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number. Before dinner was long off the table, the first lieutenant reported that it was necessary to turn the hands up, as they were close to the anchorage. The party, therefore, broke up sooner than otherwise would have been the case; and as soon as the Latona’s sails were furled, Captain Sawbridge went on shore to acquaint the governor with the results of the action. He asked Jack to accompany him, but our hero, wishing to be with Gascoigne, excused himself until the next day.

“And now, Easy,” said Gascoigne, as soon as the captain had gone over the side, “I will ask permission to go on board with you—or will you ask?”

“I will ask,” replied Jack; “a gentleman of fortune has more weight with a first lieutenant than a midshipman.”

So Jack went up to the first lieutenant, and with one of his polite bows, hoped, ‘if duty would permit, he would honour him by coming on board that evening with some of his officers, to see the Rebiera and to drink a bottle or two of champagne.”

The first lieutenant, as the Rebiera was anchored not two cables lengths from him, replied, “that as soon as he had shifted the prisoners and secured the gunboat, he would be very glad”: so did three or four more of the officers, and then Jack begged as a favour, that his old friend, Mr Gascoigne, might be permitted to go with him now, as he had important packages to entrust to his care to England. The first lieutenant was very willing, and Gascoigne and our hero jumped into the boat, and were once more in all the confidence of tried and deserved friendship.

“Jack, I’ve been thinking of it, and I’ve made up my mind,” said Gascoigne. “I shall gain little or nothing by going home for my promotion: I may as well stay here, and as I have served my time and passed, my pay is now of little consequence. Will you take me with you?”

“It was exactly what I was thinking of, Ned. Do you think that Captain Sawbridge will consent?”

“I do: he knows how I am circumstanced, and that my going home was merely because I was tired of looking after the Aurora.”

“We’ll go together and ask him tomorrow,” replied Jack.

“At all events. you’ll have a more gentlemanly companion than Mr Oxbelly. “

“But not so steady, Ned.”

The first lieutenant and officers came on board, and passed a merry evening. There’s nothing passes time more agreeably away than champagne, and if you do not affront this regal wine by mixing him with any other, he never punishes you the next morning.

CHAPTER XXXIX

A council of war, in which Jack decides that he will have one more cruise.

AS CAPTAIN SAWBRIDGE did not return on board that evening, Easy went on shore and called upon him at the governor’s, to whom he was introduced, and received an invitation to dine with him. As Gascoigne could not come on shore, our hero took this opportunity of making his request to Captain Sawbridge, stating that the person he had with him was not such as he wished and could confide everything to; that is, not one to whom he could talk about Agnes. Jack, as he found that Captain Sawbridge did not immediately assent, pressed the matter hard: at last Captain Sawbridge, who reflected that Gascoigne’s interest hereafter would be much greater through his friend Easy, than any other quarter, and that the more the friendship was cemented the more advantageous it might prove to Gascoigne, gave his consent to our hero’s wish, who called on board of the Latona to acquaint Gascoigne and the first lieutenant of Captain Sawbridge’s intentions, and then went on board of the Rebiera and ordered Mesty to come with his portmanteau on shore to the inn, that he might dress for dinner. Gascoigne, now considered as not belonging to the Latona, was permitted to accompany him: and Jack found himself looking out of the window at which he had hung out his trousers upon the memorable occasion when the boatswain had to follow his own precept, of duty before decency.

“What scenes of adventures I have passed through since that,” thought Jack; “not much more than four years ago, then not three weeks in the service.” Whereupon Jack fell into a deep reverie, and thought of the baboon and of Agnes.

The repairs of the Latona were all made good by the next day, and Gascoigne, having received his discharge ticket, went on board of the Rebiera. The gunboat was put into the hands of the agent, and shortly afterwards purchased by government. The Rebiera’s crew did not, however, obtain their prize-money and share of the head-money, for she had seventy men on board, until their return, but, as they said, they had broken the ice and that was everything. Moreover, it gave them confidence in themselves, in their vessel, and in their commander. Our hero weighed a short time after the Latona, having first taken leave of Captain Sawbridge, and committed to his care a letter to Dr Middleton.

Once more behold the trio together,-the two midshipmen hanging over the taffrail, and Mesty standing by them. They had rounded Europa Point, and, with a fine breeze off the land, were lying close-hauled along the Spanish shore. Mr Oxbelly was also walking near them.

“When I was cruising here it was very different,” observed Jack: “I had a vessel which I did not know how to manage, a crew which I could not command, and had it not been for Mesty, what would have become of me!”

“Massa Easy, you know very well how to get out of scrapes, anyhow.”

“Yes, and how to get into them,” continued Gascoigne.

“And how to get others out of them, too, Ned.”

“No more of that, Hal, an thou lovest me,” quoted Gascoigne. “I have often wondered what has been the lot of poor Azar.”

“The lot of most women, Ned, in every country-prized at first, neglected afterwards-the lot she might have had with you.”

“Perhaps so,” replied Ned, with a sigh.

“Massa Easy, you get eberybody out of scrape; you get me out of scrape.”

“I do not recollect how, Mesty.”

