when, while walking the deck, after an early dinner, Tailtackle came up

to me.

"The Commodore has hove to, sir." "Very like," said I; " to allow the merchant-ships to close, I presume."

"A gun," said little Reefpoint. "Ah-what signal now ?"-It was the signal to close.

"Put the helm up and run down to him," said I. It was done-and presently the comfortable feeling of bowling along before it, succeeded the sharp yerking digging motion of a little vessel, tearing and pitching through a head sea, close upon a wind. The water was buzzing under our bows, and we were once more close under the stern of the corvette. There was a boat alongside ready manned. The captain hailed, "I send your orders on board, Mr Cringle, to bear up on your separate cruise." At the same moment, the Firebrand's ensign and pennant were hoisted-we did the same-a gun from the Commodore-ditto from the tidy little Wave-and lo! Thomas Cringle, esquire, launched for the first time on his own bottom.

By this time the boat was alongside, with Messieurs Aaron Bang, Pepperpot Wagtail, and Paul Gelid -the former with his cot, and half a dozen cases of wine, and some pigs, and some poultry, all under the charge of his black servant.

“Hillo,” said I—" Mr Wagtail is at home here, you know, Mr Bang, and so is Mr Gelid; but to what lucky chance am I indebted for your society, my dear sir ?"

"Thank your stars, Tom-Captain Cringle-I beg pardon, and be grateful; I am sick of rumbling, tumbling in company with these heavy tools of merchantmen, so I entreated N to let me go and take a turn with you, promising to join the Firebrand again at Nassau." "Why, I am delighted," and so I really was. "But, my dear sir-I may lead you a dance, and, peradventure, into trouble-a small vessel may catch a Tartar, you know."

"D-n the expense," rejoined my jovial ally; "why, the hot little epicurean Wagtail, and Gelid, cold and frozen as he is, have both taken a fancy to me-and no wonder, knowing my pleasant qualities as they do -ahem; so, for their sakes, I volun

teer on this piece of knight-errantry as much as"

66

"6

Poo-you be starved, Aaron dear," rapped out little Wagtail; you came here, because you thought you should have more fun, and escape the formality of the big ship, and eke the captain's sour claret."

"Ah," said Gelid, "my fine fellow," with his usual Creole drawl, " you did not wait for my opinion. Ahoh-why, Captain Cringle, a thousand pardons. Friend Bang, there, swears that he can't do without you; and all he says about me, is neither more nor less than humbug -ah."

My lovely yellowsnake," quoth Aaron, "and my amiable dumpling, gentlemen both, now, do hold your tongues.-Why, Tom, here we are, never you mind how, after half a quarrel with the skipper-will you take us, or, will you send us back, like rejected addresses?"

"Send you back, my boys! No, no, too happy to get you." Another gun from the corvette. "Firebrands, you must shove off. My compliments, Wiggins, to the captain, and there's a trifle for you to drink my health, when you get into port." The boat shoved off-the corvette filled her maintopsail. "Put the helm down-ease off the mainsheet-stand by to run up the squaresail. How is her head, Mr Tailtackle ?"

Timothy gave a most extraordinary grin at my bestowing the Mister on him for the first time. "North-west, sir.”

<<

Keep her so❞—and having bore up, we rapidly widened our distance from the Commodore and the fleet. All men know, or should know, that on board of a man-of-war, there is never any "yo heave oh'ing." That is confined to merchant vessels. But when the crew are having a strong pull of any rope, it is allowable for the man next the belaying pin, to sing out, in order to give unity to the drag, "" one-two-three," the strain of the other men increasing with the figure.

The tack of the mainsail had got jammed somehow, and on my desiring it to be hauled up, the men, whose province it was, were unable to start it. Something foul aloft," said I. Tailtackle came up. "What

(c

are you fiddling at, men? Give me here-one -two-three." Crack went the strands of the rope, under the paws of the Titan, whereby the head of the outermost sailor pitched right into Gelid's stomach, knocked him over, and capsized him head foremost into the wind sail which was let down through the sky-light into the little well cabin of the schooner.

It so happened that there was a bucket full of Spanish brown paint standing on the table of the cabin, right below the hoop of the canvass funnel, and into it popped the august pate of Paul Gelid, Esquire.

