"Take heed the Spaniard kill not you," observed the other.

"Kill me!” cried his young companion in exceeding astonishment. "Nay, 'twould savour very much of the ass if I let him. I promise you I can now handle my piece as well as the rest—at the firing of pistols am a match for any; and as for sword or dagger, if I shew my back to an enemy, be he big or little, at such weapons, I will give up fighting, and get me back to Eastcheap for to be nothing better than a barber-chirurgeon all my life. A Spaniard kill me! Hang the villain, I should like to catch him at it."

"Indeed, if you get in the way of a bullet, you shall hardly escape," added the old man seriously.

"Escape! Dost think I would try to escape, Simon?" asked Harry Daring, as if like to be wrath at the thought of such a thing. "Hast that ill opinion of me, as to fancy I be of so poor a spirit I must need take heed of my life when there be a plenty of enemies to kill? By Gog and Magog, if you catch me doing of so paltry a thing as escaping, methinks I had better be made meat for dogs."

"In honest truth, messmate, I meant not you should take me on that tack,” replied Simon Mainsail, inwardly much pleased with his young companion for the courageousness of his manner.

"It

was but my intention to hold out a signal to tell you, 'twould shew but a proper cunning to change your course a little, if that a bullet should be a coming that way."

"I will change my course for none," cried the boy, determinedly. "If the bullet go another way, let it go, and be hanged! If it come at me I care not to shrink before a thousand of them."

"But if you keep not a good look out, you shall shew no sense in it," observed the old gunner. "Suppose, now, I be the only one left at my gun, I see a shot making straight for my figure head, thereupon I veer a point or two, and the shot goeth by harmless; then do I discharge my gun at the enemy and do them great damage; whereas had I stayed where I was, I could not help to be killed outright, and my gun having none to serve her, could be of no service against the enemy, who would quickly have had some advantage of it, and mayhap have taken the ship. So you see it be the duty of one that wisheth to be thought skilful in war, not to be rash, else not only himself but his messmates may suffer for't."

"I will be no more rash than I can help," replied Harry Daring! "but if that I am to be ever a looking after the shot, there shall be no opportunity for me to a killing of any one; and in my thinking, it be more satisfaction to cut down a whole lot of pitiful Spaniards, than to be a jumping away from a few

pestilent bullets. But I promise you I will give them no time to aim at me, for I will presently get into the midst of them, and commence slashing away at such a rate, now here, now there, and now in another place, that they shall be glad to take more heed of themselves than me. Would the time were come ! I shall rest but little till the fighting commence. Indeed, I be ever a dreaming of the storming of towns, the taking of ships, or the like, whereof I find excellent entertainment in hearing of the clashing, and groaning, and shouting, and seeing heads flying this way, and arms that, and other pleasant pastime of the same sort, that when I wake and find I have killed none, I be monstrous down at heart at it."

"Be not out of patience, messmate,” replied the veteran, "you shall take your own course in time, depend on't. There be no making a ship sail faster than she will, unless perchance you shall have dealings with those who have power over the elements, which I take to be both dishonest and unlawful."

"Think you there be any such?" enquired the boy, earnestly.

"There's no doubt on't, messmate," replied Simon Mainsail; "there be certain old hags as familiar with the devil and his imps, as am I with the breech of this gun. And having sold themselves body and soul to him, they be allowed for some period of time to do as they list; to command

what wind shall blow-raise a storm-sink ships, and work such mischief as they have a mind to; and if you put not a horse-shoe on the mast, or carry not a child's caul aboard, it be a thorough certainty that, when these witches choose it, the ship and all hands shall go to the bottom."

"What horrible villainy!" exclaimed Harry Daring; "but methinks I have knowledge of some of these old hags. Hast heard whether any be ever troubled with a raging tooth, or ride on a high horse between two panniers of eggs? For then have I known some; and exquisite fine fun I have had of them too." And then he laughed heartily at the remembrance of how he had served the two old women, as hath been already described.

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"O' my life it be no laughing matter, if you have angered any," remarked the gunner; "they be desperate in the doing of some terrible mischief." "I care not," cried the boy; “I warrant you I will give them as good as they send, they ever so familiar with the devil and his imps. Indeed, I care as little for the best devil that wears a head."

“Hush, Harry, it be exceeding wicked to say so; how know you not the old fellow be a listening?"

"Let him listen and be hanged to him," exclaimed Harry Daring, fearlessly; "I say my prayers nights and mornings, and therefore will i take heed of none such. By Gog and Magog, if

VOL. II.

K

it comes to that, I would as soon kill a devil as a Spaniard, they be both such thorough going villains."

"I would on no account have you say so," observed the veteran, looking timidly round him ;for, though brave as a lion, he was as superstitious as the rest of his class; "he be ever stealing alongside of some of us, and giveth us a broadside if we be not on the watch."

"Then up and have at him again," cried the boy, quickly; "it be not the part of an honest man to give in to a scurvy devil. For mine own part, I know not what his weapon may be; but sword or dagger, pistol or harquebus, I am for him at any time."

"'Slife you will if anger me you go on so," exclaimed Simon Mainsail, with a countenance somewhat disturbed; "it be as easy for him to sink this ship, as for me to walk the deck. Now on that point I have made an entry in my log, which, inayhap, it shall do you good to know of:—and this be it. You must know that there was a messmate of mine once, by name Jack Buntline, who was just such another dare-devil as yourself, only he had been launched many years before, and he had no more religion in him than you shall find in a shark's belly. Well, he was always a blowing great guns about what monstrous things he would do with the arch enemy of all true mariners, if peradventure