NIGHTS IN THE GALLEY. 279 



skipper and first-luff* were both very good fellers ; the latter was 

 an Irishman, and gave us lots of blarney, but treated us very well 

 upon the whole ; and when we got to old Gib, just arter we 

 anchored, a feller came on board to enter ; up he goes to the first- 

 luff, who was standing on deck, talking to the boatswain. After 

 he had asked him a few questions, he turned to the boatswain, who 

 was a Scotchman, and said, ' Well, I think he'll do.' Now old 

 Pipes didn't know the first-luff was an Irishman ; so he said, ' Yes, 

 Sir, he'll do, perhaps, but he's an Irishman, and an Irishman never 

 was a sailor yet, and never will be.' The first-luff was a good- 

 natured feller, and so he didn't say nothing, but burst out laughing, 

 and looking at the boatswain ' Why, Mr. Truck, do you know I 

 am an Irishman ?' ' God bless my soul, Sir/ says the boatswain, 

 ' I beg your pardon, but I didn't mean it to you.' ' Never mind, 

 Mr. Truck, never mind ; I'm sure you didn't mean any disrespect/ 

 says the first-luff, who was a good-hearted feller, and never treated 

 the boatswain badly afterwards, which many others would. Well, 

 we remained at Gib some time, and then got orders to go up the 

 Arches ; so away we went, with a wet sail and a flowing sheet, as 

 the old song says, and soon got off Milo, where we took in our pilot 

 as usual, and on we went to Smyrna ; but we had to call in our way 

 at Egina and Porosfor something I forget what; and just after we 

 had left the former place and were going on to Poros, we saw a long, 

 rakish-looking boat with latine sails. ' That's a pirate, by God !' 

 says the skipper; ' fire a blank cartridge for her to heave to.' The 

 gunner fired one of the fauksle guns, but instead of its making her 

 heave to, she clapt her helm up, and made for a little port under her 

 lee, called Epidaurus. There it was ' Lower the cutters quick/ 

 cries the skipper ; ' the first-leaftenant will go in the first, and the 

 second in the other cutter.' I belonged to the second cutter, and so 

 in I jumped, taking my cutlass and a pair of pistols with me, and we 

 soon shoved off from the ship, and pulled away after the boat. Just 

 as we rounded the point we saw her trying to get on shore ; she had 

 got her oars out pulling away ; we fired a volley of musketry after 

 her, and she returned it, by which one of our men was wounded. 

 ' Shove her head in shore, lads ; we'll land and cut them off/ said 

 the second-luff; the moment the boat reached the shore, we all jumped 

 out, and run towards towards the point where we thought they 

 would land ; the first cutter was close in their wake, firing at her 

 with muskets. Just as we got near the place that she was pulling 

 for, whiz came a bullet from behind us, and down fell our second- 

 luff, and one o' the men. ( Never mind me, lads/ said he, ' charge 

 them ; hurrah, lads, forward.' We turned round, headed now by 

 the reefer, who took command ; and just as we turned to see where 

 the shot came from, about twenty fellers rushed upon us, firing off 

 the muskets, which killed four of our men ; we had now only two 

 men and the reefer left, so we kept fighting and retreating down 

 towards our boat ; but the midshipman was cut down by one of the 

 Greeks, and the other feller ran as fast as his legs would carry, and 

 I was just going to follow his example, when two fellers got behind 

 rne and seized my arms ; I was disarmed in a minute, bound, and 



