I studied them the whole of that day; and in the evening, finding myself perfect, I went up to Bramble and repeated them without one mistake.

“All’s right,” said Bramble.  “Now, Tom, give me the paper; if you know them to-night you ought to know them to-morrow morning.  I’ll hear if you do, after breakfast.”

I went to bed, was tapped up as before by Bessy, assisted her to clean everything, taking off her hands all the heaviest of the work; indeed, what I have narrated of the first day may be taken as a sample of my life on shore at Deal.  After breakfast I repeated the points of the compass correctly.

“Well, Tom, you have a good memory, that’s certain; all the better for you, for pilots carry everything in their heads, as you will find out.  Now, then, look here.”  Bramble took the glass off the top of the compass-box, lifted up the card, and then showed me the needle below, which pointed to the north.  He then showed me the north point above, and then the other points, making me repeat them as he put his finger on them.  As soon as I understood them, he would put the stem of his pipe to one and ask me which it was.  When I was perfect with the points, he explained the half points and quarter points.  In two days I had gained them all by heart.

“And now,” says he, “we must try you.  This iron skewer is the ship’s head, recollect, and I shall stick it into the table.  When I do so, you must tell me what point of the compass stands to it, and then that will be the direction of the ship’s head.  Do you understand?  Practice makes perfect, and you must work at this all the time that you are ashore.  When you know the compass well then I’ll teach you something else.  Now, then, how’s her head, Tom?”

“North-half-west,” said I, after a little time.

“Yes, very true; but you see, Tom, that wouldn’t do aboard ship.  That’s just the way most of the seamen would puzzle at it.  I must have the answer in a moment, and that’s why you must practice.”

In the evening, when Bramble was smoking his pipe, I was seated by him, and every minute he would change the place of the iron skewer, with “How’s her head, Tom?”

“We must get your ’prentice papers signed before we go afloat again,” said Bramble, “for they pick up boys as well as men for the King’s service, and you’re a stout boy for your age.”

“Were you ever pressed yourself?” inquired I.

“No, but I had a narrow chance once, and had not our captain been a smart fellow I and many more would have been serving the King at this present moment.”

“Tell me how that was,” said I.

“Well, as soon as Bessy has done rattling with the cups and saucers, I will.”

“I’ve done now, father,” said Bessy, taking her seat on a stool close to Bramble’s feet.

“Well, then, before I passed for pilot, just after the breaking out of the war, I took it into my head to try my chance at privateering.  There was plenty to pick up at that time, and some of the Deal men had been very fortunate, so I went on board of a twelve-gun lugger, commanded by Captain Shank, fitted out in the river, with a crew of sixty men.  The press was very hot at that time, and our men were kept at the crimps’ houses until all was ready, when we started, and got off clear into the Channel without being overhauled.