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aroused by a smart blow of a rope's end athwart his shoulders, and on wheeling round beheld the boatswain'smate." Yo hoy! who have we got skulking here?" growled the brutal fellow, repeating the blow.-" Oho! you're one of the Johnie Raw's are you! and crying too, or blast me!I thought you had belonged to me. But never mind, my buck, a simple snaffler or two in the bunt is nothing at all at all, when once you're used to it-so come, come, save your water for another occasion; rub up your spar sparklers, and jump aft there, like a blade of mettle, and give us a pull of that there brace." Edward obeyed; and launched with such apparent cheerfulness and good will into the bustle of the deck, as evidently to gain on the good graces of hisnew associates; the boatswain'smate in particular exclaiming, "that though awkward, he was willing, and in a short time would make a d-d good top-man."

common usage allowed to every one. Nor had he long to exercise his newly-tried patience; for the breeze continuing steady and favourable, the vessel speedily made her way to the much-wished for roadstead, which was no sooner in view than the supernumeraries were ordered to get ready to go instantly on board the guardship, the Whippersnapper meaning to proceed without delay to her cruizing ground.

"

This order Edward prepared to obey with the greatest pleasure; for, not to mention another reason than her in

convenient lowness and wetness, the Whippersnapper was so completely overloaded with live lumber as to have made a longer stay very disagreeable. He was therefore very soon on the quarter-deck, with his mattrass and blankets under his arm, and had ample time to survey his motley companions, while a Bardolph-faced fellow of a clerk prepared the invoice. If our readers be inclined to stare at this, we can honestly assure them that it was actually an invoice of so many head of live-stock, "victualled," moreover, "for that day," and sent from his Majesty's sloop of war, Whippersnapper, to his Majesty's flag-ship, Grab, Dugald Dolittle, commander. Edward and his comrades were thus all standing in groupes talking of the nature of their change, when the serjeant of marines came up to them, dressed in a dirty jacket which had once been scarlet, and a rattan in his hand, as if prepared for drill; and having elbowed the first of the squad he encountered in the genuine spirit of nautical naiveté, he bawled out with a most authoritative countenance, "Come, men, come;-fall in-rank up!-Blast your lubberly eyes! stand in a line, can't you? - What a rascally, lousy, goodfor-nothing set!-Look here;-put all of you your toes to that there seam, and stand straight up, and keep your front

Busily occupied in this manner, the day flew by; but, with the return of night, came more serious and melancholy reflections. It was impossible for Edward to avoid remarking, with what marked and studied contempt he was treated by Lieutenant Toddrell and all his inferior officers, who individually seemed to rejoice in humbling the impostor who had had the audacity to aspire to rank above his fellows, and who accordingly singled him out for the most trifling, unceasing, and vexatious duties, exulting and sneering at his ignorance and awkwardness. Even the Captain himself, of whom he was inclined to think so favourably, seemed to have become harsher and more stern towards him since their conference together, and appeared to view the indignities which were heaped upon him with an unsparing hand, with some degree of satisfaction. Gathering from the ill-natured taunts of the young gentlemen, that all this wretched usage proceeded from some--so now, so, too far, my lad; back

thing contained in the letter, while he could hardly refrain from cursing the officious kindness of Lieutenant Highgate in thus erecting him like a target to be shot at, he was incessant in his inquiries at the older seamen as to when they expected to arrive at Yarmouth, naturally enough judging, that were he once quit of the Whippersnapper, he would sink unknown amongst the common herd, and get the

a little there now, steady!-What's that whoreson loggerhead wheeling for? My eyes, can't you stand steady, and bed-d to ye, you lubber!-so now so-steady!" Hewas here compelled to silence by the appearance of his potent commander issuing from the companion-ladder, and meekly followed by his bareheaded amanuensis, carrying pen and ink and the aforesaid invoice. Captain Farrell, who seemed to be in

none of the best of humours, after slightly saluting his officers, who were all on deck, replaced his well worn every way cocked hat on his head, and strutted his two or three paces of a quarter deck, apparently wrapt in profound cogitation, with a solemnity of dignity truly ludicrous. At length -making an abrupt halt, he turned to his obsequious lieutenant, who stood watching his motions, and said, "Is the boat ready, Mr Toddrell?""Yes, sir, but not manned," was the answer. "Then man her directly," -cried the Captain, "for we must be off-the wind sits fair."

