ropes, and presently we were both on the Gazzelle's quarterdeck. All was wet and uncomfortablethe heavy dew was dripping down from the shrouds and rigging, and every lumbering flap of the topsails sent a cold shower pattering on deck. The watch had all roused out from the booms, and were clustered on the hammock cloths, looking down on us. When we got on deck, they followed us as far aft on the quarterdeck as they thought they might venture to do, while others again had hung themselves in a variety of ways over the side to get the marrow of our secret out of our boat's crew. The old gunner was arrayed in his pea jacket and blue trowsers, as if he had been in the North Sea, and the red sparkle of the light in the binnacle glanced on the face and chest of the sun-burned seaman at the wheel. "How is Sir Oliver, and Mr Garboard, and Mr Donovan ?" Any man who has lived in such a climate will evince no wonder at the anxiety and rapidity with which I put the questions. "Why, all pretty well," said the gunner. "Sir Oliver, indeed, has been ill, but is now better-and Mr Garboard is nearly all right again, he took the forenoon watch to-day, sir. But as for Mr Donovan, why, sir,' "Never mind, never mind," said Sprawl; "send down to Sir Oliver, and say that we have got on board." The man dived, and presently brought a message that Sir Oliver desired to see us in his cabin. We descended, a solitary lamp hung from the deck above, and lit up the large cabin any thing but brilliantly. It had the appearance of having been newly lit, and wanting oil, for when we first entered it was flaring up like a torch, but gradually declined until we could scarcely see about us. As you have not been below before, I will describe it. The cabin was very large, even for a vessel of her class, and was not subdivided in any way. There were four guns, long twenty-fours, two of a side, but the devil a stick of furniture in it, with the exception of the table in the middle, and six or seven chairs, two black hair sofas, one on each side of the ca bin, a chest of drawers, and the crimson curtains before the stern windows. The portrait of a lady was the only ornament, a buxomlooking dame, but of the Earth earthy, nothing etherial about her. The commodore's cot hung well aft, near the small door that opened into the quarter-gallery on the starboard side the bed-clothes were all disarranged as if he had recently risen; and at first we thought he must have left the cabin as we came down, and walked forward on the maindeck. "Where is the commodore?" said I to the captain's steward, who accompanied us with a light, but which had been blown out by the opening of the cabin door. "I left him in the cabin, sir-I suppose he is there still, sir." By this time the ruddy east was brightening, and the light that shone through the stern windows came in aid of the dim lamp, and we saw a figure, Sir Oliver as we conceived, stretched on one of the sofas that stood between the aftermost gun and the quarter-gallery door, on the larboard side. The man brought two candles and placed them on the table. Both Sprawl and myself had been rather surprised that the commodore did not instantly address us as we entered, but we now noticed that the gallant old fellow was very pale and wan, and that he spoke with difficulty, as if he had been labouring under asthma. "Welcome, gentlemen-glad to see you back again. I am prepared to hear that you have failed in your object-quite prepared; but I have been down ever since you shoved off, and am far from well yet." He rose and shook hands with both of us with all his usual cordiality of manner. "Sit down, gentlemen,-theresit down. Howard, get coffee." It was handed. "You have had some fighting, I suppose-indeed, we heard the firing distinctly enough." "Yes, commodore," said Sprawl, "enough and to spare of that; but, as you have guessed, we were unable to bring out the polacre-she now lies sunk in the river." "Well, well," rejoined Sir Oliver, "I will hear the particulars by and by; but I hope you have not lost any, at least not many of the people -none killed I hope ?-this horrible climate will leave few of us for gunpowder soon-none killed I hope?a few wounded, of course, I bargain for" Sprawl was silent for a minute, and then handed him the return."Indeed, Sir Oliver," said he, "I am grieved to tell you that it has been a bad business; we have lost several excellent men, and our doctor's list is also heavy; however, all the wounded are likely to do well." The commodore took the paper in his nervous hand, and as he read the official account of our adventure, it shook violently, and his pale lip quivered, as he exclaimed from time to time" God bless me, how unfortunate! how miserably unfortunate! But, gentlemen, you deserve all praise you have behaved nobly, gallantly. I have no heart, however, to read the return. You have had how many killed?" turning to me. I mentioned the number. "And wounded?" I also gave him the information