To explain these properly to a landsman, I would say, for the sake of easier comprehension, that the theory of a `bend' is based on the good- natured truism contained in the old adage, `One good turn deserves another'; while a second proverb, `Safe bind, safe find,' will equally justify the existence of the `hitch'; but if the inquirer be not satisfied with either of these definitions or explanations, whichever term he may choose to apply to them, I can only advise him to follow Captain Cuttle's injunction and `overhaul his Church catechism.' To drop joking, all of us new hands were taught our work as well as sailors could teach us, which was so effectually done that what we once learnt we never forgot; this work being to treat ropes and rigging as if they were reasoning and responsible beings, and to be capable of making fast or letting loose, whensoever it so pleased us, anything under the sun, from knotting a reef point to parbuckling a cask--a dodge by which, I believe, Admiral Rodney, or Abercromby, or some other hero, during the times of the wars, contrived to drag one of his ship's guns to the top of a lofty mountain guarding the entrance to Castries, the harbour of Saint Lucia, which was by this means captured from its French possessors, and is now numbered with the rest of our West Indian colonies. This, however, is a `knotty' point. CHAPTER SEVEN. I `GO ALOFT,' LIKE MY ANCESTOR! "Tom," said Mick to me, on my telling him this, when we were dismissed anon from instruction drill and were going up on the upper deck during the `break-off,' for a brief breath of fresh air before proceeding below again to our tea, "wer that theer yarn thrue, sure, ye wos afther tellin' me?" He spoke earnestly, and I replied to him in the same tone. "It's true enough, Mick, that one of our officers did manage to parbuckle a gun up to the top of a high rock, or, rather, mountain, which commanded the land defences of Castries, the principal town of Saint Lucia in the West Indies! I've heard father speak about it many a time," said I. "But, 'pon my word, Mick, I can't precisely recollect if it was the gallant Rodney or Sir Ralph Abercromby; for both of 'em were busy in those parts at the time, and pretty well made their mark too! All I can say is, though, that through this dodge they took the Frenchies unawares and gave them a dressing as British sailors have always done when we've been at loggerheads with them furrin chaps!" Mick Donovan scratched his head, in the same solemn way father used to do, as if trying to rub in this valuable piece of historical information. "Faith," said he, "I can't underconstubble it at all, at all!" There our conversation came to an abrupt close; the bugle summoning us to supper, and Mick being extremely particular, I found, never to be late at meal-times if he could possibly help it!