ordered by signal to chase in the south--east quarter, and hauling out from
the fleet, she was soon out of sight.

"There goes my house and home," said I, and a feeling of desolateness came
over me, that I would have been ashamed at the time to have acknowledged.
We stood on, and worked hard all day in repairing the damage sustained
during the gale.

At length dinner was announced, and I was invited, as the officer in charge
of the seamen, to go down. The party in the cabin consisted of an old
gizzened Major with a brown wig, and a voice melodious as the sharpening of
a saw--I fancied sometimes that the vibration created by it set the very
glasses in the steward's pantry a--ringing three captains and six
subalterns, every man of whom, as the devil would have it, played on the
flute, and drew bad sketches, and kept journals. Most of them were very
white and blue in the gills when we sat down, and others of a dingy sort
of whitey--brown, while they ogled the viands in a most suspicious manner.
Evidently most of them had but small confidence in their moniplies; and one
or two, as the ship gave a heavier roll than usual, looked wistfully
towards the door, and half rose from their chairs, as if in act to bolt.
However, hot brandy grog being the order of the day, we all, landsmen and
sailors, got on astonishingly, and numberless long yarns were spun of what
"what's--his--name of this, and so--and--so of t'other, did or did not do."

About half--past five in the evening, the captain of the transport, or
rather the agent, an old lieutenant in the navy, and our host, rang his
bell for the steward.

"Whereabouts are we in the fleet, steward?" said the ancient.