he desired in this respect. "Merciful Heaven!" groaned the excellent man-" but it cannot be helped-it cannot be helped. Pray," said he, the tone of his voice changed -I noticed it quavered, and he seemed to screw his words through his clenched teeth with difficulty, all of which surprised me a good deal— "none of the boys-the young gentlemen-none of the midshipmen are hurt, or". He seemed afraid to pronounce the word "killed." Sprawl looked at me. He saw that I hung in the wind. "Why, no, sir," said I, since I saw it was left to me to speak. "Why, no, none of them seriously hurt." "Nor killed?" said the commodore, affecting to be at ease, as he lay back on his sofa. "I am glad of it-I thank heaven for it. But really I am so weak from this confounded complaint!" "No, sir," said old Davie, "none of the midshipmen are either killed or wounded, but Mr De Walden"He suddenly raised himself into a sitting position, and the increasing daylight, that streamed through the stern windows, and the scuttle overhead, showed that he was paler than ever; the ague of his lip increased, and his whole frame trembled violently, as he said in a weak nervous voice-" Mr De Walden, did you say, what of him? You just now said none of the young gentlemen were either killed or wounded." And he looked first at Sprawl and then at me, but both of us were so taken aback by such unusual and unaccountable conduct, that for a second or two we could make no answer. At length I rallied my wits about me. "You are right, sir, none of the midshipmen were hurt, but Mr De Walden" "Mr De Walden again!-what can you mean? Speak out, for the love of mercy"-and he seized my arm, and then shrunk away from me again, and held up his hand, as if he could not stand the hearing of what I might utter. "Don't say it, Mr Brail; don't, if you regard me, say it;" and he lay back, and held both hands on his eyes, and sobbed audibly. Sprawl and I again exchanged looks, but neither of us could find it in our hearts to speak. At length the old man made a violent effort at composure,-" Gentlemen, you will both pardon me; disease has broken me down, and fairly unhinged me; and I could, as you see, cry like a woman. I had, indeed, a very peculiar cause for loving that poor boy. I fancy, God help me" -here the large tears streamed over his old cheeks, that had stood the washing up of many a salt spray"that I see him now!" "Where?" said I, somewhat startled. He did not notice the interruption. "I believe he had not an enemy in the world; I am sure he will be lamented by every man and officer in the ship, poor young fellow. But come, gentlemen, enough and to spare of this"-and he rose up, and strode across the cabin, speaking with a forced composure, as we could easily perceive. "We must all die, in a sick bed or in action-either on shore or at sea; and those who, like him, fall while fighting gallantly, are better off than others who drag through a tedious and painful disease. This is trite talking, gentlemen; but it is true-God's will be done! Peace to him, poor boy; peace to him." has been spared this misery-would that I had also been in my grave before-But, but"-his tone suddenly became fierce and threatening, and he raised his hand close to my face. I thought he would have struck me Thinking he was mad, I several times tried to break in, and dis burthen my mind of the whole story; but he always waved me down impatiently, and continued to walk" But how came it, Mr Brail—Mr backwards and forwards very impetuously. At length he made a full stop, and looked earnestly in the first lieutenant's face-" He behaved gallantly, and died nobly-all his wounds in the front?" I could allow this to go on no longer. "Why, Sir Oliver, young De Walden is not killed, so far as we know." He gasped-caught my arm convulsively and burst into a weak hysterical laugh-"Not dead?" "No, sir; none of us can say that he is dead. He did indeed behave most gallantly through the whole affair; but". "But what?" said he his eyes sparkling, his brows knit, and his features blue and pinched, as if he had seen a spectre-"But what? Mr Brail; for God Almighty's sake, tell me the worst at once." "Sir Oliver, he is missing." His hands dropped by his side, as if suddenly struck with palsy; his jaw fell, and his voice became hol low, tremulous, and indistinct, as if the muscles of his lips and tongue refused to do their office. When he spoke, it seemed as if the words had been formed in his throat-"Missing!" "Yes, Sir Oliver," said Sprawl, utterly thunderstruck at his superior's conduct-" Mr De Walden is missing." The old man staggered, and would have fallen, had he not caught hold of the scroll head of the sofa. I thought he had fainted, but he gradually recovered himself and stood erect. There was a long pause. At length he made a step towards us, and said, with an expression of the most bitter irony-" So, gentlemen, Mr De Walden is missing; the only officer missing is a poor young midshipman; a prisoner amongst these savages, forsooth; a prisoner! Oh, God! I could have brooked hearing of his death, but a prisoner, and in the power of such an enemy! Oh, I bless Heaven that his poor mother Sprawl, I see, is scathless-but you have been wounded, so I will speak to you. How came it, sir, that he is missing? He must have been deserted, sir-forsaken-left to his fateand such a fate!