"I'm afraid my nautical knowledge is very limited," I apologised. "It's surprisin' wot some shoregoin' blokes don't know abart th' Navy, sir," said the burly one with some contempt, chuckling away to himself. "But if you reely wants to know, bleedin' a buoy means borin' a small 'ole in 'im to let the water art, 'cos they all leaks a bit arter they've bin in the sea. But I must say good arternoon, sir," he added hurriedly, glancing over his shoulder and rising to his feet. "'Ere's my gal comin', and there's another abart 'arf a cable astern of 'er wot I expec's is yourn. Good arternoon, sir, and don't git stoppin' no more o' them there bullets." He touched his forelock. "But tell me?" I said. "Did the first lieutenant and doctor make it up all right?" "Bet your life they did, sir," he said with a laugh, moving off. "Them haffairs wus almost o' daily hoccurrence." "Good luck to you," I called out after him, "and thank you for a most instructive twenty minutes!" He looked back over his shoulder; his bright red face broadened into a huge smile, and he deliberately winked twice. I had to hurry away, for already the sailor nearly had his arm round his housemaid's waist, while my Anne, at least half an hour late, was panting wearily towards where I stood. "Who is your sailor friend?" was her first question. "Ananias the Second," I answered, for at the back of my mind I had a vague suspicion that the first lieutenant of the _Jackass_ was not the only member of her ship's company who delighted in pulling people's legs. [1] A "Bradbury" is one of the new L1 notes. So called from the signature at the bottom. [2] "Jimmy the One," a lower-deck nickname for the First Lieutenant. "BUNTING" He was a short, thick-set, ruddy-faced, shrewd-eyed little person, who wore on the left sleeve of his blue jumper two good-conduct badges and the single anchor denoting his "Leading" rate, and on his right the crossed flags denoting his calling, together with a star above and below which signified that he was something of an expert at his job. In short, he was a Leading Signalman of His Majesty's Navy. His name I need not mention. To his friends he sometimes answered to "Nutty," but more often to "Buntin'." It was always a mystery to me why he had not come to wear the crossed anchors and crown of a Yeoman of Signals, for his qualifications certainly seemed to fit him for promotion to petty-officer's rank, while his habits and character in the last ship in which I knew him were all that could be desired.