I now wish you to return to your duties as acting second mate in Mr Ohlsen's place until he's fit and well again; and I trust you'll have no further disagreements with any of the officers of the ship." "Thank you, sir," I answered respectfully, accepting the hand he offered and giving it a cordial shake.

"I will be very careful of my conduct in future, and I'm sorry for being impertinent to Mr Macdougall--" I turned here towards where the first mate had been standing; but he had disappeared, so the skipper accepted the apology I intended for him, on his behalf in his absence, making short my _amende honorable_.
"Never mind him now, my lad," he said, waving his hand as if dismissing Mr Macdougall from further consideration.

"He's gone below, and joy go with him, if he's got any conscience! And, by the way, Leigh, I shan't forget that you've saved all our lives to-night by your timely warning." "It was more Jorrocks than I, sir," I interposed here, stopping the skipper's thanks.

"I thought the sound of the breakers was caused by a lot of whales blowing near us; but he knew better, and he it was who sang out to the helmsman." "Well, well, we won't argue the point," replied Captain Billings, laughing.

"I will say you both had a hand in it, if that'll suit you better; but now, to end the controversy, you can go and turn in to your old bunk, as I intend keeping the first watch till we're safe on our right track again." To hear was to obey, although, before I left the poop, the _Esmeralda_ having got well away from the perilous rocks that had nearly been her ruin, I had the satisfaction of seeing her hauled round again up to the wind, with her head pointing south, thus resuming her proper course towards Cape Horn--only now with a more southerly pitch, sailing close- handed on the port tack.
Towards four bells in the morning watch we achieved the wonderful nautical feat of "Crossing the Line," and, as I was on deck at the time, interviewing Pat Doolan in order to coax some coffee out of him, the Irish cook had a joke or two at my expense, under the plea of christening me on my entrance into Neptune's rightful "territory"-- if that term be not a Hibernian bull, considering the said territory is supposed to lie below the sea! It was only our thirty-third day out, and some of the hands were congratulating themselves on our having got so far on our journey, many vessels knocking about the equator when within reach of it for days frequently before they can accomplish the passage.
"Be jabers!" said Doolan, "I call to mind once whin I was goin' from Noo Yark to Australy in a schooner with a cargo o' mules--" "Lor', here's a bender coming now!" interrupted one of the crew with a laugh.
"Whisht, now!" ejaculated the cook indignantly.