The Lieutenant immediately gave the signal to the watching boatswain's mate, the shrill whistle blew, and Away there, large cutters! was bawled through the lungs of an ox. This command was promptly obeyed, the men coming scrambling up in all directions, and the commanding midshipman standing at the gangway, waiting orders. A profound silence was now broke by the captain ordering his clerk to muster the people that were going away, and the serjeant of marines to see that they carried nothing along with them but what was their own. While this was going on, throwing one leg carelessly athwart the breach of a carronade, he amused himself with a scrutiny at the individuals and their luggage, as they passed him to the boat. As soon as they had got all huddled in, he again appeared on the gunnel, "Are you all right there, Mister Faddell?"

"All right, sir," replied the Midshipman.

" Then make all the haste you can on board again," said the Captain, "for I shall get under weigh directly; and hark'ye, youngster, see that you bring me back a proper receipt."

"Ay, ay, sir," replied the midshipman; "shove off, Parkinson"-and away they went.

A very short time brought them alongside of the Grab, where the ceremonials of introduction were much the same as those of taking leave of the Whippersnapper, excepting that they were marshalled by a smart dressed master-at-arms, and that every thing else bore a proportionate degree of gentility, and was of larger magnitude. The formalities of introduction over, they were next handed down to the purser's steward to be entered on

his mess-book, were told the number of their respective messes, and then turned adrift to make of themselves what they pleased for the day.

As Edward had silently resolved to imitate the behaviour of those men-ofwar's men who were along with him, well knowing that former experience would regulate their motions, and observing them making the best of their way for the lower deck, he immediately followed, and after their example, was shortly seated at his own messtable. This mess was under the controul of one of the quarter-masters, whose wife amused her leisure hours in the superintendance and care of a petty chandler's shop, and retailed snuff; tobacco, tea, sugar, butter, cheese, bread, potatoes, needles, threads, and other luxuries and necessaries, to all who had money to purchase, or trinkets or other saleable articles to pawn, and to a select number of her own ship's company on credit to a certain extent. As both the lady and her husband were unable either to read or write, she was compelled, to the sad loss of "many a good pen'orth of backor," to consign all her credits to her memory between the one meal's hour and the next, when honest Ritchie Sangster, the fifer, who belonged to her mess, being at leisure, used to relieve her, by enrolling the whole of the foresaid credits, day and date, into a sort of journal which she kept. Now it so happened that this same Master Dick laboured under a disorder proverbially common among his countrymen of the north of Scotland, and of course was not only a little over greedy, but had enacted the part of private secretary to Mrs Susan Harley so long without a rival, as to be very often somewhat unreasonable in his demands; which when not immediately complied with, the cunning puffer of sweet sounds, would start away from the table, with a cry of "Here I come, şir!" and hasten upon deck as if he were really wanted, to whistle a butt of water from the hold, leaving poor Missis Sue, with an overloaded memory, in a state of mind something between wonderment and chagrin. By way of relieving herself on those occasions when "her dear wag Richard took his tantrums," Mrs Susan had no doubt been at infinite pains in the study of a certain kind of hierogly phics, which are very popular among

the more enlightened and politerer barmaids and pot-boys of Cockaigne; but whether from the want of comprehen sion, or the want of time to compre hend, is not exactly known, but so little progress had she hitherto made in this elegant science, that her knowledge on these occasions often failed her, and would finally compel her to send Joe Harley in search of the fifer, whom she would flatter and pettle with good things to return to his duty. It is a very common nautical observe, that every man has his lucky and unlucky days, which, of course, since they are unavoidable, he must just take as they come, with as much coolness, or as much heat as he pleases; and the eventful day that Edward joined the foresaid Richard's mess was no doubt one of his unfortunate ones. It had so pleased the stars, (probably Ursa major, &c.) that Dick should, that very morning, take the tantrums for something or other he wanted, and that to such a violent degree, that the flag of Mrs Harley's defiance was still hoisted when Edward made his appearance at her table. She was then in the very act of resorting to her old dernier; and consequently bore all the marks generally exhibited by a certain professor, when demonstrating a geometrical colligation, i. e. she would bite her nails, scratch her ringlets into a fine disorder, survey her shoe points, then mark down he her hieroglyphic,

which the next moment she would erase as being wrong or unsatisfactory; ever adding at the end of every failure, a hearty ejaculation on the absent Dick, which it would be very wrong to interpret a blessing. It is impossible for us to say by what sort of sympathetic attraction Mrs Susie was led to behold our hero with a favourable eye-it could not be his clothes, for he was nearly in rags-nor could it be his " speaking eyes," for grief and inquietude had dimmed their lustre certain we are, however, there was a something about him which attracted her regard; for, contrary to her usual and well-known practice, being fond of shewing strangers thatshe was somebody-she was remarkably civil to him, and even kind; while he, on the other hand, grateful for such unlooked for attention, and observing her somewhat perplexed in her accounts, gallantly offered her his

