By G- I'll teach these fellows a lesson! They shall soon see who's to be the master-they or I." With these words down flew Captain Livingstone to his cabin. "What's the matter? what's happened? what does he mean?" were the questions bandied about among his officers. But no one seemed rightly able to give answer to these queries; some asserted one thing, some another. Alarm and confusion made their appearance where they should ever be unknown-on a British quarter-deck. The marines were flying helter-skelter below for their arms; Sneak was placing his midshipmen in the fore and main rigging; and just as the topsails were being run up to the mast-head, Livingstone himself put in his appearance, bristling to the teeth with arms, and very much “like the fretful porcupine." He had a huge service sash belted round his loinsthree pistols stuck in its folds, and another in his left hand -more in the manner of a roaring buccaneer, who finds himself in the midst of a treacherous, motly band, the scum of many people, where every man's hand is against his neighbour, than a gallant English officer in the midst of a devoted and admiring crew, bound to him by the indissoluble links of superior skill and daring, and each ready to risk a life for the preservation of their leader's. "Belay the topsail haulyards!" cried Livingstone, as his quick eye detected the tautened leach-ropes aloft, and the accustomed mark on the rope below. The order was obeyed. 66 Boatswain, pipe all hands!" "All hands!" quoth the sullen voice of the warrant officer. “Mizen topmen down below on the main-deck, and bring up half a dozen fighting lanterns." Down rushed the mizen topmen. "What the devil's in the wind now?" muttered one of the lieutenants to another. "Lord knows!" was the reply. clerk; don't you see what's up?" "No-what?" "Oh! here comes the "Why, don't you see he's brought the skipper the articles of war?" "Oho! and yonder, by the entering port, is one of the boatswain's mates handling something uncommonly like a pair of nine-tailed cats-for those lanterns fling a pretty strong light." "Mr. Sneak, give me your watch-bill," said the captain, interrupting this side colloquy. Sneak pressed forward over the tender toes of his brother officers, and placed the required document in the hands of his superior. "A lantern, Mr. Sneak." "Mizen topmen, one of you give me a lantern." "That's right; hold it a little nearer-so-that's it. Mr. Sneak, now who are the midshipmen in the main ringing?" "Mr. Seymour and Mr. Urquhart, sir." 66 Mr. Seymour and Mr. Urquhart, are you in the main rigging?" 66 Yes, sir." "Have you allowed any of the main topmen to pass you?" 66 No, sir." 66 "Then call down Augustus Ramsay, captain of the top." Ay, ay, sir." Augustus Ramsay, captain of the maintop, come down on the quarter-deck." 66 'Augustus Ramsay," took up another voice,_ “come down on the quarter-deck!" Still no Augustus Ramsay made his appearance. "Where is Augustus Ramsay?" cried the captain, with his usual stamp. A pause of a few seconds ensued, and then a distant voice from aloft replied, "Ramsay's in the the sick list, sir." No such thing," bawled back the captain in reply. "Where's the senior assistant surgeon? Mr. Liverwort!" "Sir." "You have never reported Ramsay to me as in the sick list." "No, sir; perhaps I may not have written him down as in the list, but "Let us have no buts here, sir-no such a word on board a man-of-war. You did not report him, sir-you know it-that's enough-begone! Has Ramsay not been up, then, at all, during the reefing of topsails?" "No, sir," cried half a dozen voices. 66 Very good," said Livingstone, with a suppressed noise, hybrid between a growl and a grin, and, like the rumbling "Who's the of a volcano, a sure note of coming mischief. captain of the larboard watch?" 66 John Herbert, sir.” "True; so he is. Call down John Herbert." "Here, sir," cried the ready seaman; and, quick as as thought, a figure left the body of sailors, crowded like so many bees upon the shrouds aloft, and John Herbert stood before his unsparing captain, cap in hand-his abashed eyes sought the deck, and the whole glare of half a dozen fighting lanterns pouring their red strong light upon his stalwart person, pointed it out to the universal gaze amidst the darkness, still more increased by contrast. The honest fellow bore a character universally good throughout the ship, and had done so ever since he first entered her, when he had then received, what he still retained, his present rating. This, in such a craft, it required no ordinary man to keep. In figure he was a short, tough, muscular, and active bit of true heart of oak, who, place but a Frenchman before his gun, and him behind it, would start from it when the trunnions did, and not before -the very type of those inimitable and glorious jack-tars who have made, and ever must make, to those who possess a single thought, the pride, glory, and wealth of Old England. Whether reflections such as these were passing through the mind of Captain Livingstone, or not, during the pause he made after his last question, I know not; but having looked at Herbert in silence for a minute or two, he abruptly said, "Tell me, sir, who flung a marlingspike out of the maintop at my head, when I was standing on the gangway during the reefing of topsails?" This question, which first revealed to the officers the cause of all the sudden hubbub which had ensued, produced among them a general murmur of surprise. 