Frank on a Gun-Boat

ng the

hey were divided off into messes. The mess to which Frank and his cousin belonged was called "Number

be cook of

d Archie,

s mess," repeated the of

tter with you? Are

but I ca

can try. You ma

our heroes seated themselves on one

on't know any more about cooking

wonder what we shall have for dinner? I hope it wi

mate sounded through the ship, and that person

Number Tw

e?" inquired Archie,

ow, I'm sur

Twenty-five," agai

am," sai

se," said the mate, sharply. "Why d

ere I should go,

out;" and the mate turned

l a fellow where to go? I'll tell that officer that I didn't sh

met one of the men who belonged to his mess, whose name was Simpson, who told him that he must go to the paymaster's store-room, and offered to show

rd, a boy about his own age, who was serving out the pr

ster-at-arms after you. If you don't attend to your business better

," as he afterward remarked, and he felt very much like making an angry reply. But h

me what my duty is, I

a great while, have you?" inqu

st attempt at learn

d the steward, "is, that you will soon

ever catch me in another scrape like this. I don't like the idea of ha

r head. But now to business. In the first place, here are your dishes," and he

do with these?

ible for them," he continued; "and if any of them are lost, they will be charged to your account. Now go and put them

uld have no difficulty in getting along in the world while he had a tongue in his head; so he made inquiries of the first man he met, who told him to go up to the captain, who was always ready to send t

's the use of being

and found Simps

ave," continued the latter. "If we were ashore, he would

idn't he stay ashore, where he b

chest is;" and the kind-hearted sailor led the way to the berth-deck, and showed Archie the mess-chest, which had "No. 25" painted on it. Archie put all his dishes into it, with the exception of the mess-kettle

Archie, as he picked up his rations and

t even this. You'll have to live on worse grub nor this afore your year is out. But I see you

in search of his cousin, whom he found perched

tter, as Archie came up,

ell you, we've got ourselves in a fix. What d

fee without any milk, butter strong enough to go alone, and crackers so hard

are in for it. But we'll soon get accustomed to t

I can stand it if any one else can; and when I f

the guns and gazed listlessly into the water. At length they were interrupte

id Frank, as the sailors commenced ru

d reappear bearing the mess-kettle, filled with steaming coffee, in one han

ck filled with men, who were sitting around the chests, brandishin

ung sailors thought they could not relish this hard fare but, as they had eaten no br

he former to take the mess-kettle and go up to the galley after some hot water. When he was returning, he saw a man stealing around the deck, holding something behind him that lo

ing with that bundle

e, you landlubber," replied

is he doin

for you to spill some of that water yo

nd the man, who had been watching his every movement, sprang toward him and threw down the

rformance. "What does he mean?" repeated the mate; "why, he means that you have got to wipe up that wa

ile this state of things continues, it is impossible to keep a ship clean, and, in order to break up this habit, the culprits are obliged to wipe up whatever they have spilled, and then carry a swab about the deck until they can detect some one else equa

to the scrape for the purpose of getting the man who first had the swa

mess-kettle and pick up th

kettle on deck out of the way, and picking up the swa

latter, as Frank approached,

stance, and Simpson could scar

een many a good fellow, in my time, in the same fix. Now you must walk around the ship, and if you see any one spill the least drop of water, or any thing else, on deck, rush up and give him

he thought that he would soon learn his duty, and be enabled to avoid all such scrapes. He walked about the vessel f

scout, hoping to be of some assistance to his cousin. But he looked and waited in vain for some on

deck. Archie did not, of course, stop to apologize, but hurried on, and before the man could look up to see who had caused the mischief, he had disappeared Frank, who had been watching

s, and laughed at for tumbling out on the opposite side. But, after a few attempts, they