"A good look-out before, there!" | fair wager-that is, my allowance against shouted the mate of the watch, from the yours to-morrow that I name the female." quarter-deck, where he was showing his authority by thrashing the youngsters. "Ay, ay, sir!" responded the man at the cat head; and then added in a lower tone, "They're having a jolly sheavo-o in the cabin !"" 66 "It's a sad heart as never rejoices!" said the captain of the forecastle. But, I say, Jack! I don't like the look o' that sky to windard." "It's one of two things-a parting blush o' the sun, or a gathering squall o' the night," returned the boatswain's mate; "but we've no reason to care about it'cause, why? we're all as snug as possible. Well, shipmates, to get on with my yarn: when we'd run a league or two, out of Portsmouth, we hove to at a victualling port, and I spied a signal for good cheer hanging out aloft; and so, without any bother, I boards 'em for a reg'lar stiff Nor'-wester, more nor halfand-half, and says Í to the pilot, 'Yo-hoy, ship-mate!' says I, come, and set up the standing backstays o' your heart a bit; and here, ould chap, is someut to render the laneard;' so I gives him a share out o' the grogtub, that set his eyes a-twinkling like the Lizard lights on a frosty night. Well, just as we were going to tip the anchor again, a pretty, smart-looking young woman rounds to under our starn and ranges up alongside; and she says to the pilot, says she, Coachman, what'll you charge to take me to?' and I'm blessed if she didn't name the very port I was bound to!" Done!" exclaimed the boatswain's mate; "and, shipmates, I call you all to witness that everything's square and above-board." "Why, it was your Sukey, to be sureMrs. Sheavehole-anybody could tell that," replied the serjeant. "There-you're out in your christening, ould chap, as you'll find presently," asserted the veteran; "and so you've lost your grog. But, d it! I'd scorn to take a marine's allowance from him, though you richly desarves it." Come, heave ahead, Jack!" said the captain of the forecastle; "make a clean run of it, and don't be backing and filling this fashion." -?'-'Seven 'Ay, ay, Jem, I wull, I wull," answered old Jack. "But, I say, shipmate! just. clap a stopper on the marine's chattering gear whilst I overhaul my log.-Oh, now I have it! Up comes the young woman, and 'Coachman, what'll you charge to take me to shillings, ma'am,' says he.-Carn't you take me for less?' axes she; 'I've ounly got five, and I am very tired with walking.'-'Not a ha'penny less, ma'am,' says he, just as cool as an iceberg in Hudson's Bay; 'carn't do it, ma'am.'-'Oh, do try?' says she, and I could see sorrow was pumping the tears into her eyes; 'I would give you more if I had it,' says she.-Carn't help it, ma'am,' says ould surly-chops, carn't help it; grub for the hanemals is very dear.'-'Oh, what shall I do?' says she so piteously; 'night is coming on, and it's a long way to travel on foot; I shall sink under it: do take the money!'-'Werry sorry, my dear,' says he, shaking his blubber head like a booby, perched on a ratling, 'werry sorry, but never takes under price. You must re-use your trotters if you arn't never got seven bob.'-' Then I'm d-if she does!' says I, 'for you shall carry her.'-' Gammon!' says he, as spiteful as a pet monkey; 'who's to tip the fare?'-So I ups and tells him a piece o'my mind, and axes him if he ever know'd anything unfair by Jack Sheavehole, or if he thought I wanted to bilk him out o' the passagemoney.-Will you stand the two odd bob?' axes he.-'And d'ye think I won't stand as much as Bob or Dick, or any one else?' says I in a bit of a passion. 'Avast, "Why, 'tis quite romantic, Jack!" said the serjeant; we shall, no doubt, have a love-story presently: but, I'll wager you my grog to-morrow, I can tell you who the female was." "Then, I'm blowed if you can!" torted the boatswain's mate. "Now, who was she, pray?" "Is it a fair bet?" inquired the serjeant with a look of conceited knowledge, 'No, she wasn't a fair Bet, nor a fair Moll either," returned old Jack surlily. "I thought you'd know nothing whatsomever about it! for that's always the case when a jolly tries to shove his oar into a seaman's rullock-'cause why? he don't savvy the loom from the blade." The serjeant laughed. "I meant a VOL. III-W. H. 22 ould chap!' says I; 'humanity arn't him for many years, till the