It is strange what trifling events-little things apparently in themselves-seem to have the power of shaping our different destinies, and colouring, so to speak, the whole course of our subsequent life To illustrate this, I may state without exaggeration that, had it not been for Dr Hellyer's hat-taken in connection with the mischievous promptings of that madcap Tom Larkyns, my special chum at the time-it is more than probable that the grand climax which so abruptly brought my school-days to a close might have been averted; and, in that case, following out the argument, I should not have gone to sea; have never started on that disastrous voyage round Cape Horn which nearly terminated my then newly-commenced nautical career as summarily as my whilom academical studies had been put a stop to just previously; and, as a natural consequence, I should most certainly have never had the opportunity or necessity for spinning the present yarn.