assistance, which was gladly accepted, and in half the time Dick would have taken, he, had all her debits entered on her journal. Without meaning it, after consequences shewed that this was a master-stroke for a person in Edward's forlorn situation; for it matters not whether he had the far-famed Ledyard, or the politic and smoothtongued Marmontelle in his eye at that lucky moment, since he happily succeeded in making a friend of Mrs Susan Harley, who, besides her own powerful influence as the senior quarter-master's wife, and the most invincible scold in the ship, possessed an almost unlimited patronage in being

femme-de-chambre and washerwoman to the first Lieutenant-a power of itself, indeed, almost equivalent to the command of the vessel. As the accidental discovery of our hero's abilities made her completely independent of her dear wag Richard and his tantrums, whom she had apparently spoiled by her flatteries, she could not conceal her high satisfaction from her new found auxiliary, but insisted, as the day was far advanced, that Edward should stay with her, promising to introduce him to her husband, who, she assured him, " was a dear good old creature, and might do him a kindness." This request, it may be easily imagined, was too agreeable to Edward, to meet with a refusal; and he accordingly, nothing loth, sat still until the arrival of the quarter-master, whoappeared to be a halestout old man, between fifty and sixty years of age, with ruddy cheeks, a fine figure, and a very pleasant open countenance.

"O, you are there, Harley, my love," cried Mrs Sue, " I were quite moppy for want on ye."

"And well, my sweet wench, what dost want, or what art to give me, now I am come?" said the good humoured smiling quarter-master, seating himself.

"Whatever you please, my love.Shall I hand you the beef platter, for sure you must be hungry, after being on deck so long? or wilt rather choose a nice comfortable basin of warm coffee with I and this young Scotchman? Vy, you don't see as how I've got a young Scotchman, Joe, since you left the birth irth?-Ay, that I have, my old blade, and such a one, too, you can't think."

The quarter-master, who had commenced eating, turned round to Edward, "You would come on board to day, my lad?"

"Yes, sir," was the answer.

"O, Davis, Davis," cried the lively Sue, "you must drop that there shore vay of talking, now you're on board a man-of-war. We have no such fine names in five fathom water I can assure you, unless it be to the officers, who, you know, are all real gemmen, though some of them, God he knows, are poor and mean enough, as my pocket can tell to-day. Whenever you speak to husband again, just call him plain Joe Harley, or quartermaster, which you please, for I can assure you, he likes either far better, and thinks it more friendly."

Edward nodded assent.

Mrs Harley now commenced an eulogy to the praise of our hero, for the assistance he had given her-very cordially did the fifer for an ungrateful thankless ingrate and swab, and concluded with declaring her determination, while she punished the one to look after the welfare of the other, by allowing our hero to sleep that night under her mess-table, and promising to make him more comfortable next day. You know, my love," continued she, addressing her husband, "that every hammock I have got is in use at present, and I warrant you, Davis, I've got a good two dozen lent out; but you can have no difficulty, I should think, Joe, in coming slily over old O'Reilly, the yeoman, for one more. God bless you, it would make the poor fellow sleep so comfortably, you know, besides keeping

all his bedding so snug from these blasted thieves, that lurk about so of a night. Recollect, Davis, we have got a great many thieves on board, so look sharp after all your little things; for 'twas but t'other night that poor Sam Morgan, who had got little hazy, and lain down somewhere, had the very ear-rings pinched out of his ears while sleeping-now Sam is very old man-of-war's-man."

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"I have very little to lose, ma'am," said Edward, " except my bed and blankets, and these are of a description which I should'nt think would be worth any one's coveting-they would absolutely bring nothing."

"Nonsense, child," cried Mrs Harley. "Lord love you, there is nothing

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more common than such poor devils as you losing their bed and blankets. Not bring them much quotha! that's more than you know on. They'll bring them a dollar, though, or six shillings apiece; and many a thing walks ashore that won't turn out so well. But never mind, my lad, your's shan't walk that way, if either Joe or Susan can prevent it and you don't know what we may not do for you, if you're a good boy and behave yourself."

In such like conversation was the evening spent; for Mrs Susan having by this time packed up all her enviables, felt herself quite at leisure, and inclined to talk. At last, however, the hammocks being piped down, put an end to it for a night; and Edward, tired and weary, spread his lowly couch below the mess-table, and was soon asleep.

