Frank Mildmay; Or, the Naval Officer Read online

  CHAPTER FOUR.

  'Twill be time to go home. What shall I say I have done? It must be a very plausive invention that carries it. I find my tongue is too fool-hardy. SHAKESPEARE.

  Reaching the well-known mansion of my father, I knocked softly at thefront door, was admitted, and without saying a word to the servant,rushed to the head of the dining-room table, and threw my arms round mymother's neck, who only screamed, "Good heavens, my child!" and fellinto hysterics. My father, who was in the very midst of helping hissoup, jumped up to embrace me and assist my mother. The company allrose, like a covey of partridges: one lady spoiled a new pink satin gownby a tip of the elbow from her next neighbour, just as a spoonful ofsoup had reached "the rosy portals of her mouth;" the little spaniel,Carlo, set up a loud and incessant bark; and in one minute the wholecomely arrangement of the feast was converted into anarchy andconfusion.

  Order was, however, soon restored: my mother recovered her composure--myfather shook me by the hand--the company all agreed that I was a veryfine, interesting boy--the ladies resumed their seats, and I had thesatisfaction to observe that my sudden appearance had not deprived themof their appetites. I soon convinced them that in this particular, atleast, I also was in high training. My midshipman's life had neitherdisqualified nor disgusted me with the luxuries of the table; nor did Imanifest the slightest backwardness or diffidence when invited by thegentlemen to take wine. I answered every question with such fluency ofspeech, and such compound interest of words, as sometimes caused thepropounder to regret that he had put me to the trouble of speaking.

  I gave a very florid description of the fight; praised some admirals andcaptains for their bravery, sneered at others, and accused a few ofright down misconduct. Now and then, by way of carrying conviction intomy auditors' very souls, I rammed home my charges with an oath, at whichmy father looked grave, my mother held up her finger, the gentlemenlaughed, and the ladies all said with a smile, "Sweet boy!--whatanimation--what sense--what discernment!" Thinks I to myself, "You areas complete a set of gulls as ever picked up a bit of biscuit!"

  Next morning, while my recent arrival was still warm, I broke thesubject of my chest to my father and mother at breakfast; indeed, myfather, very fortunately for me, began by inquiring how my stock ofclothes held out.

  "Bad enough," said I, as I demolished the third egg, for I still had agood appetite at breakfast.

  "Bad enough!" repeated my father, "why you were extremely well fittedwith everything."

  "Very true, sir," said I; "but then you don't know what a man-of-war isin clearing for action; everything not too hot or too heavy is chuckedoverboard with as little ceremony as I swallow this muffin. `Whosehat-box is this?' `Mr Spratt's, sir.' `Damn Mr Spratt, I'll teachhim to keep his hat-box safe another time; over with it'--and away itwent over the lee gangway. Spratt's father was a hatter in Bond-Street,so we all laughed."

  "And pray, Frank," said my mother, "did your box go in the same way?"

  "It kept company, I assure you. I watched them go astern, with tears inmy eyes, thinking how angry you would be."

  "Well, but the chest, Frank, what became of the chest? You said thatthe Vandals had some respect for heavy objects, and yours, I am sure, tomy cost, had very considerable specific gravity."

  "That's very true, sir; but you have no notion how much it was lightenedthe first day the ship got to sea. I was lying on it as sick as awhale--the first lieutenant and mate of the lower deck came down to seeif the men's berths were clean; I and my Noah's ark, lay slap in theway--`Who have we here?' said Mr Handstone. `Only Mr Mildmay, and hischest, sir,' said the sergeant of marines, into whose territory Iacknowledged I had made very considerable incroachments. `Only!'repeated the lieutenant, `I thought it had been one of the big stonesfor the new bridge, and the owner of it a drunken Irish hodman.' I wastoo sick to care much about what they said."

  "You forget your breakfast," said my sister.

  "I'll thank you for another muffin, and another cup of coffee," said I.

  "Poor fellow!" said my mother, "what he must have suffered!"

  "Oh! I have not told you half yet, my dear mother; I only wonder I amalive."

  "Alive, indeed!" said my Aunt Julia; "here, my dear, here is a smalltrifle to help you to replenish the stock you have lost in the serviceof your country. Noble little fellow! what should we do withoutsailors?"

