NIGHTS IN THE GALLEY. 



at Oporto, with the French schooner in tow, with the English en- 

 sign flying at her peak, and the tricolour under it. When they 

 had anchored, away went Watts on board the admiral, and reported 

 what he had done. ' Well done, my boy, I see your captain told the 

 truth when he said I could not have employed a better man, for you 

 have made yourself a man now/ he says, says he, 'and I'll write a 

 flaming and a true account of your action to the Admiralty, and I 

 have no doubt you'll be made a master and commander.' Well, all 

 this was very comfortable, to jump from the galley to the captain's 

 cabin ; but it was common enough in them days : there are skippers 

 in the navy who have smoked their pipes and told yarns in the galley, 

 as we are doing now." 



" Ay, to be sure there are, lad," said Will Gibbons ; " there's fight- 

 ing Jerry, as I sailed with, was taken by Lord Exmouth from a col- 

 lier brig, and now he's commanding a fine frigate in the navy." 



" To be sure, lads, hard fighting did it ; but howsomnever, young 

 Watts' confirmation as a lieutenant had come from England by the 

 last mail, and a navy list, in which was his name. After he had re- 

 mained with the squadron at Oporto about a fortnight, one morning 

 the admiral made a signal for the skipper of the Dandy Lion, and 

 away he went. When he got on board, the admiral says, ' Mr. 

 Watts,' says he, ' you have only about eighteen men on board your 

 schooner, and that is not enough ; but the squadron is too much in 

 want of men for me to man you, so I shall send you to sea with the 

 few hands you have, just to look out for English merchantmen, 

 and press as many men as you can, taking care to leave them enough 

 to work their ships with ; and if you should meet with any French 

 men-of-war, mind you don't attempt to bring them to action with so 

 small a crew as you have, you would be sure to be taken, and so have 

 all your laurels stolen from you.' ' Hands, up anchor,' directly he 

 came on board, and away they went, steering to the nor'ed and east- 

 ward. I forgot to tell you, lads, that my father had been taken out 

 of the Lespire and sent back to the Dandy Lion. After they had 

 been knocking about at sea two or three days without seeing any- 

 thing, one evening, just as the sun was setting, they saw a little 

 speck on the horizon to leeward. ' Bear up hands, wear ship.' Away 

 she went, spanking right before it, and they soon got near enough to 

 see that it was a brig and a merchantman, and as the schooner sailed 

 much the fastest, young Watts said, ' up with our ensign, she can't 

 escape us, be she what nation she will ;' up went the flag, and 

 directly the brig saw it, she hoisted an English ensign, and lowered 

 her topgallant sails, 1 at did not attempt to come to or shorten sail. 

 1 Oh, that's it, is it?' says Watts, 'she knows we want men, and 

 doesn't feel inclined to let us have them ; but if she doesn't under- 

 stand how to serve his majesty, I must teach her ; so just fire a blank 

 cartridge, a gun is a very convincing argument, and better than all 

 the logic in the world.' Directly they fired she hove to, and Watts 

 went on board himself, with my falher and eight men well armed. 

 Directly he got on her deck, Watts says to the skipper, who 

 was as civil as a Jew on pay-day, ' get all your men aft here, 

 and let's have a look at them.' f Ay, ay, Sir,' says the skipper, 



