NIGHTS IN THE GALLEY. 607 



patam. Directly he'd got it, he went on board the Dandy Lion with 

 fifty men and two midshipmen, and took my father as his coxswain, 

 read himself in, and the same night his signal was made from the 

 admiral's ship to prepare for sea, and directly after for the cap- 

 tain to repair on board the admiral's ship. Up came Watts, 

 my father was close by the wheel, he went up to him and 

 said, laughing, f Now Short, you must begin your duty as my 

 coxswain. Pipe my gig, away.' ' Ay, ay, Sir/ says my father ; 

 and when he got into her, was pulling on board, the admiral, he 

 says, < Short,' says he, I little thought when I was messenger- 

 boy on board the frigate, that I should ever be a commander, 

 and going ,on board, the admiral in my own gig with you, pulling 

 the stroke oar.' ' May be you did'nt think so then, Sir, but you 

 may think you'll be more now you desarves it/ says my father ; 

 ' and I hope to steer your barge soon/ he says, says he. When he 

 got on board the flag-ship, he met the admiral on deck, so he goes 

 up and says, ' Come to answer the signal, Sir ?' ' Oh, you are Mr. 

 Watts, are you not?' ' Yes, Sir.' ' Well, Mr. Watts, you are very 

 young, but I was younger when I was leaftenant, for I was a post 

 captain,' he says, ( when I was only a twelvemonth older than you 

 are, and I hear so good a character of you from your captain/ he 

 says, ' that I am going to send you to look out for a French privateer 

 that I expect will be either at anchor in Cascaes Bay, or else cruising 

 off just about there. If I had any other small craft here, I should 

 send them instead of you, for I am told she carries twelve guns, and 

 you only carry eight ; but you must do the best you can, and if you 

 take her depend upon it you shall be made a master and commander ; 

 what do you say, my boy, is that a prize rich enough to make you 

 willingly engage a superior force ?' ' Quite, Sir/ says Watts ; ' if I 

 come back, I'll bring the schooner with me, or else bring you word 

 that she's not to be found/ ' I'm sure you will/ says the admiral, 

 ' and if you don't find her there directly you arrive, you may wait 

 there three weeks for her, but if she does'nt come by that time, the 

 information I have received is false, and in that case you will gain 

 some other prize if possible ; but take care you don't become a prize 

 to any one else. Good bye, God bless you, my boy, take care of your- 

 self.' Directly he got on board again, hands up anchor, away they 

 went steering for Lisbon, and at day-light next morning they were 

 in Cascaes Bay, but no privateer was to be found ; so Watts came to 

 an anchor under the land, his anchors buoyed already for slipping 

 the moment any vessel was in sight ; he remained there all that day, 

 but saw nothing ; the next day was the same, nothing in sight ; and 

 so they went on day after day till he had remained there three days 

 longer than he was ordered, he thought it was no use waiting any 

 longer, so one morning he turned up the hands, up anchor, and was 

 standing out when he saw a vessel standing round Fort St. Julien. 

 There it was give chase ; she was a schooner ; when she saw him she 

 run a little towards him into the bay, and then hove her maintopsail 



to the mast, immediately young Watts saw this he 



" But there comes the sentry to strike three bells, so I can't finish 

 to-night ; you must hear the rest to-morrow, when I won't keep you 