-while you, my worthy lieutenants, were wisely looking out for a sound skin and safety." We were both so utterly taken by surprise at this furious climax, to what we began to consider the commodore's insanity, that neither the first lieutenant nor myself, notwithstanding all that had passed, could speak, which gave Sir Oliver time to breathe and continue in the same tone of fiendlike acerbity-"If I live, you shall both answer for this before a court-martial. Yes; and if you escape there, you shall not escape me. "Commodore-Sir Oliver," said Sprawl, deeply stung; " by Heaven, Sir Oliver, you will make me forget who I am, and where I am. You do me, you do Mr Brail, and the whole of the party engaged, exceeding injustice the grossest injustice; but I will leave the cabin; I dare not trust myself any longer. I have served with you, Sir Oliver, for seven years, in three different ships, and, to my knowledge, we have never, until this moment, had an angry word together"-and here the noble fellow drew himself up proudly— " and I will yet put it to you yourself, when you are yourself, whether in all that time you ever knew me failing in my duty to my king and country-whether, during the whole seven years, you, sir-aye, or any man in the ships we have served in together-can now lay, or ever attempted to lay, any action or deed at my door derogatory to my character as an officer, or that in any the smallest degree sullied my reputation as a gentleman." This unlooked for spunk on old Davie's part, startled me, and evidently made a strong impression on the excited nerves of the old commodore; especially as Sprawl followed it up, by slowly adding, while The commodore once more lay back on the sofa, covering his face with his hands-" Go on, Mr Brail the tears hopped over his iron vis- The commodore had by this lain down again on the sofa, with his head resting on the pillow, and his arms clasped on his breast, as if he had been an effigy on a tombstone. For a minute he did not utter a word -at length-" David Sprawl, man and boy, I have known you five-andtwenty years; that your promotion has not kept pace with your merits, I regret, almost as much as you yourself can do; but, in the present instance, you knew I had been ill, and at your hands I had expected more". "I could not help it, Sir Oliver-I had looked for other things; but mine has been a life of disappointment." Sir Oliver rallied, and rose, ill as he was, and, stepping up to him, he laid hold of old Bloody Politeful's large bony hand-" Mr Sprawl, I I beg pardon-illness and anxiety, as I said before, have broke me down; to you and Mr Brail I offer my apology; as brave men I know you won't refuse it; bad health is my excuse; but neither of you can imagine the ties that bound me to that beautiful-that most excellent boy, young De Walden." I now thought it was my turn, and made a rally" Why, Sir Oliver, I am sure that neither Mr Sprawl nor myself would yield, even to you, in regard for him." He shook his head. "Indeed, sir, we both knew the poor boy well; and"-here I plucked up courage, and determined in my own mind that I would clap a stopper on our being ridden roughshod over in this sort of way-but the commodore, far from showing fight, quietly allowed me to say out my say "We both knew him well -a finer or a braver lad never stepped; and I fancy, when I say so, I answer not only for Mr Sprawl and myself, but for every man who was with us in this ill-fated expedition. Had his rescue depended on our devoting ourselves, you may rely on it, Sir Oliver, either we should not have been here to tell the story, or he would have been alive to tell his own." Why, sir, he was with us, safe and sound, until we crossed the bar. I heard him sing out, a good omen a good omen just as we jammed the Spanish schooner that had waylaid us, right down on the bank, in the very middle of the bar; but from that very instant of time no man in the ship saw or heard any thing of him." The old commodore appeared to be screwing up and gathering all his energies about him. "Never saw him-what-did he fall overboard? Tell me tell medid he fall overboard ?" "I did not see him fall overboard, sir;" said I," but after that moment I never saw him alive." "Alive!" echoed the commodore -"Alive! Did you see him dead, then ?" "No, sir, but I must tell the whole story at once. I have told it before to Mr Sprawl;-but, really, I cannot take the liberty of recapitulating such nonsense.' "Tell it," said Sir Oliver, looking at me with his lack-lustre eye-" tell it." "Why, sir, I will, although I am quite prepared to