However, we did not very long remain here; for, it being now getting on well in the month of July, and several new ships having been ordered to be commissioned for the Naval Manoeuvres, Mick and I, good luck still attending us and keeping us always in company, were told off to join a smart cruiser attached to one of the squadrons, in which we presently sailed for Bantry Bay. Here my chum found himself once more in his native land, and under a sky as blue as that of Italy, to which country he had originally claimed to belong, in spite of the strong `brogue' that readily betrayed his kinship to the inhabitants when we went ashore at Glengariff. Mick's complaint now was that he could not find any one rejoicing in his name; for every one he and I met, strolling along from Castletown to Waterfall, the landing-place at the foot of Hungry Mountain, half round the bay, was either a Sullivan or an O'Brien--not a single Donovan being to be met with for love or money. "Begorrah, I can't make it out at all, at all!" said my chum to me, after making inquiries at the various little shebeens on our way and chatting almost with every one of the groups of country people we passed, who all seemed mightily pleased at the sight of us bluejackets, most of them offering us hospitality in the shape of cups of milk at the corner of nearly every country lane, where some pretty colleen would stand, clad in her picturesque red cape and with stockingless feet, wishful to give thirsty folk a drink. "Me fayther s'id, faith, as how the Donovans wor kings ov Cark at one toime, Tom!" "Why," I rejoined, giving him a twister, "you told the `Jaunty' when you came aboard the _Saint Vincent_ that time to join, that your father was an `Oitalian!'" "Stow thet, Tom," said he with a grin, digging me in the ribs, much to the amusement of one of the Irish girls who was near us, at whom Mick winked. "Sure, thet wor ownly me joke. Th'room pogue, ma colleen ogue?" The girl near, to whom he addressed the latter part of his speech, which sounded like Greek to me, blushed and laughed, turning away shyly. "Hullo!" I exclaimed. "What does that mean, Mick?" "Faith, it manes `Give me a kiss, me purty gurl,' Tom," he answered, bursting into a roar of laughter. "It's a quishton ye'll foind moighty convanient to axe some-toimes whin ye're in these parts, mabouchal; an' Oi'd advise ye to larn the languish ez soon ez ye can." We remained at Bantry, coaling and preparing for action, for about a week, at the end of which time, `war' being declared between the rival fleets engaged in the Manoeuvres, we filed out of the bay in single column line ahead and started off for the fray; the fleet I was with having some exciting episodes in the chops of the Channel during the time the mimic campaign lasted, in chasing and capturing the ships of the `enemy,' our cruiser being a very fast vessel and easily able to overhaul most of their craft hand over hand.