The man pulled himself together, and stared through the gloom.

"Lumme!" he whispered. "A tottie!--a tottie for Lushy!... Lemme cuddle
ye, darlin, _do_."

"I'm a midshipman," said the boy briefly. "Shut up; and behave yourself."

The man tried to stand up, and swept off his hat.

"Ow de do, sir? Ow de do? By all means ow de do? Lemme introjuice you all
round. I'm Mr. Lanyon, commonly called Lushy, because? one? me failins:
Gunner aboard this packet by rights, and Actin Fust Lieutenant by the
grace o God--there bein no one else to act, see? This ere," he continued,
smacking the bulwark, "is His--Majesty's--ship--_Tremendous_, well
known and respected between the Lizard and the Nore. Not lookin her
sauciest just now, I grant you: shrouds tore to tatters, mizzen spliced,
bowsprit splintered, plugged fore and aft, and alf her weather bulwark
carried away. But that's _ex tempore_, as the sayin is. We only put
in at dawn to refit, and land wounded."

"Where's she been?" asked the boy.

"Been!" cried the other with rollicking laughter. "That's a good un.
Ere's a kid ain't eard where we been. Been!" the sudden thunder in
his voice. "Why, in Boulong Arbour among Boney's craft. H'in and h'out,
under Nap's nose. Stormed the Arbour Battery; set the gun-vessels afire;
and came out under their guns, colours at the truck, and the bosun's
boy in the mizzenchains singin--