a spring to the stays, and St George keeping him stoutly and firmly pinned to the yard's arm. This was the more increased by St Andrew, who came dash in between them, by slipping down the lift of the yard. The Buccaneer finding it now impossible to escape from their clutches, made a sudden spring from St Andrew, and overboard he went headlong. Hazardous as the matter now appeared, St Andrew hesitated not a moment, but dropped from the yard after him, and was gallantly followed by St George; and here a sort of fight now ensued far more painful than pleasant. All three were excellent swimmers, but completely exhausted; and the tide happening to ebb at the time, the current of the Medway proved too strong for them, and carried them all so rapidly a-stern, that a boat was instantly dispatched to pick them up,thus ending a most finished display of agility and courage, with no other injury to the parties than a little extra fatigue, and a good ducking. For this, however, they seemed to be amply compensated, on coming on board, by the cheering plaudits they received from the whole ship's company,-the officers giving them divers drams to qualify the salt water they had been compelled to swallow, and their companions bustling in changing their wet clothes for others more congenial to comfort; every one evincing, by these little acts of care and kindness, the high satisfaction to which their distinguished abilities had given rise; and for no better meed than which, how ever we may deny it, men are sometimes spurred on to greater feats than even the figuring away in the breakneck sport of The British and the Bold Buccaneer. It was now a delightful summer evening. The noisy clang of the Dockyard had ceased;-the lighters and shore-boats, with their commodities, Jewish and Christian, and a few unsaleable British beauties, were hurrying towards the harbour;-the sun had given to the windows of Blue Town the appearance of a splendid illumination,—had tinged the curling tops of the gently-rising waves, and the neighbouring richly wooded shores, with a golden hue, and plainly announced to the most casual inquirer, in all the dignity of beauty and expressive silence, that labour must cease, for the day was at a close. The topmen were aloft, and the marines and signal-men were at their posts. Every eye on deck was now steadily fixed either on the Admiral's ship, or on the sun; which no sooner sank beneath the horizon, than the words Fire and Sweigh away! were given, the muskets were fired, the top-gallant yards were tripped and hurried with Blue Peter to the deck, the ensign was hauled down at the same instant, and the ceremonial of sun-set was concluded by the drummer, who beat the tattoo to the well-known air of "Go to Berwick Johnny." A short interval of order and quietness had now happily succeeded the most boisterous mirth and uproar. The fife, the fiddle, and the drum, with most of their admirers, had gone below; when the pee-wheep-chick-achick sound of the boatswain's pipe hurried young and old once more on deck for their hammocks, and a few moments saw the Tottumfog's sides, fore and aft, studded with human heads arrayed in all the varied costumes of the world. When all were assembled, the word, "Pipe down!” was given; the boatswain's pipe gave its sanction by a screaming trill; the hammocks flew out of the nettings as if by magic, and were as hastily shouldered by their owners, who, in their haste to reach their respective births below, displayed an apathy of feeling and an equanimity of temper highly exemplary. We have not the least doubt, but it would have excited both the wonder and laughter of our readers, to have seen young and old coming literally rolling down the hatch-ladders along with their hammocks; and we have still less, that it would have made many of them stand somewhat aghast, to have heard the strange medley of reiterated shouts of, Stand from under! Scaldings below there! and Murder! with all the usual accompaniments of mock screaming, peals of laughter, and direful imprecations, which commonly attend this hurried piece of business. All this, however, and a great deal more, passes quite un heeded, when once people are a little accustomed to it; for all this is but merely a noise, which a few minutes puts an end to. The various parties speedily return to the deck to roll up their respective hammock cloths to preserve them from the weather; and, like all other services in the navy, every thing is forgotten as soon as the bustle is over. In a very short time, a large portion of the people returned to their sports with redoubled spirits, as cheerful and good-humoured as ever, laughing heartily at the cuts and thrusts they had both taken and given;-while not a few there were, and among the rest our hero, who wisely noting the probable fatigue of the following day, stole away to their ham mocks, and were soon asleep. CHAPTER IV. Then stick to't, my hearts, and be jolly, boys, THE first thing that saluted the cars of our hero in the morning, was the hollow boom of the Admiral's gun, which was almost immediately follow ed by the boatswain's piping, All hands, This piece of intelligence was no for we're all waiting you, and the day smartly then," replied the Lieutenant, All hands were busied in regaling themselves with their skillogalee,-a vileimitation of our Scottish porridgewhen the boatswain's pipe announced the arrival of Captain Switchem; who, |