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their father a mulatto. They, though in reality quadroons, were not darker than Spaniards. They had passed several years in England at school, and had now come out to Sierra Leone, having finished their education, and were each in hopes of picking up an English officer for a husband. As they were the best-looking girls in the room, Tom and Dayrell pretty well monopolised their society; but every time during the evening that the band played a polka, Mr. Spratt came off and claimed Dayrell as a partner for his wife.

Otter danced with black girls and white girls indiscriminately. He felt he had never been thoroughly appreciated until this evening, and he gave himself up to the enjoyment of it.

About two o'clock in the morning, the young officers thought it was time to return to the ship. They went to say good-bye to their host and hostess, and Dayrell was rather taken back when Mrs. Spratt drew him towards her, and impressed a resounding kiss on his cheek.

As Otter was saying good-bye, Mr. Spratt remarked rather tardily: "Dis our God chile."

Mrs. Spratt was by this time in rather an excitable frame of mind, and throwing her arms around Otter, she pressed him to her, while she raised her eyes to the ceiling and seemed engaged in prayer.

After

some seconds, Otter was released, looking rather red about the face; but still with the benign expression on his countenance as though he had rather enjoyed her demonstrativeness.

They then left, and were fortunate enough to get on board without being discovered.

K

CHAPTER XV.

H.M.S. ALERT

When night darkens the streets, then wander forth
The sons of Belial, flown with insolence and wine.

Paradise Lost.

THE next day was occupied in setting up rigging, and refitting the ship aloft after the knocking about she had had on her passage out.

In the afternoon, H.M.S. Alert, a corvette about the same size as the Briseis, arrived at Sierra Leone to coal on her passage home. She had been considerably over four years in commission, all of which time had been spent on the coast of Africa.

It would be quite impossible to find, in the Navy of the present day, a gun-room mess which could be compared to that of the Alert. It is as well, perhaps, that it is so; yet some of her young officers have risen to high places in the service, and are smart, efficient men.

They were a rowdy lot of young fellows to start with; but from the unusual life spent on the coast, the comparative absence of civilisation, the constant society of men, the entire absence of the softening influence of refined women, the naturally rough life and its many privations had so hardened and brutalised these young officers-they being, perhaps, of an impressionable age, when surrounding circumstances take more effect-that they had neither the manners nor morals of Californian miners.

They had always pulled well together, and so had managed to defy the authority of the first lieutenants, of whom they had had several, during their long commission. One or two had tried to reform them, and had intended to make an example.

of the first gun-room officer he discovered drunk, and have him tried by court-martial; but directly he placed one under arrest all the other members of the mess immediately got drunk too, and he was left with no junior officer to do the duty. The Captain was a weak-minded, easy-going man, and did not sufficiently support the authority of the first lieutenant; so it came to pass that eventually the gun-room mess was given a roving commission. and allowed to do what it liked.

Soon after the Alert anchored, gun-room lists were exchanged. These were lists of all the gun-room officers, which were sent on board other ships when first meeting, to show what officers were serving on board below the rank of sub-lieutenant; as in those days none under that rank had their names published in the Navy List. At the bottom of the list was usually appended a note to say that the above officers would be glad to see any of the other ship's officers on board; but on the Alert's list was an invitation for the. Briseises to come on board to a "Homeward Bound" supper; and following this was a sketch of a square bottle of hollands, and a box of sardines, flanked by pipes.

Browne and Dashwood, who were the great authorities on matters of etiquette, considered this bad form, and suggested that it should be treated. with silent disapproval; but Howard thought

otherwise.

"It is a very friendly invitation at any rate," he said, "and I am rather inclined to accept it."

"So am I. I feel just in the humour for a feed of sardines and squaro," said Russell, who usually took the opposite view of a question to Dashwood.

Accordingly, that evening, Howard, Russell, and Marston went to represent the Briseis at the homeward bound supper of the Alerts.

Tom had no difficulty in getting leave as Mr. Woodruff was on shore, and Willoughby was

commanding officer. Dayrell could not go with them as it was his first watch.

On their arrival on board they were shown into the Alert's berth, and were received with boisterous welcome.

The supper was evidently about to commence.

On the table were open tins of sardines and salmon, plates of raw onions, and small heaps of ship's biscuit, a beer-bottle with a quill in the cork, containing chilli vinegar, a small tea-cup filled with pepper, and two large bottles of hollands, or squaro, as it was generally called. Plates were laid to eat from, but the drinking utensils had evidently run. short, and in lieu of tumblers were cups, small china basins, such as are used on the lower deck, and a few very much battered pewters.

The Briseises were invited to sit down at the table, and take off their coats, which was almost a necessity, as the temperature was at 90%; the Alerts had already divested themselves of theirs, and were for the most part arrayed in coloured flannel shirts without collars. or neckties, and with their sleeves rolled up to their elbows.

The supper then commenced, and each one helped himself to whatsoever he fancied.

Presently it was discovered that there was no water on the table, and the president of the feast, an old, hairy sub, who rejoiced in the nickname of "Ahab," called out: "Inside, there!"

A shutter in the foremost bulkhead was drawn aside for an instant, revealing the black face of a nigger, then immediately closed, fortunately for the nigger, as Mr. Ahab discharged a pewter with great force against it, narrowly missing Russell's head, who was sitting at the end of the table.

"Come round here, you blanky black son of a gun!" roared Ahab; and shortly afterwards the nigger servant appeared at the doorway, keeping himself as much out of view as possible, and ready to

dodge any missile that might be thrown at him. "Here, 'Lazarus,' get some water to cool our tongues, you black son of Belial! Why isn't it on the table?" said Ahab, at the same time letting fly an empty sardine box at him, which Lazarus again avoided by ducking his head.

"I suppose you don't want a nigger servant on board the Briseis, do you, Howard?" continued Ahab. "If so, I will let you have Lazarus cheap. We have gone to a good deal of trouble in training him, but he scarcely repays it. However, you might shove him on board the first slaver you capture, and swear he is a slave. You would get £5 prize-money for him that way.

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"Where did you get him?" asked Howard.

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"We picked him up here, and he is the worst bargain we ever had. Before he had been a month in the ship, he summoned 'Judas Iscariot' there" pointing to an assistant paymaster-" for assault, and got him fined £5, with the alternative of a month's quod. We stopped his leave after that, and then he tried to be revenged on the whole mess. Our cook went sick, and Lazarus did his work. The first day he made the pea-soup with salt water and nearly poisoned us. We sent for him and told him he would have to eat the whole lot himself. He flatly refused! Upon my soul it's true-he swore he wouldn't eat a spoonful; but 'Satan' there "-pointing towards an old weatherbeaten midshipman-"suggested getting an engine-room syringe, and giving it him through that, and we did; but we had the devil's own job. Then he spoilt half a bottle of 'Gehazi's ""-pointing to another midshipman very deeply pitted with the small-pox-"rum by filling it up with vinegar, and because Gehazi broke the bottle over his head, he shammed being sick, and got the doctor to put him on the sick-list. Then 'Ananias' there"-pointing to another midshipman -"caught him drinking our limejuice out of the jug he had drawn it in. Of course

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