He just touched his cap to the colonel, puir chiel, and said nought; but a tear cam intil his ee, and gaed stealing owre his cheek, that spak mair and better than words could hae dune. Everybody was delighted at his restoration; it was an act o' mercy wordy o' the occasion;--the king's birth-day couldna hae been better celebrated. The sodgers war then dismissed, and gaed below; and in the evening the band was up, and an extra pint o' grog, to drink the king's health, was served out; and there was naething but joy and diversion from ae end o' the ship to the ither. Sae much for George Hastie! And noo I maun tell ye aboot puir Geordie. One evening we war comin near ane o' the shoals that's put doun in the chart--but it wasna weel kent whether there really was ane there or no--and the captain cam oot aboot sax in the evening, and tell't the offisher o' the watch to shorten sail, and hae a' ready for lowering the larboard cutter. I was standing on the poop at the time, and heard him gie the order. Weel, sir, we beguid to shorten sail, while the cutter's crew were clearing awa the boat. We took in a' the stun-sails, and hauled up the courses, and furled the royals; then the mainyard was laid aback, and the boat was lowered and hauled up to the gangway. Geordie Gordon was ane o' the crew o' the boat--and sax o' the finest young lads in the ship they war. Ane o' the mates and a midshipman were sent in the boat, wi' orders to mak sail, and keep ahead o' the ship, sounding for the shoal. They had a compass, twa or three muskets, and some blue lichts for signals, wi' them. It was a fine evening; a licht, steady breeze was blawing, and the ship, under her topgallantsails, was gaun aboot four knots an hour through the water; and the wee boat danced merrily owre the waves a gey bit ahead, wi' her white sails glinting in the sun, like the wings o' a bonny sea-bird. Whan the darkening cam on, the captain, afore he _turned in_, said to the offisher o' the watch, "Keep your eye on the boat, Mr Bowline, and on no account let the ship go faster through the water than she does at present. Let me know if the boat makes any signal, or if the breeze should freshen." "Ay, ay, sir!--Keep a good look-out for the boat there, forward!" Weel, sir, the breeze keepit steady, and the ship gaed cannily through the water, and the boat was easy to be seen--till aboot seven-bells--that's half-past eleven--the sky beguid to be o'ercast, and the breeze to freshen; but still through the darkness the bit white sail was seen. At eight-bells, that's twal o'clock, the watch was relieved, and anither officer came up to tak charge o' the ship. "A cloudy night, Bowline. What are the orders?" "You're to keep the ship the same course" (I dinna just min' what it was), "and not to lose sight of the boat on any account." "Very well. But where _is_ the _boat_?" "There she is, just under that dark cloud. Good-night!" "Don't be in such a hurry. I can't see the boat!"