VESSELS cruising on the Pacific coast, anywhere from Cape Horn to California, frequently fall in with a species of bird known among the sailors by the certainly not very poetical name of booby. These birds sometimes follow a ship several days in succession, and frequently alight on the rigging, where they may easily be taken by hand. They are a large, black bird, and as stupid as they are black — for they will most generally allow themselves to be caught rather than fly away; and to this fact, I suppose, they are indebted for their name.

       At the time my story opens, I was before the heard. mast, in the good ship Carioca, bound up to Acapulco. We were then on the Chilian coast, and for several days our youngsters had been having fine sport catching boobies, which had come aboard in great numbers, but that afternoon they had all disappeared.

       After everything had been made snug for the night, our men collected, as usual, on the top-gallant forecastle, to smoke their pipes, and spin their yarns to while away the time till eight bells.

       One of our number had just commenced "a stretcher," when he was interrupted by one Joe Driscoll — said Joe, by the way, was a great practical joker, and was always ready to play a trick upon a shipmate, whenever an opportunity offered.

       "Hark! boys, I believe I hear a booby screeching!"

       We all listened attentively, and heard a sort of screeching noise aloft, similar to that made by one of the aforesaid boobies; nothing could be seen of one, however. As the noise still continued, I approached the foremast, and after listening attentively for a few moments, I ascertained that the noise was occasioned by the starboard fore-topsail sheet grating in the sheave-hole, at the end of the foreyard. I reported the result of my investigation to the men on the forecastle, and the man was about resuming his yarn, when Joe Driscoll again spoke.

       "I tell you what, shipmates, if you'll only keep mum, when the boy Jim comes from the wheel we'll have some fun. I'll make him think there's a booby aloft, and he'll go right straight up after him; when he gets up there, though, and finds there's no booby there but himself, wont he blow, though? It's as good as a month's wages any time, to hear Jim sputter when he gets a little riled."

       If Joe Driscoll could only have known how the joke would in the long run be turned upon himself, we fancy he would not have been in quite so much haste about it; for, although he got the laugh upon Jim at the time, years afterwards, Jim turned the tables upon him in handsome style, as our story will soon show.

       Joe had hardly ceased speaking, when four bells struck, and in a moment more, Jim came from the wheel. When he was abreast the fore-rigging, Joe hailed him, thus:

       "I say, Jim, there's a booby somewhere aloft there for'ard."

       "Where is he?" said Jim, all excitement. "Just show him to me, and I'll be up after him quicker 'n ever I went up to furl a royal."

       At that instant, the screeching noise was again heard.

       "By Jupiter!" said Jim, "there is one up there; just hear him!" and before Joe could say more, he was half way up the lower rigging. He paused a moment at the foretop, and looked about, but seeing nothing in the shape of a booby, he was about descending to the deck, when Joe again hailed him.

       "I say, Jim, I've got my eye on him now; there he sits, on the fore-topgallant yard."

       Jim looked up, and sure enough, there was something on the yard, that now it was nearly dark, looked like the identical bird; though it was nothing more nor less than a grummett (a piece of rope in the form of a loop), that belonged on the yard — but it stood erect — which gave it very much the appearance of a large bird, sitting on the yard.

       Jim crept cautiously up the topmast, and top-gallant rigging, and stopped a moment at the crosstrees before going on to the yard, so as not to frighten the bird away by a too sudden approach; then laying slowly out on to the yard until he was within a foot of the so-supposed booby, he made a desperate grasp at the critter's legs, and caught hold of the aforesaid grummett!

       As Jim started to come down, Driscoll sung out:

       "I say, Jim, don't come down without that booby; there he is, on the fore-topgallant yard; catch him quick, or he'll be gone."

       Joe had had a hard matter before him to keep from laughing, all the while Jim was in the rigging; but now that Jim had discovered how he had been sold, there was no longer any cause for keeping mum (as he called it), so he burst into a loud laugh, and all hands on the forecastle followed suit.

