"Blast the Commodore!" cried another, "he bamboozled you, Jack."

"Lay on your oars a while," answered Jack, "and we shall see;
we've struck for liberty, and liberty we'll have! I'm your
tribune, boys; I'm your Rienzi. The Commodore must keep his word."

Next day, about breakfast-time, a mighty whistling and piping was
heard at the main-hatchway, and presently the boatswain's voice
was heard: "D'ye hear there, fore and aft! all you starboard-
quarter watch! get ready to go ashore on liberty!"

In a paroxysm of delight, a young mizzen-top-man, standing by at
the time, whipped the tarpaulin from his head, and smashed it
like a pancake on the deck. "Liberty!" he shouted, leaping down
into the berth-deck after his bag.

At the appointed hour, the quarter-watch mustered round the
capstan, at which stood our old First Lord of the Treasury and
Pay-Master-General, the Purser, with several goodly buck-skin
bags of dollars, piled up on the capstan. He helped us all round
to half a handful or so, and then the boats were manned, and,
like so many Esterhazys, we were pulled ashore by our shipmates.
All their lives lords may live in listless state; but give the
commoners a holiday, and they outlord the Commodore himself.

The ship's company were divided into four sections or quarter-
watches, only one of which were on shore at a time, the rest
remaining to garrison the frigate--the term of liberty for each
being twenty-four hours.