"`And I hope this poor man, who has suffered as much as they have, may come too,' says the young lady, and I blessed her sweet face as she spoke. "`Of course,' says the colonel, `he might fare but badly forward.' "The skipper, a dark-looking chap, who had been walking the deck all the time, scarcely stopping to welcome us aboard, looked daggers at me, but I didn't mind him. "`Come along, Needham, you saved our lives, and should be the first attended to,' says Mr Rogers kindly to me; I, of course, know my place, and that it isn't for the likes of me to sit down to table with my betters; but just then, if the Queen herself had asked me to take a snack with her, I'd have said, `Yes, marm, please your ladyship, with the greatest pleasure in the world.' "The steward soon had all sorts of good things on the table, but there was one above all others I wanted most, and that was a big jug of water; I could have put it to my mouth and drained it dry. The young gentlemen filled up their tumblers, and passed on the jug to me. "`Stop,' says the colonel, `you shall temper the water with claret.' But before he could finish speaking, the glasses were drained dry. We held them out again, however, and the colonel and the young lady filled them up, half-and-half, with wine and water. This brought back our appetites, and we turned to with a will, the colonel's daughter filling up our plates with a smile, to watch how we ate. When I'd had enough I got up and made my bow, and the colonel told the steward to get me a berth somewhere, as he was sure I should be glad to turn in and take a snooze. He was right, for my eyes were winking, and the young gentlemen were pretty nigh asleep in their chairs. There were two spare cabins, and they were in them, with their eyes shut, before I had made my last scrape and bow at the cuddy-door. The steward told me to turn into his cot, and it didn't take me long before I was as sound asleep as I ever was in my life. When I turned out the next morning, I found that the young gentlemen were still snoozing away. They didn't turn out till noon, and even then they kept rubbing their eyes as if they hadn't had enough sleep yet. Otherwise, they seemed in no way the worse for what they had gone through. In the meantime, the young lady had sent for me aft, and asked all sorts of questions about our cruise, which Mr Rogers hadn't told her, and spoke ever so kindly to me. I thought as she was talking that there wasn't anything in the world I wouldn't do for her. The colonel also had his say, and after telling me that he was sure I was a brave, trustworthy fellow, asked me should I like to go ashore with him, and assist him in an adventure he had in hand. I answered, that though I liked a spree on shore as well as others, that it was my duty to stick by the three young gentlemen to look after them, and to see them safe aboard the frigate again by the first opportunity. He seemed somewhat taken aback, and said nothing more.