his brain that he had forgotten all that ever occurred before it. To my
mind, howdsomever, it wasn't much to forget, seeing he was little better
than a baby, and hadn't been to sea at all, and you know there aint
anything worth knowing on shore, more'n one can overhaul in a day's
leave, more or less, within hail of the sea."

"That's true," growled one or two of his messmates.

"Our ship was a first class freighter and passage vessel, and on the
home voyage we had plenty of ladies. 'Twas surprisin' to see how natural
like the boy took to 'em, and how they all liked him. He was constantly
learning something, and soon got so be could parley vou like a real
frog-eating Frenchman. And then, as I said before, he took the sun and
worked up the the ship's reckoning like a commodore. Well, do ye se,
messmates, we made a second and third voyage together in that ship, and
when master Will Ratlin--for that was a name we give him when he first
came on board, and he's kept it ever since--was a matter of fourteen
years, he was nearly as big as he is now, and acted as mate, and through
I say it, who ought to know somewhat about those things, I never seed a
better seaman of twice his years, always savin' present company,
messmates."

"In course, Bill," growled three or four of his messmates, heartily.

"Well, do ye see, messmates, we continued together in the same ship for
the matter of five years, and then master Will and I shipped in another
Indiaman, and we were in the 'Birmingham' for three years or more. One
day we lay off the Cape on the home passage, and a half dozen of us got
shore leave for a few hours, and I among the rest, and somehow I got
rather more grog aboard than I could stow, and when I came off, the