“I remain your most obedient,

“WALTER MONTEITH.”

The letter brought on board by M’Foy was to prove his identity.  While the captain read it, M’Foy stared about him like a wild stag.  The captain welcomed him to the ship, asked him one or two questions, introduced him to the first lieutenant, and then went on shore.  The first lieutenant had asked me to dine in the gun-room; and when the captain pulled on shore, he also invited Mr. M’Foy, when the following conversation took place.

“Well, Mr. M’Foy, you have had a long journey; I presume it is the first that you have ever made.”

“Indeed is it, Sir,” replied M’Foy; “and sorely I’ve been pestered.  Had I minded all they whispered in my lug as I came along, I had need been made of money—­sax-pence here, sax-pence there, sax-pence every where.  Sich extortion I ne’er dreamt of.”

“How did you come from Glasgow?”

“By the wheel-boat, or steam-boat, as they ca’d it, to Lunnon:  where they charged me sax-pence for taking my baggage on shore—­wee boxy nae bigger than yon cocked-up hat.  I would fain carry it mysel’, but they wadna let me.”

“Well, where did you go to when you arrived in London?”

“I went to a place ca’d Chichester Rents, to the house of Storm and Mainwaring, Warehousemen, and they must have anither sax-pence for showing me the way.  There I waited half-an-hour in the counting-house, till they took me to a place ca’d Bull and Mouth, and put me into a coach, paying my whole fare; nevertheless they must din me for money the whole of the way down.  There was first the guard, and then the coachman, and another guard, and another coachman; but I wudna listen to them, and so they growled and abused me.”

“And when did you arrive?”

“I came here last night; and I only had a bed and a breakfast at the twa Blue Pillars’ house, for which they extortioned me three shillings and sax-pence, as I sit here.  And then there was the chambermaid hussy and waiter loon axed me to remember them, and wanted more siller; but I told them, as I told the guard and coachman, that I had none for them.”

“How much of your ten shillings have you left?” inquired the first lieutenant, smiling.

“Hoot! sir lieutenant, how came you for to ken that?  Eh! it’s my uncle Monteith at Glasgow.  Why, as I sit here, I’ve but three shillings and a penny of it lift.  But there’s a smell here that’s no canny; so I just go up again into the fresh air.”

When Mr. M’Foy quitted the gun-room, they all laughed very much.  After he had been a short time on deck, he went down into the midshipmen’s berth; but he made himself very unpleasant, quarrelling and wrangling with every body.  It did not, however, last very long; for he would not obey any orders that were given to him.  On the third day, he quitted the ship without asking the permission of the first lieutenant; when he returned on board the following