"Sorry! by George I should say so!" cut in the general.  "It would have been a precious bad job for everybody in this ship if we had not been lucky enough to pick up him and his men.  Why, sir, we should, every man jack of us, have been dead as mutton by this time.  So you think that craft yonder is your ship, do you?" he continued, turning to me.  "Well, if she is, you will have to join her--that goes without saying.  But Carter here speaks no more than the truth when he says that we shall all be very sorry to lose you--I know that I shall be.  And if it should be that we must say good-bye to you now, that must not be the end of our acquaintance, you know; that will never do.  You and I have fought side by side, my boy, and I shall expect you to write to me from time to time to let me know how you are getting on; and I will write to you also, if you can give me an address from which my letters can be forwarded on to you.  This will be my address for the next year or two, probably."  And, producing a card, he scribbled something upon it and handed it to me.