"'Your pi—pi—pig. Your wi—wi—wig, over—over—over'——
"Here the poor fellow got into convulsions, and walloped his arms about like the sails of a wind-mill, making signs that some body or thing was overboard. The captain coming on deck at the moment, saw what was going on—'Sing, you lubber, sing,' and straightway he of the impediment gave tongue in a clear and melodious pipe, as follows:—
"'The admiral's pig is overboard, is overboard, is overboard,
His pig and his wig are overboard,
Heave-to, or they'll both be drown'd.'
"'Man the fore-clew garnets,' sung out old Blowhard—'back the main-topsail, Captain R——, back the main-topsail—lower away the jolly-boat. Quick, Captain R——, quick.'
"Here the old flag-officer's own servant came up to him, as he was straining his neck where he stood on the aftermost carronade, to see, over the hammock-cloths, what was becoming of the pig and the unfortunate scratch.
"'There, there they are—both are astern,' he sung out. 'There's my poor wig bobbing at me.' (The origin of bob wig?) 'It will choke some dolphin, or I am a Dutchman, before evening. And the pig, oh, my poor pig!'
"'Please you, Sir J——,' chimed in the functionary, 'it is a false alarm. That stuttering blockhead has made a mistake; it is the master's wig, Sir J——, and the porker belongs to the ward-room.'
"'Fill the maintopsail again,' rapped out the knight. 'Poor pig—poor pig—can't be helped—can't be helped—pity the master should lose his scratch though, but it can't be helped, Captain R——, can't be helped. So fill away the maintopsail again, Captain R——.'
"Alas and alackaday, both the pig and the wig were drowned!"
Mr Donovan being now well enough to resume his duty, remained that evening in the frigate, but Lanyard and I returned, towards nightfall, with my tiny topman, to the felucca, and great was the buzz of joy amongst the Midges at getting back Dicky Phantom.