66 Marlingspike, your honour!" said Herbert boldly. “If 'twas any but you, sir, who told me it came out of the maintop, I would have said 'twas no such thing. I never heard of it till this moment." "You scoundrel! that's a lie-I see it is. You must knew who it was very well-the thing was done amongst you, and have the truth out of you I will, though I give four dozen to every man in the top." "You may give me eight dozen if you like, sir; I'm alive to bear it-I can't help that. But this I can tell your honour, if I'd a known such a thing to be done, I'd a been the first to let you know about it; but in the matter of reefing topsails, I was out doing my duty at the weather maintopsail, earing in Mr. Ramsay's place, and never knew no more that such a thing had been done than the very babe unborn may do at this moment." "Mr. Ramsay, sir? Why do you dare to call Mr. Ramsay, sir, to me?—a disrated, skulking scoundrel, that shall get his deserts, if he only lives till to-morrow. Ill let you know what it is to tamper with your captain in this way— strip? Obedient to the word, and with the same sort of submission with which a Turk may be supposed to bear his neck to the bowstring, Herbert laid down his cap on the deck in silence, then off came his "long Barcelona," next his tarry well-worn jacket, and so on, till his back was bared to the night-breeze, and glowing in the torch-like light of the fighting lanterns. "Quarter-masters, seize him up!" was the next order, and the poor fellow's wrists and knees were immediately secured to the gratings which the carpenter had already rigged; while immediately aloft, no doubt, stood the culprit for whose crime he was to suffer. "Now, sir-will you give up the name of the topman who flung that marlingspike ?" 66 Indeed, your honour, I would with all my heart; but I know no more than you do-so I hope, sir 66 99 Silence, sir! Officers, hats off, while I read the Articles of War." CHAPTER X. Spare not the lash, nor scourge, nor torture spare. THE general and concluding article having been read, and the officers' hats replaced, the word was given"Boatswain's mate, do your duty!" With a sound that made the flesh of many a stout heart creep, the first lash of nine simultaneous strokes fell on the topman's back, whizzing through the strong breeze that filled the sails of the frigate, and urged her dashingly on her course; but beyond the sighing of the night wind through the strained rigging, and the mournful plashing of the water thrown off by her bows, not another sound seemed to be produced by this wanton exhibition of torture. For the stoicism with which it was born, the sufferer himself might almost have been deemed some flesh-co. loured piece of marble; saving that as the arm of the scourger was raised to repeat the blow, there gradually E* stole over the seaman's honest shoulders the blue livid lines streaked with blood, where the flesh had just been bruised and lacerated, and where the kindred colours of the lantern-light fell strongly terrible and bright. "ONE !" said the master-at-arms in a deep bell-like tone, well fitted to knell forth the number of those unjust stripes. No other voice was heard. The seamen seemed to gaze on the unusual spectacle with awe, and the officers with a mixture of surprise, concern, anger, and impotence. But other human sound was there none. "Whizz!" flew the second lash, and a second number of similar lines were scored on the back of the unfortunate fellow, intersecting at every angle and curve those already so direfully written there. "Two!" said the master-at-arms—a third, a fourth, a fifth, a sixth, fell-and so on, till the dozen was complete, and the blood slowly trickling down Herbert's back, from points more severely wounded than the rest, stood congealed by the cold air on others, which had more escaped the repeated cuttings of the lash. Still not a sound escaped him. He could not even have been noticed to breathe, much less sigh; nor was Indian chief ever more motionless under the tomahawk of a fellow savage. It was as if his indomitable soul disdained to give the slightest proof that the unjust infliction could at all reach the mind, however it might disport its wantonness on the enslaved body. As soon as the twelfth lash was complete, the master-atarms moved a step towards the captain, and, touching his hat, reported, "One dozen, sir!" "Step forward another boatswain's mate," was the captain's reply. The man who had just given the last dozen resigned his position to a brother executioner. The arm of the successor was already raised to begin the second dozen, when the captain again demanded, "Will you tell me now, sir, who threw that marlingspike out of your top?" "I would if I could, sir," replied Herbert, in a coarse husky voice. "Do your duty, boatswain's mate!" said the captain, cutting off by this order any further explanation in the matter. Another dozen followed, and again the same question was put with the same reply. A fresh boatswain's mate, and another dozen was inflicted. Still, though barely able to articulate the denial, Herbert still protested his utter and entire ignorance of the whole affair. After |