good humour, he grew bolder, and at last went round the table and hit
out heavily. A white mark appeared on the mate's cheek where the blow
landed, and in return he delivered a tremendous right-hander full in the
captain's face. The bully was lifted off his feet and fell against the
cabin-door, crashing one of the panels out. He rose, wiped the blood
from his mouth, and went ashore.

The lieutenant of a frigate which was lying in the harbour was ashore
with a press-gang. The drunkard went and declared that the Veteran's
father had been insubordinate, and showed a bruised face in evidence. So
in the grey of the morning the naval officer and half-a-dozen seamen
came under the barque's quarter and climbed aboard. The old man was
walking the deck, being very much perturbed about the last night's
affray, and he grasped the whole situation at once. He picked up a
handspike and got ready to defend himself; but the seamen made a rush,
and a blow with the flat of a heavy cutlass knocked the old sailor
senseless. When he came to himself he found that he was on board the
guardship.

Two days after the Veteran was strolling along the quay in all the glory
of white duck and blue pilot cloth. (Sailors were great dandies in those
days, and every one of the little ports from the Firth to the Foreland
had its own particular fashion in the matter of go-ashore rig.) The
Veteran was going to be married as soon as his next trip was over; and
on this particular evening he intended to stroll through the lanes and
see his sweetheart, who was a farmer's daughter. A fine southerly breeze
was blowing, and a little fishing smack crossed the bar and ran up the
harbour, lying hard over with press of sail. The Veteran had the
curiosity to wait until the little craft had brought up, and he watched
the dingy come ashore with two men aboard. He was very much surprised