other day cast off the mooring lashings from my they received a letter from Plymouth to heart yet awhile, and I hopes never will;' say he was in the Tapsichoree frigate, and so I gives him a seven-shilling bit and expected to be round at Spithead without any more palaver, and 'Come, before long. So, the day before yestermy precious,' says I, houlding out my day, a sailor passing through the village fin, Mount areevo;' but I'm blessed if told us she had arrived; and so his she didn't hang back till the pilot sung parents getting poorer and poorer, with out for us to come aboard! And Lord his father sick and his mother lame, I love you!' says I, 'you arn't afeard of a thought it would be best to go to him and man-o'-war's man, are you?'-'Oh no,' tell him of their situation, that if he say she, brightening up for all the world pleased, he might come and see them like the sun coming out of a fog-bank.- once more before they died.'—I was going 'Oh no; you have been my friend this to say, 'God A'mighty bless you for it! night, and God reward you for it!' So but I couldn't, shipmates; she spoke it we soon clapped one another alongside so plaintively, that I felt summat rise in upon the break of the fokstle, and got to my throat as if I was choking, and I overhauling a little smattering o' larning, gulped and gulped to keep it down till I by way of being civil, seeing as we'd was almost strangled, and she went on : ounly just joined company. 'I'm think-So yesterday I walked all the way to ing that's a pretty village you're bound Portsmouth, and went aboard the frigate; to,' says I in a dubersome way; 'I was but the officer tould me there was no man there once,' says I, 'when I was a boy of the name of Joyce borne upon the about the height of a tin pannikin;' for, books.'-' It was a d- lubberly thing!' shipmates, I didn't like to overhaul how says I, 'and now I remembers it." I'd run away from home. 'Pray, is ould 'What,' says she, 'what do you mean?' Martin Joyce alive?' says I.-'He was 'Oh, nothing, my precious,' says I, when I left yesterday morning,' says she; 'nothing in the world; for I thought the 'but he is confined to his bed through time warn't come to own who I was, illness.'-'And the ould woman,' says I, and it fell slap across my mind that the 'does she still hold on?'-'Yes,' says my doctor's boy who writ the letter for me, companion; but she's lame, and almost had signalised my right-arnest name at blind.' Well, I'm blow'd shipmates, if I the bottom, without saying one word didn't feel my daylights a-smarting with about the purser's consarn of the Sheavepain with the briny water that overflowed hole. "And so you've had your voyage the scuppers-'cause why? them there for nothing,' says I, and now you're wur my own father and mother, in the homeward bound; and that's the long regard of my having been entered on the and the short on it. Well, my precious, muster-books in a purser's name, my I'm on liberty; and as ould Martin did me reg'lar right-arnest one being Jack Joyce. a kindness when I was a boy, why, I'll 'And what makes you cruising so far bring up for a few hours at his cottage, away from port?' says I, all kindly and and have a bit of a confab consarning messmate-like.-'It's rather a long story,' ould times.' And the young woman says she; but as you have been so good seemed mightily pleased about it; so that to me, why, I must tell you, that you by the time we got to-, I'm blessed if, mayn't think ill of me. You shall have in all due civility, we warn't as thick as it as short as possible.'-'The shorter the two Jews on a payday. Well, we landed sweeter, my precious,' says I, seeing as I from the craft, and away we made sail in oughtn't to be silent. Well, she begins- consort for ould dad's cottage; and I'm 'Sister Susan and I are orphans; and blessed if everything didn't look as familiwhen our parents died, ould Martin and ar to me as when I was a young scamp his dame, having no children, took us of a boy! but I never said nothing; under their roof.'-'No children!' says I. and so she knocks at the door, and my Why, I thought they had a young scamp heart went thump, thump, by the of a son." I said this, shipmates, just to hookey! shipmates, but it was just as hear what she would log again me.-'Oh I've seen a bird try to burst out of its yes,' says she; 'but he ran away to sea cage. Presently a voice sings out, when a boy, and they never heard from 'Who's there?'