giving three hips! and one hurrah! thrice, and singing "For he's a jolly good fellow," without any very distinct notion as to who _was_ the jolly fellow; also adding more decidedly "which nobody can deny"--there being no one on the island to deny it. England has in this way acquired much additional territory at my hands, without my having as yet received any very substantial recompense for my services. CHAPTER SEVEN. THE MODERN RODERICK RANDOM. HALF A SERVANT. A PRETTY PICTURE. The duties of the assistant-surgeon--the modern Roderick Random--on board a line-of-battle ship are seldom very onerous in time of peace, and often not worth mentioning. Suppose, for example, the reader is that officer. At five bells--half-past six--in the morning, if you happen to be a light sleeper, you will be sensible of some one gliding silently into your cabin, rifling your pockets, and extracting your watch, your money, and other your trinkets; but do not jump out of bed, pray, with the intention of collaring him; it is no thief--only your servant. Formerly this official used to be a marine, with whom on joining your ship you bargained in the following manner. The marine walked up to you and touched his front hair, saying at the same time,-- "_I_ don't mind looking arter you, sir," or "I'll do for you, sir." On which you would reply,-- "All right! what's your name?" and he would answer "Cheeks," or whatever his name might be. (Cheeks, that is the real Cheeks, being a sort of visionary soldier--a phantom marine--and very useful at times, answering in fact to the Nobody of higher quarters, who is to blame for so many things,--"Nobody is to blame," and "Cheeks is to blame," being synonymous sentences.) Now-a-days Government kindly allows each commissioned officer one half of a servant, or one whole one between two officers, which, at times, is found to be rather an awkward arrangement; as, for instance, you and, say, the lieutenant of marines, have each the half of the same servant, and you wish your half to go on shore with a message, and the lieutenant requires his half to remain on board: the question then comes to be one which only the wisdom of Solomon could solve, in the same way that Alexander the Great loosed the Gordian knot. Your servant, then, on entering your cabin in the morning, carefully and quietly deposits the contents of your pockets on your table, and, taking all your clothes and your boots in his arms, silently flits from view, and shortly after re-enters, having in the interval neatly folded and brushed them. You are just turning round to go to sleep again, when--