To proceed: Captain L— went over the side; the last pipe had been given, and the boatswain had returned his call into his jacket-pocket, and walked forward, when the first-lieutenant, in pursuance of his orders, looked up aloft, intending to have hailed the new lord, and have requested the pleasure of his company on deck; but the youngster, feeling a slight degree of appetite, after enjoying the fresh air for seven hours without any breakfast, had just ventured down the topmast rigging, that he might obtain possession of a bottle of tea and some biscuit, which one of his messmates had carried up for him, and stowed away in the bunt of the maintopsail. Young Aveleyn, who thought that the departure of the captain would occupy the attention of the first-lieutenant, had just descended to, and was placing his foot on, the topsail yard, when Mr W— looked up, and witnessed this act of disobedience. As this was a fresh offence committed, he thought himself warranted in not complying with the captain’s mandate, and the boy was ordered up again, to remain till sunset. “I would have called him down,” muttered Mr W—, whose temper had been soured from long disappointment; “but since he’s a lord, he shall have a good spell of it before he quits the service; and then we shall not have his recommendation to others in his own rank to come into it, and interfere with our promotion.”
Now, it happened that Mr W—, who had an eye like a hawk, when he cast his eyes aloft, observed that the bunt of the maintopsail was not exactly so well stowed as it ought to be on board of a man-of-war; which is not to be wondered at, when it is recollected that the midshipmen had been very busy enlarging it to make a pantry. He therefore turned the hands up, “mend sails,” and took his station amidship on the booms, to see that this, the most delinquent sail, was properly furled.
“Trice up—lay out—All ready forward?”—“All ready, sir.”—“All ready abaft?”—“All ready, sir.”—“Let fall.”—Down came the sails from the yards, and down also came the bottle of tea and biscuit upon the face of the first-lieutenant, who was looking up; the former knocking out three of his front teeth, besides splitting open both his lips and chin.
Young Aveleyn, who witnessed the catastrophe, was delighted; the other midshipmen on deck crowded round their superior, to offer their condolements, winking and making faces at each other in by-play, until the first-lieutenant descended to his cabin, when they no longer restrained their mirth.
About an hour afterwards, Mr W— reappeared, with his face bound up, and summoned all the young gentlemen on deck, insisting upon being informed who it was who had stowed away the bottle in the bunt of the sail; but midshipmen have most treacherous memories, and not one of them knew anything about it. As a last resource, young Aveleyn was called down from the mast-head.
“Now, sir,” said Mr W—, “either inform me directly who it was who stowed away the bottle aloft, or I pledge you my word you shall be discharged from his Majesty’s service tomorrow morning. Don’t pretend to say that you don’t know—for you must.”
“I do know,” replied the youngster, boldly; “but I never will tell.”
“Then either you or I shall leave the service. Man the first cutter;” and when the boat was manned, the first-lieutenant sent some papers on shore, which he had been desired to do by the captain.
When the boat returned, the clerk was sent for, and desired by Mr W— to make out Mr Aveleyn’s discharge, as the officers and midshipmen thought (for Mr W— had kept his secret), for his disobedient conduct. The poor boy, who thought all his prospects blighted, was sent on shore, the tears running down his cheeks, as much from the applause and kind farewells of his shipmates, as from the idea of the degradation which he underwent. Now, the real culprit was young Malcolm, who, to oblige the captain, had taken his station at the foretop-gallant mast-head, because the dog “Ponto” thought proper to cut off his own tail. The first-lieutenant, in his own woe, forgot that of others; and it was not until nine o’clock at night, that Malcolm, who thought that he had stayed up quite long enough, ventured below, when he was informed of what had taken place.
The youngster immediately penned a letter to the captain acknowledging that he was the offender, and requesting that Mr Aveleyn might not be discharged from the service; he also ventured to add a postscript, begging that the same lenity might be extended towards himself; which letter was sent on shore by the captain’s gig, when it left the ship the next morning, and was received by Captain L— at the very same time that young Aveleyn, who had not been sent on shore till late in the evening, called upon the captain to request a reprieve from his hard sentence.