       The boy Jim did not appear at all vexed by the joke that had been played upon him, but although we were seven months longer on the voyage, he did not speak to Joe Driscoll in all that time.

       Years after the events recorded above, Joe Driscoll, now Captain Driscoll, arrived in Boston from China, in command of a fine brig. As it would be a considerable length of time before his brig would again be ready for sea, not wishing to remain idle so long, he began to look about him for something to do, in the meantime. A few mornings after his arrival, he saw the following advertisement in a New York paper:

       "WANTED — A master for the ship Stormy Petrel, for a short cruise only. Apply to the owner at the Astor House.

"JAMES D. REYNOLDS."       

       The next day, when Captain Driscoll called on Mr. Reynolds, to offer his services as master of the Stormy Petrel, little did he dream that Reynolds, the ship owner, was once the "boy Jim," on board the ship Carioca — but it was even so.

       "Did you wish to engage a master for your vessel, sir?" said Driscoll.

       "Yes, sir," said Mr. Reynolds. "I advertised to that effect. I have had a number of applicants for the berth, but none that suited me; the present captain of my vessel is just recovering from a dangerous illness; it will be some little time, however, before he will be able to take command of the ship, and I thought that while the ship was waiting for him, I might as well; provided I could get a suitable man, take an cargo of something round to Boston."

       In a short time, a bargain was struck up between the two. Captain Driscoll agreeing to take the Stormy Petrel to Boston, for a certain sum of money. The day came for sailing, and Captain Driscoll upon going on board, was surprised, by not finding a living soul on board the ship — and no signs of a crew. Ten o'clock was the hour to start. Ten o'clock came, but no seamen with it.

       "Confound it all," said Driscoll; "here 'tis time that anchor was up, and not a man aboard yet. I'll work 'em up, though, to pay for this, when they do get aboard, the lazy beggars!"

       Captain Driscoll did not dream in all this time but what Mr. Reynolds had engaged a crew for his ship; but such was not the case, however, as the reader will shortly see.

       Just as the ship's clock struck the hour of eleven, Mr. Reynolds stepped over the gangway of his vessel, and accosted Captain Driscoll.

       "How's this, sir?" said he; "I thought you were to be off at ten o'clock!"

       "So I was," said Driscoll, "but the crew have not come aboard yet."

       "What's that to you, sir?" said Reynolds. Did you not agree to take my ship round to Boston?"

       "Most certainly, sir; but how am I to do it without a crew?"

       "That's not my lookout! you agreed to take this vessel to Boston — you said you could take her round quicker than any other man — now, sir, I want to see you take her round."

       "There must be some mistake, here, Mr. Reynolds."

       "None at all, I assure you, sir; it is all perfectly plain. You said you could take my ship to Boston, and I engaged you accordingly; and now, sir, will you take her round, or will you forfeit your agreement? one or the other, sir, I wish you to do immediately."

       "Mr. Reynolds, I demand an explanation."

       "That you shall certainly have."

       "Joe Driscoll," said Mr. Reynolds, straitening himself up, and looking him full in the face. "Do you recollect, a good many years ago, of having sailed in the ship Carioca?"

       "I do," said Driscoll.

       "And do you recollect sending the 'boy Jim,' aloft to catch a booby?"

       "I do," said Driscoll; "but what has that to do with you and me?"

       "I will tell you, in a very few words, and then, sir, I wish you to rid my deck of your presence, as soon as possible. I am the boy, Jim — you sent me aloft to catch a booby. I found none, consequently I caught none. But I have at last, both found and caught a booby! When I went on to that yard, and found there was no booby there, I inwardly resolved never to lose sight of you, until I had paid you off in your own coin. I knew you the moment you called on me at the. Astor House, and acted accordingly. I have now no further need of your services, for you have forfeited your contract, and I have caught the booby!"

(THE END)