, 1876-11-24

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helping hand in case of distress, and
as true a friend as ever llved-only he
wouldn't drink with us, that was all.
NO-that wasn't all. He learned faster
than we did-he was better sailor and
he learned more of navigation. But
this we tried to lay to the captains pay
ing him the most attention, though we
knew better at the time, for we bad the
privilege of learning Just as much as
we had mind to. The truth of the
matter was, we five loved the idea of
being old salts better than we did any
thing else, and we spent more time in
watching for opportunities to have a
spree than we did in learning to perfect
ourselves in the profession we had
chosen.
1T even got so, at length, that Jack
Small was called upon to take the deck
sometimes, when the officers were busy,
and he used to work out the reckoning
at noon as regularly as did the captain.
Yet Jack was in our mess, and he was a
constant eyesore. We saw that he was
reaching rapidly ahead of us in every
useful particular, and yet we wouldn't
open our eyes. We were envious of his
good fortune, as we called it, and used
to seize every opportunity to tease and
run him. But he never. got angry in
return. He sometimes would laugh at
us, and at others would so\feelingly
chide us that we would remain silent for
awhile. ~,
cat length the idea entered our
heads that Jack should drink with us.
We talked the matter over in the mess
when Jack was absent, and we mutually
pledged each other that we would make
him drink at the first opportunity. At
ter this determination was taken, we
treated Jack more kindly, and he was
happier than he had been for some time.
Once more we laughed and joked with
him in the mess, and he in return helped
us in our navigation. We were on our
homeward bound passage by the way of
Brazil, and our ship stopped at Rio
Janeiro, where we were to remain a
week or so. One pleasant morning we
six youngsters received permission to
go on shore aud spend the whole day;
and accordingly we rugged up in our
best togs and were carried to the land
ing.
"Now was our chance, and we put our
heads together to see how it should be
done. Jacks very first desire, as soon
as he got on shore, was to go up and ex-
anime the various things of interest in
the city. He wanted to visit the
churches and such like places, and to
please him we agreed to go with him, if
he would go and take dinner with us.
He agreed to this at once, and we
thought we had him sure. We planned
that after dinner was eaten we would
have some light sweet wine brought on,
and that we would contriye to get rum
enough into what he drank to upset him,
for nothing on earth could please Is
more than to get Jack Small drunk,
and carry him on board in that shape,
for then we fancied that the captains
favoritism would be at an end, and that
he would no longer look upon our rival
with more preference than upon our
selves. We had the matter all arranged,
and in the meantime we paid Jack all
the attention in our power-so much so
that he at length signi6ed willingness
to go anywhere to please us, provided
we would not go to any bad place.
Dinner time came, and most capi-
tai dinner we had. We had selected one
of the best hotels. The eatables were
dispatched with becoming gusto, and
then the dishes were removed, and at a
sign from me the wine was brought on.
"Ahl what have you here?' asked
Jack, betraying some uneasiness at the
appearance of the glasses and bottles.
"sOnly little new wine.' replied,
as carelessly as could. Mere juice of
the grape
"But it's wine, nevertheless pur-
. sued he.
"'It isn'twine, cried Sam Pratt, who
was one of the hardest nuts Neptune
ever cracked.
"'No,' chimed in Tim Black, another
of about the same stamp. Its only
little simple juice. Come, boys, fill up
'sThe glasses were accordingly filed.
Sam Pratt performing that duty, and he
took good care that Jacks glass had
| good quantity of sweetened rum in it.
''No,' said Jack, as the glass was
moved toward him; IF you are going to
commence this, will keep you com
pany with water while you remain or
derly, bat will not touch wine.'
''This was spoken very mildly, and
with kind smile, but yet it was spoken
firmly, and we could see that our plan
was about being knocked in the head.
We urged him to drink with us-only
one glass, if no more. We told him
how innocent it was, and how happy his
social glass would make us; but We
could not move him.
"'Then let him gor cried Tim, who
had already drank some. In fact, all of
us but Jack had drank more or less
during the forenoon. Let him go.
We don't want the mean fellow with us,
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