-and such a voice!-İ hadn't breath to say 'Don't;' and then I grapples 'em all round, sawing out hugs and kisses to all hands, even to the ould cat; and I danced round the chairs and tables so, that some o' the neigh bours came running in; and 'Blow me tight!' says I, 'side out for a bend; here I am again, all square by the lifts and braces!-and then I sings, from 'Here I am, poor Jack, my jacket pocket and shows 'em,— 'Pray what do you think of me?' never heard a fiddle more sweeterer in stand it any longer: so I seizes Susan the whole course of my life- Who's round the neck, and I pays out a kiss as there?' says the voice, in regard of long as the main-t'-bowline, till she its being night, about four bells in the first watch.-'It's Maria,' says my convoy, And Jack Sheavehole,' says I. 'Heave ahead, my cherub! give us a clear gangway and no favour.'-'Oh, Maria, have you brought him with you?' said a young woman, opening the door; and by the light she carried in her hand, she showed a face as beautiful-I'm d if ever they carried such a figure-head as that in any dock-yard in the world!'Have you brought him with you?' says she, looking at me and smiling so sweetly, that it took me all aback, with a bobble of a sea running on my mind that made and I whips out a handful of guineas my ideas heave and set like a Dutch fisherman on the dogger-bank. — ‘No,' says Maria with a mournful sough, just as the wind dies away arter a gale No; 'What! mother,' says I, 'don't you know there was no such person on board the me? Why, I'm your true and lawful son frigate, and I have had my journey for Jack Joyce; though, arter I run away, nothing.'-'Nonsense!' says the other; the purser made twice laid of it, and 'you want to play us some trick, I know this is he!' and she pointed to me.'Lord love your heart!' says I, plucking up courage, for I'd flattened in forud, and fallen off so as to fill again,-'Lord love your heart! I'd be anything or anybody to please you,' says I; 'but my name, d'ye mind, is Jack Sheavehole, at your sarvice in all due civility. But let us come to an anchor, and then we can overhaul the consarn according to Hamilton Moore.' So we goes in; and there sat my poor ould mother by the remains of a fire, moored in the same arm-chair I had seen her in ten years afore, and by her side was an ould wheezing cat that I had left a kitten; and, though the cabin gear warn't any very great shakes, everything was as clean as if they'd just washed the decks. Yo-hoy, dame!' says I, 'how do you weather the breeze? Is that my John?' says she, shipping her barnacles on her nose, like the jaws of a spankerboom on the saddle; and then Maria brings up alongside of her, and spins the yarn about her passage to Portsmouth, boarding the frigate, finding that she was out in her reckoning, and her return with me; and ould dad, who was in his hammock in the next berth, would have the door open to hear it all. And I felt so happy, and they looked so downcast and sorrowful, that I'm blessed if I could chrissened me Sheavehole, in regard of his Majesty liking to name his own children. Never say die, ould woman! there's plenty o' shot in the locker. And come, lasses,' says I to the young uns, one on you stand cook o' the mess; and I empties my bag on the floor, and away rolled the combustibles, matches, and mutton, and mousetraps, and all, scampering about like liberty boys arter a six months'cruise; and I picks up the bladder o' rum, and squeezes a good drain into a tea-cup, and hands it to the ould woman, topping up her lame leg while she drinks. And, my eyes! there was a precious shindy that night: the ould uns were almost dying with joy, and the young uns had a fit o' the doldrums with pleasure. So I gets the big pot under weigh, and shoves in both legs o' mutton and a full allowance o' turnips, and I sarves out the grog between the squalls; and ould dad blowed a whiff o' 'bacca, and mother payed away at the snuff; and nobody warn't never happy if we warn't happy that night. Well, we'd a glorious tuck-out o' mutton, wi' plenty o' capers; and arter that I stows the ould woman in alongside o' dad, kisses the girls in course, and then takes possession o' the arm-chair, where I slept as sound as a jolly on sentry." "That's libellous!" exclaimed the serjeant some-what roughly, as if offended; "it is an unjust reflection, and is clearly swaddies, and 'Pray whose cottage is libellous." this?' axed the serjeant as stiff as a "It's all the same to ould Jack whose crutch.