were several of his comrades standing on the forecastle looking at him,
and he asked one of them to go out on the spritsail-yard, and look
round to see if there were any sharks in the neighbourhood; but all
around was deep, clear, green water. He kept hold of the cable, however,
and seemed determined not to put himself in harm's way, until a little,
wicked urchin, who used to wait on the warrant-officers' mess, a small
meddling snipe of a creature, who got flogged in well behaved weeks
_only_ once, began to taunt my little mild favourite.

"Why, you chicken-heart, I'll wager a thimbleful of grog, that such a
tailor as you are in the water can't for the life of you swim but to the
buoy there."

"Never you mind, Pepperbottom," said the boy, giving the imp the name he
had richly earned by repeated flagellations. "Never you mind. I am not
ashamed to show my naked hide, you know. But it is against orders in
these seas to go overboard, unless with a sail underfoot; so I sha'n't
run the risk of being tatooed by the boatswain's mate, like some one I
could tell of."

"Coward," muttered the little wasp, "you are afraid, sir;" and the other
boys abetting the mischief-maker, the lad was goaded to leave his hold
of the cable, and strike out for the buoy. He reached it, and then
turned, and pulled towards the ship again, when he caught my eye.

"Who is that overboard? How dare you, sir, disobey the standing order of
the ship? Come in, boy; come in."

My hailing the little fellow shoved him off his balance, and he lost his
presence of mind for a moment or two, during which he, if any thing,