Bang had, in the meantime, caught him by the heels, and with the assistance of Pearl, the handsome negro formerly noticed, who, from his steadiness, had been spared to me as a quartermaster, the conch was once more hoisted on deck, with a scalp of red paint, reaching down over his

eyes.

"6

"6

I say," quoth Bang, " Gelid, my darling, not quite so smooth as the real Macassar, eh? Shall I try my hand-can shave beautifully-eh?" Ab," drawled Gelid, "lucky my head was shaved in that last fever, Aaron dear. Ah-let me think-yon tall man-yon sailor-fellow-ah-do me the favour to scrape me with your knife-ah-and pray call my servant." Timothy, to whom he had addressed himself, set to, and scraped the red paint off his poll; and having called his servant, Chew Chew, handed him over to the negro, who, giving his arm to him, helped him below, and with the assistance of Cologne water, contrived to scrub him decently clean. As the evening fell, the breeze freshened; and during the night it blew strong, so that from the time we bore up, and parted company with the Firebrand, until day-dawn next morning, we had run 150 miles or thereby to the northward and westward, and were then on the edge of the Great Bahama Bank. The breeze now failed us, and we lay roasting in the sun until midday, the current sweeping us to the northward, and still farther on to the bank, until the water shoaled to three fathoms. At this time the sun was blazing fiercely right overhead; and from the shallowness of the water, there was not the smallest

VOL. XXXIII, NO. CCIV.

swell, or undulation of the surface. The sea, as far as the eye could reach, was a sparkling light green, from the snow-white sand at the bottom, as if a level desert had been suddenly submersed under a few feet of crystal clear water, and formed a cheery spectacle, when compared with the customary leaden, or dark blue colour of the rolling fathomless ocean. It was now dead calm.-" Fishing lines there-Idlers, fishing lines," said I; and in a minute there were forty of them down over the side. In Europe, fish in their shapes partake of the sedate character of the people who inhabit the coasts of the seas in which they swim-at least I think so. The salmon, the trout, the cod, and all the other tribes of the finny people, are reputable in their shapes, and altogether respectable-looking creatures. But, within the tropics, Dame Nature plays strange vagaries; and here, on the great Bahama Bank, every new customer, as he floundered in on deck-no joke to him, poor fellow-elicited shouts of laughter from the crew. They were in no respect shaped like the fish of our cold climates; some were all head— others all tail-some, so far as shape went, had their heads where, with all submission, I conceived their tails should have been; and then the colours, the intense brilliancy of the scales of these monstrous-looking animals! We hooked up a lot of bonitos, 10lbs a-piece, at the least. But Wagtail took small account of them. "Here," said Bang, at this moment, "by all that is wonderful, look here!" And he drew up a fish about a foot long, with a crop like a pigeon of the tumbler kind, which began to make a loud snorting noise.

"Ah," drawled Gelid, "good fish, with claret sauce."

66

Daresay," rejoined Aaron; "but do your Bahama fish speak, Paul, eh?"

I have already said that the water was not quite three fathoms deep, and it was so clear that I could see down to the very sand, and there were the fish cruising about, in great numbers.

"Haulin,Wagtail-you have hooked him," and up came a beautiful black grouper, about four pounds weight.

"Ah, there is the regular jiggeryjiggery," sung out little Reefpoint,

M

at the same moment, as he in turn began to pull up his line. "Stand by to land him," and a red snapper, like a gigantic gold fish, for all the world, was hauled on board; and so we carried on, black snappers, red snappers, and rock fish, and a vast variety, for all of which, however, Wagtail had names pat, until at length I caught a most lovely dolphin-a beauty to look at-but dry, terribly dry to eat. I cast it on the deck, and the chameleon tints of the dying fish, about which so many lies have been said and sung, were just beginning to fade, and wax pale, and ashy, and deathlike, when (for I had kneeled down on deck) I felt another strong jiggery-jiggery at my line, which little Reefpoint had, in the mean time, baited afresh. "Zounds! I have caught a whale-a shark at the very least"-and I pulled him in, hand over hand.

"A most noble Jew fish," said I. "A Jew fish!" responded Wagtail.

"A Jew fish!" said Aaron Bang. "A Jew fish!" said Paul Gelid. "My dear Cringle," continued Wagtail," when do you dine?"