-'It's Martin Joyce's,' said bellows it is," returned the boatswain's Maria.-Ay, I thought as much, says mate carelessly; "it's no lie, howsomever, he: 'pray where is his son, Jack Joyce, for none sleeps so soundly as a marine on or Jack Sheavehole?' says he.-' He left duty. But I ain't got time to overhaul us three days ago,' answered Maria, 'to that consarn now; I know I laid in a join his ship: I hope nothing has hapstock of hard-and-fast' enough to last | pened to him?'-'Indeed,' says the for a three weeks' cruise. Well, ship- serjeant. 'Now, pretty as you are, I mates, we keeps the game alive all hot know that you are telling me what I and warm, and we sported our best duds, should call a very considerableand I makes love to Susan, and we'd a Suke regular new fit-out at the cottage, and I leaves fifty pounds in the hands of the parson o' the parish for the ould folks, and everything went on, in prime style, when one day the landlord of the public comes in, and says he, Jack, the lobsters are arter you.'-'Gammon!' says I; what can them fellows want with me?'-Arn't your liberty out?' says he.—' I never give it a thought,' says I.-'Where's your ticket?' says he. So I showed him the chit; and I'm blessed, shipmates, but it had been out two days! Well, there I was in a pretty perdiklement; and the landlord, says he,' Jack,' says he, ‘I respect you for your goodness to the ould uns, though I suspects they arn't altogether the cause of your losing your memory:' and he looks and smiles at Suke. Howsomever, the lobsters are at my house axing about you; and I thought I'd slip out and let you know, so that you might have time to stow away.'Thanky, my hearty,' says I; 'but I'm blessed, shipmates, if I warn't dead flabber-gasted where to find a stowhole, till at last I hits upon a scheme to which Susan consented! And what do you think it was, shipmates?-but you'd never guess! Why, Suke slips on a pair o' my canvass trousers and comes to an anchor in the armchair with a blanket round her, below, and I stows myself under her duds, coiling away my lower stanchions tailor-fashion; and the doctor coming in to see the ould folks, they puts him up to the trick, and so he brings up alongside of her, and they whitens her face, to make her look pale, as if she was nigh-hand kicking the bucket: and there I lay, as snug as a cockroach in a chafingmat, and in all due decency, seeing as Suke had bent my lower casings hind part afore, and there warn't a crack nor a brack in 'em. Presently in marches the shrieked out, and stopped what he was going to say: for, shipmates, she sat so quiet, that thinks Í to myself, they'll find out that she's shamming; so I gives her a smart pinch in an inexpressible part, that made her sing out. Well, the long and the short of it, is, that the party, who were looking out sharp for 'straggling money,' had a grand overhaul; but the doctor would not let them interfere with Susan, who, he declared was near her cushionmong ; at last, being unable to find me, they hauls their wind for another port. Well, shipmates, as soon as possible arter they were gone, why, Suke got rid of her trouble, and forth I came, as full-grown and handsome a baby as ever cut a tooth. But I warn't safe yet; and so I claps a suit of Suke's duds over my own gear, and being but a little chap, with some slutching, and letting out a reef or two here and there, I got my sails all snugly bent, and clapped a cap with a thousand little frills round my face, and a straw hurricane house of a bonnet as big as a Guineaman's caboose over all, with a black wail hanging in the brails down afore, and my shoes scandaled up my legs, that I made a good-looking wench. Well, I bid all hands good-bye. Suke piped her eye a bit; but Lord love you! we'd made our calculations o' matrimony, and got the right bearings and distance, (else, mayhap, I should never have got stowed away under her hatches,) and she was to join me at Portsmouth, and we were to make a long splice of it off-hand; but then, poor thing! she thought, mayhap, I might get grabbed and punished. Up comes the coach; but the fellow wouldn't heave to directly, and 'Yo-hoy!' says I, giving him a hail.'Going to Portsmuth, ma'am?' says he, thrown all aback, and coming ashore from his craft.