NIGHTS IN THE GALLEY. 543 



Well, we was on his weather-quarter, o' course the place for all fri- 

 gates when in company with the admiral, so we bore up, and just as 

 we got under the Asia's stern, we hauled to the wind, and the skipper 

 went fored (forward) on the fauksle (forecastle), to speak to the ad- 

 miral, who was standing in his stern gallery. ' Spencer,' says he, ' do 

 you just run down to the Turkish squadron, and tell them if they at- 

 tempt to come up the Gulf, I'll sink every one of them.' { Ay, ay, 

 Sir,' says our skipper, so away we went ' bear up, and set stunsails, 

 beat to quarters, take out the tomkins (tompions), and double-shot 

 your guns/ and by the time we had done it we were in the middle 

 of the Turkish fleet. Well, just as we got on the starboard-bow of 

 the Turkish admiral, our skipper says, e Now, pilot/ says he, ' stand 

 you up on that signal locker and say what I tell you.' The pilot 

 didn't stir a peg, but stood staring at the skipper. ' Why don't you 

 do as I tell you, Sir.' ' Ah ! Lord, Sir/ says the poor pilot, who 

 was in a deuced funk, ' if I tell 'em that, they'll fire at us directly, 

 and sink us.' ' Well, what's that to you ?' ' They'll shoot me, Sir.' 

 ' Well, I'll tell you what it is, they'll shoot you if you do, and I'll be 

 d d if I don't shoot you if you don't, so now take your choice whether 

 you'll be shot by me or the Turks ; oh, you needn't look at me, 

 you cowardly rascal, for I'm in earnest I assure you. Steward/ he 

 says, says he, ' bring me my pistols.' Up they came, and he took up 

 one. c Now/ he says to the pilot, ' quickly, and make your choice.' 

 So when the old cowardly rascal saw the pistol, he jumped up on the 

 signal locker, not very fast, shivering like a ship in stays. e Now, 

 lads/ says the skipper, ' keep your trigger lines in your hands, and 

 stand by to fire directly I tell you ; we'll give her one broadside 

 before we go to the bottom, for I expect she'll sink us. ' Quarter- 

 master/ he says, ' keep us well on her bow, so that we may rake her.' 

 By this time we were close to her, so we hove to, and the skipper 

 says to the pilot ' Now repeat after me, if the Turkish admiral with 

 his fleet attempt to pass up the Gulf, the English admiral will sink 

 every ship.' Well, directly he had said this we all expected they'd 

 fire, so we stood all ready looking at the captain, who was standing 

 abaft on the quarter-deck, looking as if nothing was going on, except 

 now and then smiling at the pilot's funk. At last, after they'd waited 

 to consider a bit, they answered that the Turkish admiral wanted to 

 speak to the English admiral. So our skipper answers that he 

 would ask his admiral's permission, but in the mean time they must 

 not attempt to move, or he should fire into them. Well, they didn't, 

 and after we had signalised to the admiral he agreed to see the 

 Turk ; and so with one eighty-four and one eight-and-twenty we had 

 kept the whole Turkish fleet at bay." 



" Ay, lad, that was rum work, and dangerous work to, o' your 

 skipper to run down with such big words from such a little mouth/' 

 said Will. 



" Ay was it, lad, but though we had but a little mouth we had a 

 good set of teeth, and good jaws that knew how to use them." 



" I don't doubt it, lad, I don't doubt it at all ; you proved it, lad, 

 for you all fought like Englishmen as far as I can hear," said Will 