"At three, as usual."

out, and had him to talk on all his favourite topics, in a most amusing manner. All at once Gelid lay back on his chair.

"My God," said he, "I have broken my tooth with that confounded hard biscuit-terrible-really; ah!"

and he screwed up his face, as if he had been eating sour crout, or had heard of the death of a dear friend.

(6 Then, Mr Reefpoint, will you have the great kindness to cast off your sink, and hook that splendid fellow by the tail-only through the gristle-don't prick him in the flesh

and let him meander about till half past two?" Reefy was half inclined to be angry at the idea of his Majesty's officer being converted into a cook's mate. 66 Why," said I, 66 we shall put him in a tub of water, here on deck, Mr Wagtail, if you please."

"God bless me, no!" quoth the gastronome. "Why, he is strong as an eagle, and will smash himself to mummy in half an hour in a tub. No-no-see, he weighs twelve pounds at the very lightest. Lord! Mr Cringle, I am surprised at you."

The fish was let overboard again, according to his desire, and hauled in at the very moment he indicated by his watch, when, having seen him cut up and cleaned, with his own eyes-I believe I may say with his own hands-he betook himself to his small crib to dress.

At dinner our Creole friend was very entertaining. Bang drew him

"Poo," quoth Aaron," any combmaker will furnish you forth as good as new; those grinders you brag of are not your own, Gelid, you know that."

"Indeed, Aaron, my dear, I know nothing of the kind; but this I know, that I have broken a most lovely white front tooth, ah !"—

"Oh, you be hanged,” said Aaron; "why, you have been bechopped any time these ten years, I know."

The time wore on, and it might have been half past nine when we went on deck.

"f

It was a very dark night-Tailtackle had the watch. Any thing in sight, Mr Tailtackle ?" "Why, no, sir; but I have just asked your steward for your night-glass, as, once or twice-but it is so thickPray, sir, how far are we off the Hole in the Wall ?"

<<

'Why, sixty miles at the least." The Hole in the Wall is a very remarkable rock in the Crooked Island Passage, greatly resembling, as the name betokens, a wall breached by the sea, or by battering cannon, which rises abruptly out of the water, to a height of forty feet.

"Then," quoth Tailtackle," there must be a sail close aboard of us, to windward there."

"Where?" said I. "Quick, send for my night-glass.

"I have it here in my hand, sir." "Let me see"-and I peered through it until my eyes ached again, I could see nothing, and resumed my walk on the quarterdeck. Tail tackle, in the mean time, continued to look through the telescope, and as I turned from aft to walk forward, a few minutes after this-" Why, sir, it clears a bit, and I see the object that has puzzled me again."

"Eh? give me the glass"-in a second I caught it. "By Jupiter, you say true, Tailtackle! beat to quarters-quick-clear away the long gun forward there!" All was bustle

د.

"I would recommend your getting the hatches on, sir-that fellow is not honest, sir-I don't like him."

"The deuce!" said I. I now saw the chase very distinctly bear up. "Put the helm up-keep her away a bit-steady-that will do-fire a shot across her bows, Mr Tailtackle and, Mr Reefpoint, shew the private signal." The gun was fired, and the lights shewn, but our spectral friend was all darkness and silence. "Mr Scarfemwell," said I to the carpenter, "stand by the long gun. Tailtackle, I don't like that chap-open the magazine." By this time the strange sail was on our quarter-we shortened sail, while he, finding that his manœuvre of crossing our bows had been foiled by our bearing up also, got the foretack on board again, and set his topgallant sails, all very cleverly. He was not far out of pistol-shot. Tailtackle, in his shirt and trowsers, and felt shoes, now stuck his head up the main hatchway.

"Never mind, Mr Tailtackle, never mind. Forward there; Mr Jigmaree, slap a round shot into him, since he won't speak, or heave to-right between his masts, do you hear-Are you ready?"-" All ready, sir.”"Fire." The gun was fired, and simultaneously we heard a crash on board the strange sail, followed by a piercing yell, similar to what the negroes raise over a dead comrade, and then a long melancholy howl.

"A slaver, and the shot has told, sir," said Mr Handlead, the master.

