He then went down the ladder, and into the fore-cabin. I expected that he would have discovered Tommy as if by accident, but such was not the case. The captain had just gone into the after-cabin, and Mr Hippesley immediately followed him, and shutting the door, informed him of Mr Dott's position, and why I had made it known. The captain could not help laughing, as, after all, it was no great offence. He then gave the necessary information to the first lieutenant, and they both walked into the fore-cabin; the first lieutenant saying, "If you please, then, Captain Delmar, I will send a boat immediately with the letter." "Certainly," replied the captain, sitting down, and who evidently was inclined to join in the joke with Mr Hippesley. "Sentry, send the officer on deck to man the jolly-boat, and tell Mr Dott to come here immediately." I was on deck when the sentry put his head up the ladder and gave the order, and I immediately perceived the plan of the first lieutenant and the state of alarm in which Tommy Dott must have been put. The jolly-boat was manned, and Mr Dott called for in every quarter of the ship, but he did not make his appearance. After a delay of several minutes, the officer on deck went down into the cabin, reporting that the jolly-boat had been manned some time but that Mr Dott was not to be found. "Not to be found!" replied the captain; "why, he can't have fallen overboard." "Not he, sir," replied the first lieutenant; "he has gone to sleep somewhere: either in the tops or the fore-topmast staysail netting." "He appears to be a very troublesome boy," replied the captain. "Very useless, indeed, sir," replied the first lieutenant. "Sentry, have they found Mr Dott?" "No, sir; quarter-masters have been everywhere. He's not in the ship." "Very odd!" observed the captain. "Oh! he'll turn up soon, sir; but really, Captain Delmar, if you were to give him two or three dozen at the cabin gun, it would bring him to his senses." "That I most certainly will do," replied Captain Delmar; "and I authorise you to do it, Mr Hippesley, as soon as he makes his appearance; it will be of some service to him; but I hope no accident has happened to him." "I have no fear of that, sir," replied the first lieutenant: "if the purser's steward's room had been open to-day, I should have sent to see if he was not locked up in another attempt to steal raisins, but that has not been the case. By-the-by, the spirit-room was open this morning, and he may have been down there, and may have had the hatches put over him." "Well, we must send another midshipman; call Mr Keene," said Captain Delmar. The sentry called me, and I made my appearance. "Mr Keene, you'll go on shore to the dockyard in the jolly-boat: give that letter to the master attendant, and wait for an answer." "Yes, sir," replied I. "Have you seen anything of Mr Dott?" said the first lieutenant; "you are constantly together."