404 NIGHTS IN THE GALLEY. 



' good bye.' ' Good bye, my man.' He shook hands with me, and 

 away I went to Yarnio's. That night we got under weigh, and the 

 next morning we anchored in Poros, where our ship was lying. I 

 went on board immediately, and reported myself to the first-leaf- 

 tenant. ' Come on board, Sir/ says I. ' Hallo, Murray, is that you ? 

 why, I thought you were dead long ago.' So I told him my story, and 

 he run down to the captain's cabin to tell him I had returned ; the cap- 

 tain soon sent the sentry up for me to go down in his cabin ; down I 

 went, and he began to question me. I told him all I thought it safe 

 to tell him ; and then, when he went on asking me more questions, I 

 began to stammer, and hardly knew what to say. The skipper no- 

 ticed this, and said, ' Murray/ says he, ' I am afraid there is some- 

 thing wrong, and I must know what it is. As long as you have been 

 in this ship you have conducted yourself very well, and all the offi- 

 cers give you a very good character ; therefore if you have done any- 

 thing wrong, for once, you may depend upon it, I will look over it, if 

 the service will permit ; so speak out at once like a sailor as you 

 are, and don't let's have you backing and filling like a lawyer.' So 

 I said that every thing I had told him was true, that I had been in 

 the hands of the pirates as long as I had said ; ' but there is something 

 about my escape, Sir,' says I, ' that I promised not to tell ; and I 

 would be very much obliged to you, Sir, if you will allow me to keep 

 my word, for it was only upon my giving this promise that I was al- 

 lowed to go away.' ' If that's the case, Murray/ said he, ( I shan't 

 press you to tell me. I would never wish to make any of my ship's 

 company break their word. A sailor/ he says, says he, ' ought never 

 to tell a lie ; but I must have you give me your word that what you 

 conceal from me is nothing injurious to his majesty's service, and par- 

 ticularly to the ship I command.' e I assure you, Sir,' says I, ' it is not; 

 what I wish to conceal is only regarding the pirates themselves, who 

 treated me very well indeed.' ' I believe you, my man/ he said, ' be- 

 cause your keeping your word to the pirates is a pledge that you will 

 keep it to me ; and let this teach you how necessary it is to have a good 

 character ; and remember that, however low your station is in life, 

 as long as you keep a good character you will be respected by 

 your superiors as well as your equals ; and now, my man/ he said, 

 * the first-lieutenant tells me that he saw you in the skirmish with 

 the pirates, and though he could not give you any assistance, owing 

 to the superiority of the enemy's force, he observed that you con- 

 ducted yourself in a manner very creditable to you as a sailor, 

 for which I shall make you captain of the fore-top, in the place of 

 George Thompson, who died last night.' ' Thank'ee, Sir/ says I ; 

 and away I went on deck ; and just as I got afore the main-hatchway, 

 I saw Yarnio's boat going out of the harbour. Well, lads, in a few 

 days we got under weigh from Poros, and went to Egina to meet the 

 admiral, who had sent a ten-gun brig from Corfu to tell us we were 

 to meet him there; when we arrived, we found orders. The admiral 

 had left, but had ordered the Favourite, an eighteen-gun brig, to wait 

 there with our orders to sail for England. One day as we were 

 lying at Egina, just before we started for England, the captain came 

 on board in his gig ; and directly he came on deck, he said to the 



