dock, he saluted them with playful familiarity; but this did not prevent him being sent to penal servitude.  He had played many other roles under many names, but it was as a parson he prided himself in having met with success by the startling number of conversions that attended his efforts.  He belonged to a respectable and well-known family, and their anxiety to have him reclaimed from the vices that had produced for them so much sorrow induced them to prevail on his brother-in-law, who was master of a brig, to take him under his special care; so he was appointed as steward, and thereby given the opportunity of spoiling much valuable food, and causing grievous dissension among the crew.

This loathsome creature could only be appealed to through his superstitions, and even the young apprentice boys soon discovered his weakness, and terrorised him whenever they got the chance.  One awful morning in November, 1864, the vessel was hove-to under close-reefed main topsail.  All hands had been on deck during the whole night, which was one of raging storm and disaster.  The decks had been swept, and the galley carried away in the general destruction, so that no food could be cooked on deck.  The captain gave orders to the steward to light a fire in the cabin stove, and make coffee for all hands.  He proceeded to do this.  The matches, however, had suffered in the commotion of the night, and would not ignite.  After many futile efforts the steward’s patience gave way; but certain members of the crew had impressed him with the conviction that the hurricane that was being encountered and the disasters that had befallen us were sent as a judgment on him for the blasphemous language he was accustomed to use at all times, whenever the slightest thing crossed his devilish nature.  He put his hands on the table, his eyes were upturned, and with a softness of speech he slowly uttered, “Jesus wept—­and so He might!” Of course he would have preferred a string of oaths as a relief to his pent-up anger.  On the following night the hurricane still raged, and it was thought that something was wrong with the maintop-gallant sail.  It looked as though it were blowing adrift.  A hand was sent aloft to secure it, but when half-way up the top-mast rigging, he got on to the top-mast back stay, and slid down on deck.  He was speechless for some time after reaching the deck.  At last he jerkingly articulated that there was nothing wrong with the sail, but that which was believed to be sail was really some ferocious living thing.  Whereupon great consternation spread; and volunteers were asked for to go aloft, and ascertain precisely what it was.  It turned out to be an eagle, and after considerable difficulty a rope was got round it, and it was safely landed on deck.  It so happened that shortly after the capture was made a tremendous sea struck the vessel, causing her to leak badly, and taking the remaining two boats overboard.  This was put down not merely