“You get me out from boil kettle for young gentlemen-dat devil of a scrape.”

“And I’m sure I’ve got you out of a scrape, Mr Oxbelly.”

“How so. Mr Easy?”

“How so!-have I not prevented your quarrelling with your wife every night?”

“Certainly, sir, you have been the means. But do you know when we were engaging the other day, I could not help saying to myself, I wish my wife was here now, holding little Billy at the hatchway.”

“But at night, Mr Oxbelly.”

“At night!-why, then I’m afraid I should have wished her home again-it’s astonishing how comfortable I sleep now every night. Besides, in this climate it would be intolerable. Mrs Oxbelly is a very large woman-very large indeed.”

“Well, but now we must hold a council of war. Are we to run up the coast, or to shape a course direct for Palermo?”

“Course direct, and we shall take nothing, that is certain,” said Gascoigne.

“If we take nothing we shall make no prize-money,” continued Oxbelly.

“If we make no prize-money the men will be discontented,” said Easy.

“If no ab noting to do-it will be d–d ‘tupid,” continued Mesty.

“Now then the other side of the question. If we steer for Palermo, we shall be sooner there and sooner home.”

“To which I reply,” said Gascoigne, “that the shorter the cruise is, the less I shall have of your company.”

“And I shall have to sleep with Mrs Oxbelly,” continued Oxbelly.

“Hab fine ship, fine gun, fine men, and do noting,” cried Mesty. “By de power, I no like dat, Massa Easy.”

“You want eight months of coming of age, Jack,” observed Gascoigne.

“It won’t make a difference of more than three or four weeks,” said Mr Oxbelly; “and the expenses have been very great.”

“But-”

“But what, Jack?”

“Agnes.”

“Agnes will be better defended going home by men who have been accustomed to be in action. And, as for her waiting a little longer, it will only make her love you a little more.”

“Sleep single a little longer, Mr Easy, it’s very pleasant,” said Mr Oxbelly.

“That’s not very bad advice of yours,” observed Gascoigne.

“Stop a little, Massa Easy,” said Mesty, “you know dat very good advice.’

“Well, then,” replied Jack, “I will, as I am quite in the minority. We will work up the whole coast-up to Toulon. After all, there’s something very pleasant in commanding your own ship, and I’m not in a hurry to resign it-so that point’s decided.”

The Rebiera was steered into the land, and at sunset they were not four miles from the lofty blue mountains which overhang the town of Malaga. There were many vessels lying at the bottom of the bay, close in with the town; the wind now fell light, and the Rebiera, as she could not fetch the town, tacked as if she were a merchant vessel standing in, and showed American colours, a hint which they took from perceiving three or four large vessels lying in the outer roads, with the colours of that nation hoisted at the peak.

“What is your intention, Jack?” said Gascoigne.

“I’ll be hanged if I know yet. I think of working up to the outer roads, and anchoring at night-boarding the American vessels, and gaining intelligence.”

“Not a bad idea; we shall then learn if there is anything to be done, and if not, we may be off at daylight.”

“The pratique boat will not come off after sunset.”

“And if they did, we could pass for an American, bound to Barcelona or anywhere else-the outer roads where the vessels lie are hardly within gun-shot.”

Mesty, who had resumed his sailor’s clothes, now observed, “What we do, Massa Easy, we do quickly-time for all ting, time for show face and fight-time for hide face, crawl, and steal.”

“Very true, Mesty, we’ll crawl this time, and steal if we can. It’s not the warfare I like best of the two.”

“Both good, Massa Easy; suppose you no steal board of polacca ship, you not see Missy Agnes.”

“Very true, Mesty. Bout ship, Mr Oxbelly.”

“Mr Oxbelly not good for boat service,” observed Mesty, showing his teeth.

It was dark before the Rebiera was anchored in the outer roads, a cable’s length astern of the outermost American vessel. One of her quarter-boats was lowered down, and Gascoigne and our hero pulled alongside, and, lying on their oars, hailed, and asked the name of the vessel.

“So help me Gad, just now I forget her name,” replied a negro,looking over the gangway.

“Who’s the captain?”

“So help me Gad, he gone on shore.”

“Is the mate on board?”

“No, so help me Gad-he gone shore, too.”

“Who is aboard then?”

“So help me Gad, nobody on board but Pompey-and dat me.”

“Good ship-keepers, at all events,” said Jack. “A ship in the outer roads, with only a black fellow on board! I say, Pompey, do they always leave you in charge of the vessel?”

“No, sar; but tonight great pleasure on shore. Eberybody dance and sing, get drunk, kick up bobbery, and all dat.”

“What, is it a festival?”

“So help me Gad, I no know, sar.”

“Is there anyone on board of the other vessels?”

“Eberybody gone on shore. Suppose they have black man, he stay on board.’

“Goodnight, Pompey.”

“Goodnight, sar. Who I say call when captain come on board?”

“Captain Easy.”

“Captain He-see, very well, sar.”

Our hero pulled to another ship, and found it equally deserted; but at the third he found the second mate with his arm in a sling, and from him they gained the information that it

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