be laughed at;" I made a pause, for, to tell the truth, I was deucedly disinclined to say more on the subject. "We had just cleared the bar, sir, when, on looking up, to see how the sail drew, I saw, with his feet spread out on our long lateen yards, a figure between me and the moonlight sky, as like Mr De Walden's as one could fancy any thing." "Pray, did any other person see it?" "No, sir, I don't believe any one else saw it." "Then," continued the commodore," it must have been all fancy. How had you lived that morning?" Why, sir," said I," we had had neither grog nor wine. I was fairly worn out. Yet that I did see such a figure at the masthead, there was no disputing. I was very weak, I will confess;-but the figure, Sir Oliver, what could it mean? As to poor young De Walden, he must have gone overboard just as we were rasping past the Spanish schooner. He was never seen afterwards." "Then your simple and entire opinion is that he is gone?" We both bowed our heads in melancholy acquiescence. "Never mind then," said Sir Oliver. "Never mind, God's blessed will be done. But, gentlemen, come both of you and breakfast with me at half past eight." And Davie and I found ourselves straight way on deck again. I say, friend Sprawl," said I, so soon as we arrived at the upper re. gions-"first of all, what think you of me as a ghost seer; how do you account for the figure that I saw at the masthead ?" "In this very simple way, Benjie, that, at the best, you are an enthusiast; but in the present instance, being worn out by fatigue and starvation, you really and truly fancied you saw what was uppermost in your mind, and, so far as your excited fancy was concerned, why, you did see it. But come down below-come down below. Let us go and rig for our appearance before the commodore. So come along." And straight we dived into the gun room. I had, verily, as my excellent friend, Sprawl, said, been much excited, and while we were below, I had time to gather my thoughts about me. My first feeling was, that I had very foolishly told my absurd story to the commodore; my second, that I had, which was really the simple fact, been imposed on by a false impression on my senses. "I say, Donovan, my darling," said I, addressing our friend, who was lying in his berth close to us, "I can forgive you now for being mad a bit, Dennis, dear." "Come now, Brail, no quizzing if you please, I am deuced weak yet." We made our toilet, and presently we were in the cabin again. Sir Oliver, when we entered, was sitting at the breakfast table. He had dress ed; and although he was still very pale, there was nothing peculiar in his manner, if it were not that he was, if any thing, kinder than usual. He led the conversation as far away from the recent expedition as he decently could, until breakfast was nearly over, when he suddenly addressed me. "Do you think, Mr Brail, that there is any, the remotest chance of that poor how being alive? Would it, in your e be of any avail our hovering off the coast for a few days, and sending in the boats occasionally?" I looked at old Bloody Politeful, who thereupon took the word up. "No, commodore, I believe the poor boy is gone. I conceive it would be lost time remaining here in the hope of his being alive." "Enough, enough," said Sir Oliver. And from that time forth, he never, in my hearing at least, mentioned his name. I returned on board of the Midge. However, we clung to this part of the coast for three whole days; and several boats were sent in across the bar at high water on each day. But over the whole banks of the vile river there prevailed a churchyard silence. Not a native was to be seen; and, on the evening of the third day, we all got safely and finally on board again. The night was spent as usual in making short boards, so as to hold our ground; and at eleven on the following forenoon, my signal was made to repair on board. The gig was manned, and we pulled to the frigate. A number of joyous faces were stuck over the hammock cloths reconnoitring us as we approached, all on the broad grin apparently. I had no sooner reached the quarterdeck than I met Sprawl. "Ah! Benjie, my love, congratulate us, we are to bear up for the West Indies at noon, my boy. What do you think of that? We shall lose sight of this infernal coast for six months at all events." "Ha, ha," said I, forcing a laugh in great bitterness, very lucky, very comfortable. What a beautiful station we must have, when the prospect of a furlough in the West Indies-the very shrine of the demon of yellow fever, is hailed with such uproarious demonstrations. However, be it so, any change must be for the better, so I do from my heart congratulate you. But as for me, I suppose I am destined to kick about in the Midge here, between Cape Coast and Fernando Po, so long as we last. None of us, Sprawl, will cope with Methuselah, take my word for it." The excellent fellow took my hand. "True enough, Brail. You say rightly Benjie Brail. I had for |