"I'll read the Naval Law; The man who dares to burn A round-house,--not the Enemy's,-- A traitor's fate shall learn. "And if a man there be, Who does this traitor know, And keeps it to himself, He shall suffer death also! "'Tis well, then, to tell, then, Who did this grievous ill; And, d--n him, I will hang him, So help me God! I will!" If anything could have added to the gayety of the fire, such an outburst would. In after years I sailed under the command of this speechmaker. At monthly musters he reserved to himself the prerogative of reading the _Articles_, probably thinking that he did it more effectively than the first lieutenant; in which he was quite right. It so happened that, owing to doubt whether a certain paragraph applied to the Marine Corps, Congress had been pleased to make a special enactment that the word "persons" in such and such a clause "should be construed to include marines." Coming as this did near the end, some humorist was moved to remark that the first Sunday in the month muster was for the purpose of informing us authoritatively that a marine was a person. As the captain read this interesting announcement, his voice assumed a gradual _crescendo_, concluding with a profound emphasis on the word "marines," which he accompanied with a half turn and a flourish of the book towards that honorable body, drawn up in full uniform, at parade rest, its venerable captain, whose sandy hair was fast streaking with gray, standing at its head, his hands meekly crossed over his sword-hilt, the blade hanging down before him; all doubtless suitably impressed with this definition of their status, which for greater certainty they heard every month. It was very fine, very fine indeed; appealing to more senses than one.