Next morning, after stowing his bedding, he was no farther disturbed until about an hour after breakfast, when the boatswain's mate piped "All the Whippersnappers to muster, hoy!" a call which immediately hurried him on deck. Here he found the masterat-arms and officers in waiting, and immediately fell into line on the quarter-deck. After a minute examination of each individual, the ceremony concluded with the separation of the seamen from the landsmen; the former being stationed to various duties in the vessel, and the latter, among whom was our hero, handed over to the boatswain's mate, who, commanding them to follow him, immediately retired to the main-deck. Having here ranked them up with much formality, he next Formality thundered out for the Captain-sweeper, and the Captain of the Head, whoat last made their appearance, and were a couple of the filthiest ragamuffins Edward had ever set eyes on. On the approach of these beauties, the boatswain's mate exclaimed with disgust: "Faugh! what a precious couple of walking dunghills!-D-n me, Higgins, keep to leeward, and don't mur

der the blessed sea-breeze with the funk of your abominable carcase-and avast there, Williams, and stay where you are if you please, for the devil a straw's to draw between you. Here are six landcrabs for you; and it's the first lieutenant's orders that you take each on you a share, and learn them to handle a swab and a broom without de

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lay, for, by God, they're fit for nothing rades, and heroes of the broom!" he else."-And so saying he immediately

retired.

A serious altercation now took place between these dirty worthies, who should have the first choice; and the claim on both sides was argumented with a warmth, and in a style of language, quite novel to the ears of Edward. At length they agreed to determine the knotty point, by tossing for the supremacy-but a halfpenny could not be raised in the whole party.

"Come, come," cried the sweeping captain, a little, greasy, lively cockney, "I'll settle the matter with your honour, Monsieur Swab-washer, in a brace of shakes." Then producing the very spectre of a knife, and advancing to Edward, he without ceremony seized him by the button and said, "Come, my brave fellow, you must not get ill-down to Jack in the dust, who expects

natured if I borrow one of your shiners to settle this important affair withyou shall have it again in a trice."

cried, "I am happy to compliment you on an increase of force to our honourable crew; and I know you will rejoice on the occasion, were it for no other reason than the bright one of giving you less work; and the less the better, I say. For why should it not be so?-It is our birth-right. Were we not all born on good feather-beds, or comfortable pallets of straw, and enured from our infancy to a delightful lazy half the day? To be sure we were, and that's heaven's truth. Besides, are not all our characters already established? and are we not lubbers, and swabs, and lazy, idle, good-fornothings? To be sure we are;-for, shew me the officer, high or low, (myself always excepted, who knows your merits,) from his worship, the skipper, any thing from a fellow with a broom o'er his shoulder, and I'll give you up my commission in a moment. [Here my gallant lads, for our time is approaching, and our canaries will be chirping for us directly. You, Scroggins, I make you my inferior officer, horse, O'Reilly, and tell him I demand three new brooms, with proper handles, for three fresh volunteers we've got. Now see that the old skin-flint doesn't flam you off with some of his worn-out gear."

Aloft went the button, and the cap-the bell struck six. But I must belay,

tain of the head was the victor.

"Well," cried the sweeping-captain, " I see I've got my usual luck-so take your choice."

"Dang it, Williams," said the swab--fly down to that old son of a sea

captain, scratching his dirty head, "if I knows which to take, now I've got my choice for your large overgrown chaps are generally d-d lazy, and your small ones, again, drive a poor fellow mad with their gallows tongues. But come, shipmates, dang it I'll follow my old plan wid you open all of you your fists, so, and let's have a squint at them -for I'll be teetotally d-d, if Matt. Higgins shall allow either a tailor, or any other loblolly to enter his crew, without his knowledge." He then went along feeling the palms of their hands, rejected those of Edward with disdain, and chusing three others, carried them

off along with him, to initiate them in

to the mysteries of the Head.

The lad disappeared, and soon re turned with the brooms on his shoulder, which the captain examining, declared to be tolerable, and delivered them to Edward and his two companions, cautioning them to take great care of them, and always to appear with them on deck, when the boatswain's mate piped "Sweepers."

The sweeping commander, having thus contrived to engage the attention

of his crew, continued his harangue until the bell had struck seven, and the boatswain's mate had begun his call: then, seizing his broom, and flourishing it aloft, he cried,-"Take three good hands, Dan, and march your bodies off to the lower deck,You, Serjeant Scroggins, stay where you are, and here are five darling boys

Not so the sweeping captain :-he loved to talk-thought himself no trifling morselof a wit-and now that he was installed in his little brief authority, thought the opportunity of indulging it too good to be allowed to escape. As most of his crew had by this time assembled round him, he threw himself into what he thought an elegant thea- to go along with you. And now, my trical attitude, and clothing his greasy own fancy men, follow your gallant countenance with something as near a commander. I'm not like that lazy smile as could be seen for the dirt humbug, Higgins, who sits loitering with which it was begrimed, -" Com- and pigging it away in the galley,

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