-'To be sure I am,' says I. 6 What made you carry on in that fashion, | to my one; and 'Come, come, my darling,' and be d-to you!-is that all the regard says he, 'take an honest tar for your sweetyou have for the sex?' says I.-'Would heart. Let's look at that beautiful you like to go inside, ma'am?? says he, face'; and he catches hould o'the wail opening the gangway port.-'Not a bit and hauls it up chock ablock; but I pulls of it,' says I: 'stow your damaged slops down my bonnet so as he couldn't see below, but give me a berth 'pon deck.'- my figure-head, and I carries on a taut 'Very good, ma'am, says he, shutting the press to part company. But, Lord love gangway port again; will you allow me yer hearts! it warn't no manner o' use to assist you up? Not by no manner whatsomever he more than held his o' means,' says I. 'Why, what the devil own; and A pretty innocent country do you take me for ! to think the captain | wench indeed ! says he. 'What! have of a frigate's maintop can't find his way you lost your tongue?'-'No, I'm d- if I aloft!''You mean the captain of the have!' says I, for I forgot myself, shipmaintop's wife,' says Susan, paying me mates, through vexation at not being able back the pinch I gave her.-'Ay, ay, my to get away. 'Hallo!' says he, gripping precious,' says I; 'so I do, to be sure. me tight by the shoulder; who have we God bless you! good-bye! Here I go here?' I'm blessed, shipmates, if what like seven bells half struck!-carry on, with his pulling at my shawl, and my my boy, and I'm blessed if it shan't be a struggling to sheer off, my spanker boom shiner in your way!' And so we takes didn't at that very moment get adrift, and our berths, and away we made sail, happy- he caught sight of it in a jiffy. 'Hallo!' go-lucky, heaving to now and then just says he, catching tight-hold of the pigto take in a sea-stock; and the governor tail, and slueing me right round by it. had two eyes in his head, and so he finds 'Hallo!' says he, 'I never see an innocent out the latitude of the thing, but he says country wench dress her hair in this way nothing; and we got safe through the afore;-rather a masc'line sort o' female', barrier and into Portsmouth, and I lands he says. 'Who the devil are you?' 'It's in the street afore they reached the inn, Jack Sheavehole, your honour,' says I, -for, thinks I to myself, I'd better get bringing up all standing; and, knowing berthed for the night and go aboard in his generous heart, thinks I, now's your the morning. Well, shipmates, I parts time, Jack; overhaul the whole consarn company with the craft, and shapes my to him, and ten to one but he pulls you course for Pint,-'cause I knew a snug through the scrape somehow or other. Só corner in Capstan-square, and I was I ups and tells him the long and the short determined to cut with all skylarks, in on it, and he laughs one minute, and regard o' Suke. Well, just as I was getting d-ns me for a desarting willun the next; to steer with a small helm, up ranges a and 'Come along!' says he; 'I must see tall man who had seen me come ashore what Captain B-n will think of all this.' from the coach, and 'My dear,' says he, So he takes me in tow, and we went into what ! just fresh from the country ?" But one of the grand houses in High street ; I houlds my tongue, shipmates, and he and 'Follow me,' says he, as he walked pulls up alongside and grabs my arm. up stairs into a large room all lighted up Come, don't be cross,' says he; 'let me for a sheave-o; and there wur ladies all take you in tow; I want to talk with you, togged out in white and silver and gold, my love.' I knew the voice well; and and feathers, and navy officers and sodger though he had a pea jacket over his uni- officers,-a_grand dinner-party. 'B-n,' form-coat, and, take him half way up a hails Sir Joseph, 'here's a lady wants hatchway, he was a d-good-looking fel-you;' and he takes me by the hand, all low, yet nobody as ever had seen him complimentary like, and the captain of could forget them 'trap-stick legs; and so, thinks I to myself, Jack, you'd better shove your boat off without delay: for, d'ye see, shipmates, I'd sailed with him when I was a mizen-top-mun in the ould Stay, and I well remembered Sir Joseph Y-ke. But I'm blessed if he didn't stretch out arter me, and sailed two foot the frigate comes towards us, and I'm |