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CHAPTER II.
An official letter, with the Admiralty seal, informed me that I was expected to join H. M. ship Belcher, Captain Boltrope, at Portsmouth, without delay. In a few days I presented myself to a tall, stern-visaged man, who was slowly pacing the leeward side of the quarter-deck. As I touched my hat he eyed me sternly:-- "So ho! Another young suckling. The service is going to the devil. Nothing but babes in the cockpit and grannies in the board. Boatswain`s mate, pass the word for Mr. Cheek!" Mr. Cheek, the steward, appeared and touched his hat. "Introduce Mr. Breezy to the young gentlemen. Stop! Where`s Mr. Swizzle?" "At the masthead, sir." "Where`s Mr. Lankey?" "At the masthead, sir." "Mr. Briggs?" "Masthead, too, sir." "And the rest of the young gentlemen?" roared the enraged officer. "All masthead, sir." "Ah!" said Captain Boltrope, as he smiled grimly, "under the circumstances, Mr. Breezy, you had better go to the masthead too." CHAPTER III. At the masthead I made the acquaintance of two youngsters of about my own age, one of whom informed me that he had been there three hundred and thirty-two days out of the year. "In rough weather, when the old cock is out of sorts, you know, we never come down," added a young gentleman of nine years, with a dirk nearly as long as himself, who had been introduced to me as Mr. Briggs. "By the way, Pills," be continued, "how did you come to omit giving the captain a naval salute?" "Why, I touched my hat," I said, innocently. "Yes, but that isn`t enough, you know. That will do very well at other times. He expects the naval salute when you first come on board--greeny!" I began to feel alarmed, and begged him to explain. "Why, you see, after touching your hat, you should have touched him lightly with your forefinger in his waistcoat, so, and asked, `How`s his nibs?`--you see?" "How`s his nibs?" I repeated. "Exactly. He would have drawn back a little, and then you should have repeated the salute remarking, `How`s his royal nibs?` asking cautiously after his wife and family, and requesting to be introduced to the gunner`s daughter." "The gunner`s daughter?" "The same; you know she takes care of us young gentlemen; now don`t forget, Pillsy!" When we were called down to the deck I thought it a good chance to profit by this instruction. I approached Captain Boltrope and repeated the salute without conscientiously omitting a single detail. He remained for a moment, livid and speechless. At length he gasped out:-- "Boatswain`s mate?" "If you please, sir," I asked, tremulously, "I should like to be introduced to the gunner`s daughter!" "O, very good, sir!" screamed Captain Boltrope, rubbing his hands and absolutely capering about the deck with rage. "O d--n you! Of course you shall! O ho! the gunner`s daughter! O, h--ll! this is too much! Boatswain`s mate!" Before I well knew where I was, I was seized, borne to an eight-pounder, tied upon it and flogged!
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