"The _Sailors' Welcome_--man alive! I wonder you've forgot it. Blessin's on it! _I_ ain't likely to forget it. Why, it was there, (did I ever tell you?) the wery night arter I met you, that a messmate took me to the big hall, back o' the readin'-room. It's no use me tryin' fur to tell you all I heard in that there big hall, but when I come out--blow'd if I didn't sign the pledge right away, an' I ain't took a drop o' grog since!" "Glad to hear it, Jack, for, to say truth, I never saw the evil of grog so clearly as I have since coming out here and seeing strong stout men cast down by it in dozens,--many of them kind-hearted, right-thinking men, whom I would have thought safe from such a thing. Indeed I have more than half a mind to join the Good Templars myself." "Young man," said Molloy, sternly, "if it takes the death of dozens o' stout kind-hearted men to force you to make up half your mind, how many d'ee want to die before you make up the whole of it?" "But I said that my mind was _more_ than half made up," returned Miles, with a smile. "Now lookee here," rejoined the sailor earnestly, "it's all wery well for milksops an' nincompoops and landlubbers to go in for half-an'-half work like that, but you're not the man I takes you for if you ain't game for more than that, so I ax you to promise me that you'll sign the pledge right off, as I did, first time you gits the chance." "But you forget I'm only a landlubber who, according to you, is fit for only half-an-half measures," said Miles, who, not being addicted to much wine, felt disinclined to bind himself. "No matter," returned the sailor, with deepening earnestness, "if you go in fur it you'll _never_ repent it! Take my word for that. Now, I ax ye to promise." "Well, I _do_ promise--the very first time I get the chance; and that will be to-morrow night, for our new parson has started temperance meetings, and he is a great teetotaller." "An' you promise to stick to it?" added Molloy. "When I give a promise I _always_ stick to it!" returned Miles gravely. "Right you are, lad. Give us your flipper!" The foregoing conversation took place at the harbour, a little apart from the noisy group of soldiers and sailors who were discussing the circumstances of the recent boat-race. Immediately after it Molloy returned to his ship in the harbour, and our hero to his post in the line of defence. One of those who had been conspicuous that day in arranging and starting the races, acting as umpire at the cricket, and, generally, putting heart and spirit into everything by his quiet good-nature and self-denying activity, was the young officer of Engineers, who has been already mentioned as the manager of the mines that were laid around Suakim. Poor fellow! little did he imagine that that was to be his last day on earth!