mander of the vessel, in a tone, which might have signified entreaty, or been expressive of that jocosity of resignation which is so often assumed by young gentlemen in difficulties, "You don't seriously mean to say, captain, that you intend to put me under arrest?"

"I don't know how I am to avoid it," remarked the captain.

"It is very easy," observed Peregrine Pultuney. "How so?" inquired the captain.

“Put him under arrest," suggested Peregrine. "I have done so," returned the captain.

"Well, surely one's enough then," said Peregrine. "I'll give you my word and honour not to beard the lion in his den, and we can't fight conveniently through the bulk-head or the timbers of your deck."

Maybe not," returned the captain, "maybe not; it seems a pity to put you under arrest—”

"A very great pity," interrupted Peregrine. "And I shall be sorry to do it," continued the captain, "but I see no help for it, my good sir. We are not very far from the Cape, there is a wind springing up from the northward, and a week or two will take us into False Bay; by that time it will all be blown over; just keep to your cabin during the morning; you shall have your meals down there very comfortably, and when it is dusk, you can come upon deck, smoke your cigar, and get a little air to refresh you. We shall all miss you very much."

"I have no doubt of it," observed Peregrine incidentally.

"And as we can't afford," continued the goodnatured captain, "to lose you during the whole voyage, we will set our heads together, and devise some plan to get rid of Drawlincourt at the Cape, and send him on in some other ship."

Having unburdened himself of this very disin terested and very philanthropical sentiment, the captain began to inform Peregrine that he did not think, and was sure nobody else could think, that Peregrine had done any thing ungentlemanlike; on the contrary, he felt certain that every body in the ship, when apprized of all the circumstances, would applaud his conduct, whilst they execrated that of the long cornet; and Colonel Coteloll stepped forward and made a similar declaration, adding, that he would do his best to prevent any disagreeable consequences from ensuing, and, in conclusion, both the soldier and the sailor shook Peregrine by the hand, in testimony of the approbation of the United Service, and took their departure from the cabin of our hero in search of more solid gratification than that than which results from consoling the distressed.

Peregrine Pultuney, being left alone to his own reflections, had leisure to discover that he was afflicted with a headach, that he felt very tired indeed, and that he had strained the muscles of his right shoulder considerably, in polishing off the long cornet. Under these circumstances, he was not long

in coming to a conclusion that the best thing he could do was to drink a bottle of soda-water, and "turn in" as fast as he could. With this design in his head, he cried out pretty sonorously for the assistance of Peer Khan.

"Ah, sahib," returned the faithful attendant, who was squatting outside his master's door, and in less than no time Peregrine Pultuney had quaffed a bottle of soda-water and mounted into his swing cot.

Peer Khan had just taken the candle into his hand with the intention of blowing it out when Peregrine Pultuney raised himself on one arm, turned round in his cot, and said, "Peer Khan."

"Ah, sahib," returned that individual.

"You know Mr. Drawlincourt's cabin?"

Ah, master, Lumba sahib's cabin.-Master give hookham, I make fight," and the copper-coloured Mars lifted up his right arm as he spoke, and laid about him awfully in the air with an imaginary bamboo.

"You misunderstand me," said Peregrine, smiling, for it was impossible not to comprehend the meaning of Peer Khan's manœuvres-" I don't want you to fight, I can do that well enough myself; my orders are peaceable enough, so listen to me-Suno, as you call it."

"Ah, sahib," returned Peer Khan.

"Go into Mr. Drawlincourt's cabin""Ah, sahib."

"And give that gentleman my compliments—”

"Ah, sahib."

"And tell him that I sent you to inquire after the state of his health; and, Suno, tell him besides that I desired you to render him any service in your power, and to make yourself generally useful, in applying lotions and rubbing in ointments; do you understand me now?-then go."

"Ah, sahib," responded Peer Khan, "and if I find tora stora broken glass in the ointment, I very glad rub in that too."

With this kindly expression of benevolent desire, Peer Khan took his departure to do the bidding of his master; nor had he been absent two minutes before he reappeared in the cabin, with something like a letter in his hand.

"Well, Peer Khan," said Peregrine Pultuney. "I give master message❞—

"Well, sir"

"And Dollinguts, sahib, very bad gentleman; he talk like dewana; give plenty bad gala; say to me, 'Tell Pultuney sahib, he be very bad word—I not say; and then he give chit to my hand and tell me go to the debble with it."

"He did, did he?" exclaimed Peregrine Pultuney, "what an ungrateful vagabond, to be sure. A challenge, I suppose-well, that will keep," and placing Drawlincourt's warlike missive beneath his pillow, he composed himself serenely to his slumbers.

Peregrine was not mistaken. The letter con

tained a polite invitation from the cornet to meet him at some place hereafter to be determined upon, on the first morning after their arrival at the Cape. "A somewhat lengthy invitation," thought Peregrine Pultuney," and somewhat indefinite withal; but I suppose I must not disappoint him, so here goes for an answer," and Peregrine Pultuney, having written a note, entered the engagement forthwith in his pocket-book.

As our hero and the long cornet are now under arrest, we do not think that our readers will have any objection to pass over the few next weeks at a leap, and to imagine that the good ship Hastings is working into False Bay; for in the winter season, as every body knows, no one ventures into Table Bay, who has not a particular desire to pay a visit to Davy Jones.

It was a dark, murky, cloudy morning when the land first appeared in sight, and the wind was so unkindly baffling, that the captain was several times heard to declare that he shouldn't be surprised if he were unable to "make the land," an announcement which soon found its way about the ship, and which elicited from Peregrine Pultuney an observation to the effect that he should be very much surprised if Captain Skisel or captain any body else could make the land, as the fabrication of such things were generally supposed to be beyond the reach of human mechanics.

It certainly would have been a very disappointing business if the captain's words, taking them