  I pocketed the little donation--it was a ten-pounder; finished mybreakfast, by adding a slice of ham and half a French roll to thearticles already shipped, and then continued my story. "The first thingMr Handstone said, was, that my chest was too big; and the next thinghe said, was, `tell the carpenter I want him. Here, Mr Adze, take thischest; reduce it one foot in length, and one in height.' `Ay, ay, sir,'said Adze; `come, young gentleman, move off, and give me your key.'Sick as I was, I knew remonstrance or prayer were alike useless, so Icrawled off and presented my key to the carpenter, who very deliberatelyunlocked, and as expeditiously unloaded all my treasure. The midshipmenall gathered round. The jars of preserves and the cakes of gingerbreadwhich you, my dearest mother, had so nicely packed up for me, wereseized with greediness, and devoured before my face. One of them thrusthis filthy paw into a pot of black currant jelly, which you gave me fora sore throat, and held a handful of it to my mouth, knowing at the sametime that I was ready to be sea-sick in his hand."

  "I shall never bear the sight of jelly again," said my sister.

  "The nasty brutes!" said my aunt.

  "Well," I resumed, "all my nice things went; and, sick as I was, Iwished them gone; but when they laughed and spoke disrespectfully ofyou, my dear mother, I was ready to fly up and tear their eyes out."

  "Never mind, my dear boy," said my mother, "we will make all rightagain."

  "So I suppose we must," said my father; "but no more jelly andgingerbread, if you please, my dear. Proceed with your story, Frank."

  "Well, sir, in half an hour my chest was ready for me again; but whilethey were about it, they might have taken off another foot, for I foundample space to stow what the plunderers had left. The preserve jars,being all empty, were given, of course, to the marines; and some otherheavy articles being handed away, I was no longer puzzled how to stowthem. After this, you know, sir, we had the action, and then chest andbedding and all went to the devil."

  "Do they throw all the chests and bedding overboard on these occasions?"said my father, with a cool and steady gaze in my face, which I had sometrouble in facing back again.

  "Yes; always everything that is in the way, and my chest was in the way,and away it went. You know, sir, I could not knock down the firstlieutenant: they would have hanged me at the yard-arm."

  "Thank Heaven, you did not, my love," said my mother; "what _has_happened can be repaired, but _that_ could never have been got over.And your books, what is become of them?"

  "All went in the lump. They are somewhere near the entrance of the Gutof Gibraltar--all lost except my Bible: I saved that, as I happened tobe reading it in my berth the night before the action."

  "Excellent boy!" exclaimed my mother and aunt both together; "I am surehe speaks the truth."

  "I hope he does," said my father, drily; "though it must be owned thatthese sea-fights, however glorious for Old England, are very expensiveamusements to the parents of young midshipmen, unless the boys happen tobe knocked on the head."

  Whether my father began to smell a rat, or whether he was afraid ofputting more questions, for fear of hearing more fibs, I know not; but Iwas not sorry when the narrative was concluded, and I dismissed withflying colours. To my shame be it spoken, the Bible that assisted me somuch in my mother's opinion, had never but once been opened since I hadleft home, and that was to examine if there were any bank-notes betweenthe leaves, having heard of such things being done, merely to trywhether young gentlemen did "search the Scriptures."

  My demands were all made good. I believe with the greater celerity, asI began to grow very tiresome;
my _sea_ manners were not congenial tothe drawing-room. My mother, aunt, and sister were very different fromthe females I had been in the habit of seeing on board the frigate. Myoaths and treatment of the servants, male and female, all conspired toreconcile the family to my departure. They therefore heard withpleasure that my leave was expired; and, having obtained all I wanted, Idid not care one pin how soon I got clear of them; so when the coachcame to the door, I jumped in, drove to the Golden Cross, and the nextmorning rejoined my ship.

