Page:The Naval Officer (1829), vol. 1.djvu/45

 the letters, and, when he came on deck, he would acquaint him with my being there.

After this dialogue, I was left on the larboard side of the quarter deck to my own meditations. The ship was at this time refitting, and was what is usually called in the hands of the dockyard, and a sweet mess she was in. 'The quarter-deck carronades were run fore and aft; the slides unbolted from the side, the decks were covered with pitch fresh poured in the seams, and the caulkers were sitting on their boxes, ready to renew their noisy labours as soon as the dinner hour had expired. The middies, meanwhile, on the starboard side of the quarter-deck, were taking my altitude, and speculating as to whether I was to be a messmate of theirs, and what sort of a chap I might chance to be —both these points were solved very speedily.

The first lieutenant came on deck: the midshipman of the watch presented me, and I presented my name and the captain's message.