me, after all. Through her a great domestic affliction fell upon me; and in losing her, I lost almost all of happiness that was left in the world for a man so stricken in years as myself.

"I tell you, my sons, I covet that ship excessively; you will get her for me. I see by your countenances that you will. I have weighed the matter in my mind, and I intend to carry her by boarding; her sides are high-but you are young and active, and her port-holes are large-I will lead the boarders! No remonstrance, Captain Egerton; I have maturely weighed the matter, and am not to be shaken from my purpose. Victorious or defeated, this method will cost to both sides much less loss of human life."

Here, notwithstanding the respect and awe that every one had of the old gentleman, he could not prevent the clamorous application of persons volunteering to be of the boarding party, which applications the regularly-appointed boarders on the quarter-bill treated as

an infringement of their rights, and an offence

to their dignities.

Silence being again enjoined, Sir Octavius proceeded thus: "In this boarding affair, my lads, mark ye me, we will have only the regular boarders, and the marines, with their respective officers. The marines to act as a covering party. But the forlorn hope, the one which I myself will head, I have already selected."

This announcement produced a great deal of surprise, which was not a little increased at hearing the Commodore order Mr. Baldwin, the captain's clerk, to bring him the black list.

"Now, my men," continued the Commodore, holding this formidable record in his righthand, and counting down the names with the iron spike screwed on his left-arm, "I find here

are fifty-three of you, who have all committed

· offences, more or less; here, Mr. Baldwin, call over the list, and let every man of you, as he comes up, toe a line on the gangway."

The names were called over, the men assem

bled, and a more determined-looking set of fellows fit for assault and storm, with about four or five weakly exceptions, were perhaps never before gathered together.

Now I, the old scribbling mariner, must digress. In the military service, whether ashore or afloat, the best moral man is not always the best man. The moral man, quiet, obedient, and conscientious, doing his general duty without reproach, may not be, and most often is not, the best man to schindy up a ship's sides, cut halfa-dozen throats with a velocity startling to the sufferers, leap down amidst a plump of opposing boarding spikes, laugh at a wound, and either clear the decks with a hurrah, or die on the spot with a jest in his mouth. The men who will do all this, are your harum-scarum chaps; fellows that love their grog-O how they love it-always in some little scrape, that your quiet, good man has ever the good sense to avoid; and yet, the time in actual warfare comes but too often, when a half-dozen of these wild, ne'er

do-themselves-good, are worth two score of your simply good men. For my part, I say it, perhaps, in the silliness of my age, I hope that neither our army nor navy may ever want lots of these dare-devils, whom I would not reform if I could; and I suppose that is the reason why my friend Sir Octavius would not punish them. There, however, he had them all in a line, looking as merry as men going to a wedding, when they themselves are not to be wed.

"Now these," said the Commodore," are to make the first rush. I give them the post of honour, in order that they may convince their brother sailors that I, in forbearing to punish them-in not dishonouring them by the lash— have respected the truly British courage that is in them. I give them this opportunity of wiping off the disgrace that offences always must place upon good but erring men; they will be grateful to me for this opportunity of showing that my lenity has not been misplaced. But I am not going to allow all of you black-listers this

honour. I must see of what nature your offences are, each of you, before I admit you into my band of glory. First, Daniel O'Sullivan ; drunk, one, two, three-fourteen times. O Daniel O'Sullivan, this is too bad!"

"Fait and it is, yer honner," said a fine, handsome, but rather wild-looking young Irishman; "and, Sir Hoctivey, it's your ownself that has broken my heart right intirely by yer kindness. Plase yer honner, do me that great favour to flog me. I desarves it, yer honner; do punish me, and aisier in my mind will I be for it."

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Well, O'Sullivan, as we shall shortly have hard work, I'll do what I can to ease your mind by giving you manual chastisement. There, Sullivan; and now do your duty by me like a man."

The Commodore struck him gently and familiarly on his ruddy cheek. O'Sullivan seized the hand and kissed it, and then, letting it fall, as if ashamed of his sudden emotion and