And here is the next! This is the longest since then. And the best I think.

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Chapter 3

"I think I'm seasick!" whimpered Horatio, squatting down on the timbers.

"I'm sure you are." answered Hammond quickly.

They were on deck because they were to be on watch from midnight to four in the morning. The night was clear and the stars were shining. The Raisonable was slipping smoothly through the water, but not smoothly enough for Horatio…

"I'm going to vomit!" he said in a trembling voice.

"Please, not on the deck!" warned him the Lieutenant. The boy struggled to his feet and leaned over the handrail. Hammond turned away, his heart sinking. He knew that every new crewman must endure this. When he was younger he'd suffered too, but he always felt
compassion when he saw a new seaman in anguish. Horatio felt a little better, and he crouched down again with his back to the timbers. There was silence for a while but Hammond suddenly heard a sound like a mew of a small kitten. At first he didn't know what it was, but when he found out, he was astonished.

"Mr Nelson, are you crying?" he asked undermined.

"No!" screamed the lad, he hiccuped and burst out sobbing.

"Oh, oh, it's all right!" Hammond kneeled down to Horatio and carefully embraced his shoulders. "Don't cry!"

"No… go away… don't touch me!" whined the child, but the Lieutenant continued to hug him.

"Please, don't cry!" he muttered gently. "What happened? Why are you upset?"

"I want… want to go… home… " snivelled the midshipman. Hammond smiled. "We just started our journey and he is already homesick!" But he didn't say anything, only gave his handkerchief to Horatio, who dried his eyes and blew his nose. The boy calmed down a bit, and rested his head against the Lieutenant's chest and continued the crying quietly. They stayed like this for a long time, motionless.

The sound of footsteps was heard from the stern, and somebody came with a lantern in his hand. Hammond stood up and prepared to give a report if it had been his superior, but he relaxed immediately.

"Good evening, doctor!" he greeted the newcomer. A tall, muscular man appeared from the dark. The light of the storm lamp illuminated his serious face, long nose, cold, emotionless blue eyes and his strictly combed, dark red hair.

"Good evening, Mr Hammond!" he answered in a deep, sonorous voice. " I see, you are doing your duties diligently…"

He looked on Horatio's face which was still covered with tears, the wet handkerchief in his hand, and Hammond's telescope, which was lying under a cannon.

"Ah, we had some little problems." said the Lieutenant while he kicked out at the spyglass. "Mr Nelson is seasick…"

"You may laugh," sighed the doctor and he sat down to a barrel. "Me too."

Hammond giggled indeed, but Horatio rather wondered.

"I came up because of this." continued the man. "There isn't any fresh air in that hole we call the 'cabin'. Have the carpenters never heard about windows!"

"Windows, of course." murmured the Lieutenant. "Curtains and flower pots in the gun-ports, why not?"

"I think it can be very decorative." answered the doctor. "To say nothing of the strategic importance."

"Strategic importance!"

"Indeed. The enemy see them and laugh themselves to death."

Horatio listened, his mouth open. Are these adult men speaking seriously? He shook his head surprised. He listened to their funny wrangling for a while, but he soon yawned and looked up the sky.

"Oh, how many stars there are!" he said loudly, and the other two looked at him.

"You never saw stars before?" asked the doctor.

" I saw." answered the boy. "But not clearly, like this. I never spent a night under the sky."

"Let's count how many isosceles triangles we can find!" suggested Hammond.

"The isosceles triangles are boring." the doctor silenced him. "But I found a dragon."

Horatio gazed at the stars with curiosity. He wanted to find a new constellation too.

"Hey!" he cried out suddenly. "There's a smiling face!"

The two followed the boy's pointing finger with their eyes.

"Yes, yes." said Hammond. "That is the constellation called Smilie. It was discovered by Smiley, the great astronomer."

"That's can't be true." Horatio shook his head. "You are just joking, sir."

"Me? Joking? Did you hear, Doctor Clive? He said I was joking!"

"Because you were," answered the doctor with a smile. "There isn't any constellation called Smilie."

"How do you know that, you lubber? You just finished university and you think you know everything. You haven't even begun your career. This is your first voyage and you are contradicting me."

"I know there is no Smilie."

"Why don't you believe me? Ask tomorrow! Ask anyone on the ship!"

"You can trick a new midshipman with this, but not me! You won't make a clown of me! There isn't Smilie, I have told you and that's that!"

"What did you say? How you abuse me! A freshly-qualified barber!"

"Who is the freshly-qualified barber, you ham-fisted powder monkey!" ... and on and on in this manner for a half hour or longer.

When they took a minute's break for breath in the heat of the debate, Hammond turned to Horatio. He motioned 'shush!' to Clive with his finger, and pointed to the midshipman. Horatio, with his head on a coil of rope, was sleeping sweetly.

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Algrene: Thank you the nice review! And yes, I think the little Pellew was short and fat. He was't a thin elf as an adult too! I hope I didn't disturbed you with this. And continue writing – my only reviewer. :-)

The next will come after a week, I think.