"Then we shall have some fun for it," thought I. I had scarcely spoken, when the brig once more shortened sail; and the instant that the foresail rose, he let fly his bow gun at usthen another, another, and another.

"Nine guns of a side as I am a sinner," quoth Jigmaree; and three of the shot struck us, mortally wounded one poor fellow, and damaged poor little Reefy by a splinter in the side.

"Stand by, men-take good aimfire"-and we again let drive the long gun and carronade; but our friend was too quick for us, for by this time he had once more hauled his wind, and made sail as close to it as he could stagger. We crowded every thing in chase, but he had the heels of us, and in an hour he was once more nearly out of sight in the dark night, right to windward.

66 Keep at him, Mr Jigmaree;" and as I feared he was running us in under the land, I dived to consult the chart. There, in the cabin, I found Wagtail, Gelid, and Bang, sitting smoking on each side of the small table, with some brandy and water before them.

"Ah," quoth Gelid, "ah! fighting a little? Not pleasant in the evening, certainly."

"Confound you," said Aaron, "why will you bother at this awkward moment?"

Meanwhile, Wagtail was a good deal discomposed.

tr

"My dear fellow, hand me over that deviled biscuit."

Bang handed him over the dish, slipping into it some fragments of ship biscuit, as hard as flint. All this

"Poo, poo," quoth his friend, "don't bother now-hillo-what the deuce -I say, Wagtail-Gelid, my lad, look there"- -as one of the seamen, with another following him, brought down on his back the poor fellow who had been wounded, and laid his bloody load on the table. To those who are unacquainted with these matters, it may be right to say, that the captain's cabin, in a small vessel like the Wave, is very often in an emergency used as a cockpit-and so it was in the present instance.

66

Beg pardon, captain and gentlemen," said the surgeon, "but I must, I fear, perform an ugly operation on this poor fellow. I fancy you had better go on deck, gentlemen."

Now I had an opportunity to see of what sterling metal my friends were at bottom made. Mr Bang in a twinkling had his coat off.

"Doctor, I can be of use, I know it-no skill, but steady nerves,"-although he had reckoned a leetle with out his host here,-"and I can swathe a bandage too, although no surgeon," said Wagtail.

Gelid said nothing, but he was in the end the best surgeon's mate amongst them. The poor fellow, Wiggins, one of the captain's gigs, and a most excellent man, in quarterdeck parlance, was now laid on the table-a fine handsome young fellow, faint and pale, very pale, but courageous as a lion, even in his extremity. It appeared that a round shot had shattered his leg above the knee. A tourniquet had been applied on his thigh, and there was not much bleeding.

"Captain," said the poor fellow, while Bang supported him in his arms-" I shall do yet, sir; indeed I have no great pain."

All this time the surgeon was cuting off his trowsers, and then, to be sure, a terrible spectacle presented itself. The foot and leg, blue and shrunk, was connected with the thigh by a band of muscle about two inches wide, and an inch thick; that fined away to a bunch of white ten

dons or sinews at the knee, which again swelled out as they melted into the muscles of the calf of the leg; but as for the bone, it was smashed to pieces at the knee, leaving white spikes protruding from the shattered limb above, as well as from the shank beneath. The doctor gave the poor fellow a large dose of laudanum, in a glass of brandy, and then proceeded to amputate the limb high up on the thigh. Bang stood the knife part of it very steadily, but the instant the saw rasped against the shattered bone, he shuddered.

"I am going, Cringle-can't stand that-sick as a dog"-and he was so faint that I had to relieve him in supporting the poor fellow. Wagtail had also to go on deck, but Paul Gelid remained firm as a rock. The limb was cut off, and the arteries taken up very cleverly, and the surgeon was in the act of slacking the tourniquet a little, when the thread that fastened the largest, the femoral artery, suddenly gave way-a gush like the jet from a fire-engine took place. The poor fellow had just time to cry out, "Take that cold hand off my heart!" when his chest collapsed, his jaw fell, and in an instant his pulse stopped.

"Dead as Julius Cæsar, captain," said Gelid, with his usual deliberation. Dead enough, thought I; and I was leaving the cabin to resume my post on deck, when I stumbled against something at the ladder foot.

66

Why, what is that?" grumbled I. "It is me, sir," said a small faint voice.