one glass of any intoxicating drink. It is the thin edge of the wedge. Remember that. Be friendly with all, never be utterly cast down, or disconsolate, but rejoice in the Lord, and do what good you can to all, and do it kindly; for that is our mission."

When the little party in the Rectory drawing-room dispersed in various ways, at the departure of Lord Charles, - Mrs. Taffrell feeling lonely, longing for the husband she had been talking about, and his last letters being only ten days old, she went to her private writing-desk and re-read some of the epistles from her husband and son, which were so precious to her.

She smiled as she read aloud part of one of her son's letters, commencing: "Darling mother,— Our separation has shown me how much I love you, and I long to see your sweet self and my loving sisters. I shall then have such fine yarns to spin of our roving life. We see such wonderful things almost every day. This very afternoon we saw such a battle between a whale and a sword-fish, and the little one of the two, the sword-fish, won. It was such fun to see them."

Mrs. Taffrell kissed her son's own handwriting, as she lovingly murmured, "It will be delightful when I see you again, my noble boy."

Presently, after she had indulged in a short-day dream, her lips moved, as she feelingly quoted some lines from a well-known hymn :

"O Trinity of love and power,

Our darlings shield in danger's hour;
From rock, and tempest, fire and foe,
Protect them wheresoe'er they go.”

Her beautiful

eyes, suffused with tears, were beaming with matronly love, as she glanced through the window at the blue sky above.

H

CHAPTER VI.

THE AWFUL DISCOVERY.

shown.

HE chief gunner on board a warship is an officer to whom great respect is He does not hold a commission, but a warrant. The boatswain, carpenter, and gunner, are the "warrant officers" and mess together, that is, take their meals together, but are often invited to the tables of the officers in both wardroom and gunroom, and occasionally they even dine with the captain. Most officers of all gradations of rank are thankful to the boatswain and gunner especially, and to the carpenter also somewhat, for painstaking and constant instructions given in all practical departments of the sea-going profession. So much is this the prevailing feeling amongst all our British Royal Naval Officers, that the boatswain, carpenter, and gunner are in figurative language called "The Backbone of the Service.".

The middies are constantly with the gunner, going through cutlass and sword exercises, bayonet exercise, and small arm drill, also drill, and practise with the great guns.

With the boatswain the middies from the first lesson in knotting and splicing until they pass

successfully their final examination, are continually being instructed in sail and spar drill and in every department of practical seamanship.

The warrant officers hold a much-prized promotion, to which they have gradually risen from amongst the hearty bluejackets on the lower deck; and, whilst it is a self-evident fact that all our good and able bluejackets cannot be made warrant officers, it may be also emphatically stated that all the warrant officers are able and good seamen; thoughtful, and serious generally, but genial sometimes, and even when they have a crusty exterior, their sterling good qualities are appreciated, and all of them, more or less are liked, and even in genuine sailor fashion loved by their brother officers, and the men of the ship's company.

So it may be apprehended that the "prize-ship," captured by H.M.S. Cobra, and now manned by thirty bluejackets from the happy warship, would be in the joint-command of Chief Gunner Holmes, and Middy Taffrell, well-cared for, and skilfully steered to her destination, the island of St. Helena.

The first course was very carefully set, every sail on board the prize-ship was correctly trimmed to the breeze, farewells were waved and signalled: then, whilst the warship men attended to the Africans in the stifling hold below, and alleviated some of their many sufferings, or tried to do so, the chief gunner and Middy Taffrell were engaged in securely stowing their various packages in the ship's after-cabin.

The chronometer had to be very securely guarded from vibration, and all unnecesary movements; firstly, it was swung in "gimbals " in it's own polished box,

or case; that box, or case was buried in sawdust in a larger box, which was lashed and secured immoveably in the cabin. Then the middy's sextant-case had to be carefully fixed where the ship could not by any possible amount of pitching or rolling send it flying like a football. The chief gunner had also his instruments, not of naval science, but of scientific naval warfare, to see safely bestowed. There were cases of rifles, and the sword or cutlass bayonets, ammunition boxes, etc., etc., all these had to be kept dry and handy, quite a magazine, ready for use by the thirty warship men, under the chief gunner's own supervision. Some handy-men were in the cabin working under the officers' directions, and all were very busy.

The middy had his books, the important tables of logarithms, nautical almanac, and work-books, including his beautifully illustrated log-book, all variously necessary in the scientific department of his future work.

secure.

These books must be kept dry and

Young Middy Taffrell espied a bookshelf, fitted in the usual ship fashion, with two long pieces of wood, called "battens," which went from end to end of the bookshelf, or book-rack, fitted into little chocks, moveable: but, until moved by hand, holding the row of books securely in the book-rack.

"I don't think I shall stand upon any ceremony," shouted the middy. "Here we have a fine book-rack -I want the use of it for my books, and here the slave-sailing master had his' antemagalican' collection of stinking volumes.

“Look at them—not a Bible there, you may be sure