  I was received with cheerfulness and cordiality by most of my shipmates,except Murphy and some of his cronies; nor did one feeling of regret orcompunction enter my mind for the lies and hypocrisy with which I haddeceived and cheated my parents. The reader will probably be aware thatexcept the circumstance of reducing the size of my chest, and theseizure and confiscation of my jars and gingerbread, there was scarcelya vestige of truth in my story. That I had lost most of my things wasquite true; but they were lost by my own carelessness, and not by beingthrown overboard. After losing the key of my chest, which happened theday I joined, a rapid decrease of my stock convinced the firstlieutenant that a much smaller package might be made of the remainder,and this was the sole cause of my chest being converted into a razee.

  My fresh stock of clothes I brought down in a trunk, which I found veryhandy, and contrived to keep in better order than I had formerly done.The money given me to procure more bedding, I pocketed: indeed I beganto grow cunning. I perceived that the best-dressed midshipmen hadalways the most pleasant duties to perform. I was sent to bring offparties of ladies who came to visit the ship, and to dine with thecaptain and officers. I had a tolerably good address, and was reckoneda very handsome boy; and though stout of my age, the ladies admitted meto great freedom, under pretence of my being still a dear little darlingof a middy, and so perfectly innocent in my mind and manners. The factis, I was kept in much better order on board my ship than I was in myfather's house--so much for the habit of discipline; but this was alloutside show. My father was a man of talent, and knew the world, but heknew nothing of the navy; and when I had got him out of his depth, Iserved him as I did the usher: that is I soused him and his company headover heels in the horse-pond of their own ignorance. Such is the powerof local knowledge and cunning over abstruse science and experience.

  So much assurance had I acquired by my recent success in town, that myself-confidence was increased to an incredible degree. My apparentcandour, impudence, and readiness gave a currency to the coinings of mybrain which far surpassed the dull matter-of-fact of my unwarycontemporaries. Of my boyish days, I have now almost said enough. Theadventures of a midshipman, during the first three years of hisprobationary life, might, if fully detailed, disgust more than amuse,and corrupt more than they would improve; I therefore pass on to the ageof sixteen, when my person assumed an outline of which I had greatreason, to be proud, since I often heard it the subject of encomiumamong the fair sex, and their award was confirmed even by my companions.

  My mind kept pace with my person in every acquirement save those ofmorality and religion. In these, alas! I became daily more and moredeficient, and for a time lost sight of them altogether. The manlyathletic frame and noble countenance with which I was blessed, served torender me only more like a painted sepulchre--all was foul within. Likea beautiful snake, whose poison is concealed under the gold and azure ofits scales, my inward man was made up of pride, revenge, deceit, andselfishness, and my best talents were generally applied to the worstpurposes.

  In the knowledge of my profession I made rapid progress, because Idelighted in it, and because my mind, active and elastic as my body,required and fed on scientific research. I soon became an expertnavigator and a good practical seaman, and all this I acquired by my ownapplication. We had no schoolmaster; and while the other youngsterslearned how to work a common day's work from the instruction of theolder midshipmen, I, who was no favourite with the latter, was rejectedfrom their coteries. I determined, therefore, to supply the deficiencymyself, and this I was enabled to do by the help of a good education. Ihad been well grounded in mathematics, and was far advanced in Euclidand algebra previous to leaving school: thus I had a vast superiorityover my companions.

  The great difficulty was to renew my application to study, after manymonths of idleness. This, however, I accomplished, and after havingbeen one year at sea, kept a good reckoning and sent in my day's work tothe captain. The want of instruction which I first felt in the study ofnavigation, proved in the end of great service to me: I was forced tostudy more intensely, and to comprehend the principles on which Ifounded my theory, so that I was prepared to prove by mathematicaldemonstration, what others could only assert who worked by "inspection."

  The pride of surpassing my seniors, and the hope of exposing theirignorance, stimulated me to inquiry, and roused me to application. Thebooks which I had reported lost to my father, were handed out from thebottom of my chest, and read with avidity: many others I borrowed fromthe officers, whom, I must do the justice to say, not only lent themwith cheerfulness, but offered me the use of their cabin to study in.Thus I acquired a taste for reading. I renewed my acquaintance with theclassic authors. Horace and Virgil, licentious, but alluring, drove meback to the study of Latin, and fixed in my mind a knowledge of the deadlanguages, at the expense of my morals. Whether the exchange wereprofitable or not, is left to wiser heads than mine to decide; mybusiness is with facts only.

