“You heard the end of it, I suppose?” said Captain Oughton, in continuance.

“The end of what, sir?”

“What!—­why the fight.  Spring beat.  I’ve cleared three hundred by him.”

“Then, sir, I am very glad that Spring beat,” replied Newton.

“I’ll back him against a stone heavier any day in the week.  I’ve got the newspaper in the cabin, with the fight—­forty-seven rounds; but we can’t read it now—­we must see after these soldiers and their traps.  Look at them,” continued Captain Oughton, turning to a party of the troops ordered for a passage, who were standing on the gangway and booms; “every man Jack with his tin pot in his hand, and his greatcoat on.  Twig the drum-boy, he has turned his coat—­do you see?—­with the lining outwards to keep it clean.  By Jove, that’s a wrinkle!”

“How many officers do you expect, Captain Oughton?”

“I hardly know—­they make such alterations in their arrangements; five or six, I believe.  The boat went on shore for them at nine o’clock.  They have sent her back, with their compliments, seven times already, full of luggage.  There’s one lieutenant—­I forget his name—­whose chests alone would fill up the main-deck.  There’s six under the half-deck,” said Captain Oughton, pointing to them.

“Lieutenant Winterbottom,” observed Newton, reading the name.

“I wish to Heaven that he had remained the winter, or that his chests were all to the bottom!  I don’t know where the devil we are to stow them.  Oh, here they come!  Boatswain’s mate, ‘tend the side there.’”

In a minute, or thereabouts, the military gentlemen made their appearance one by one on the quarter-deck, scrutinising their gloves as they bade adieu to the side-ropes, to ascertain if they had in any degree been defiled by the adhesive properties of the pitch and tar.

Captain Oughton advanced to receive them, “Welcome, gentlemen,” said he, “welcome on board.  We trip our anchor in half an hour.  I am afraid that I have not the pleasure of knowing your names, and must request the honour of being introduced.”

“Major Clavering, sir,” said the major, a tall, handsome man, gracefully taking off his hat:  “the officers who accompany are (waving his hand towards them in succession), Lieutenant Winterbottom—­”

Lieutenant Winterbottom bowed.

“I’ve had the pleasure of reading Lieutenant Winterbottom’s name several times this forenoon,” observed Captain Oughton, as he returned the salute.

“You refer to my luggage, I’m afraid, Captain Oughton.”

“Why, if I must say it, I certainly think you have enough for a general.”

“I can only reply that I wish my rank were equal to my luggage; but it is a general complaint every time I have the misfortune to embark.  I trust, Captain Oughton, it will be the only one you will have to make of me during the passage.”

Major Clavering, who had waited during this dialogue, continued—­“Captain Majoribanks, whom I ought to apologise to for not having introduced first—­”