  Thus, while the ungenerous malice of the elder midshipmen thought tohave injured me by leaving me in ignorance, they did me the greatestpossible service, by throwing me on my own resources. I continued onpretty nearly the same terms with my shipmates to the last. With someof the mess-room officers I was still in disgrace, and was alwaysdisliked by the oldsters in my own mess; with the younger midshipmen andthe foremast men I was a favourite. I was too proud to be a tyrant, andthe same feeling prevented my submitting to tyranny. As I increased instrength and stature, I showed more determined resistance to arbitrarypower: an occasional turn-up with boys of my own size (for the bestfriends will quarrel) and the supernumerary midshipmen sent on board fora passage, generally ended in establishing my dominion or insuring forme a peaceable neutrality.

  I became a scientific pugilist, and now and then took a brush with anoldster; and although overpowered, yet I displayed so much prowess, thatmy enemies became cautious how they renewed a struggle which theyperceived became daily more arduous; till, at last, like the lion'swhelp, my play ceased to be a joke, and I was left to enjoy thattranquillity which few found it safe or convenient to disturb. Bydegrees the balance of power was fairly established, and even Murphy wasawed into civil silence.

  In addition to my well-known increase in personal strength, I acquired astill greater superiority over my companions by the advantage ofeducation; and this I took great care to make them feel on everyoccasion. I was appealed to in all cases of literary disputation, andwas, by general consent, the umpire of the steerage. I was termed "goodcompany,"--not always to the advantage of the possessor of such atalent; for it often tends, as it did with me, to lead into very badcompany. I had a fine voice, and played on one or two instruments.This frequently procured me invitations to the gun-room, and excusesfrom duty, together with more wine or grog than was of service to me,and conversation that I had better not have heard.

  We were ordered on a cruise to the coast of France; and as the juniorport-admiral had a spite against our captain, he swore by God that go weshould, ready or not ready. Our signal was made to weigh while lightersof provisions and the powder-boy with our powder were lying alongside--the quarter-deck guns all adrift, and not even mounted. Gun after gunfrom the _Royal William_ was repeated by the _Gladiator_, the flag-shipof the harbour-admiral, and with our signal to part company.

  The captain, not knowing how the story might travel up by telegraph toLondon, and conscious, perhaps, that he had left a little too much tothe first lieutenant, "tore the ship away by the
hair of the head"--unmoored, bundled everything in upon deck out of the lighters--turnedall the women out of the ship, except five or six of the mostabandoned--and, with a strong northerly wind, ran down to YarmouthRoads, and through the Needles to sea, in a state of confusion anddisaster which I hope never to see again.

  The rear-admiral, Sir Hurricane Humbug, stood on the platform looking atus (I was afterwards told), and was heard to exclaim, "Damn his eyes"(meaning our captain), "there he goes at last! I was afraid that thatfellow would have grounded on his beef bones before we should have gothim out!"

  "The more haste the less speed," is oftener true in naval affairs thanin any other situation of life. With us it had nearly proved fatal tothe ship. Had we met with an enemy, we must either have disgraced theflag by running away, or been taken. No sooner clear of the Needlesthan night came on, and with it a heavy gale of wind atnorth-north-west. The officers and men were at work till four in themorning, securing the boats, booms, and anchors, clearing the decks ofprovisions, and setting up the lower rigging, which, by the labour ofthe ship, had begun to stretch to an alarming degree; by great exertionthis was accomplished, and the guns secured before the gale hadincreased to a hurricane.

  About nine the next morning, a poor marine, a recruit from Portsmouth,unfortunately fell overboard; and though many brave fellows instantlyjumped into one of the quarter-boats, and begged to be lowered down tosave him, the captain, who was a cool calculator, thought the chance oflosing seven men was greater than that of saving one, so the poor fellowwas left to his fate. The ship, it is true, was hove-to; but shedrifted to leeward much faster than the unfortunate man could swim,though he was one of the best swimmers I ever beheld.

  It was heart-breaking to see the manly but ineffectual exertions made bythis gallant youth to regain the ship; but all his powers only served toprolong his misery. We saw him nearly a mile to windward, at one momentriding on the top of the mountainous wave, at the next, sinking into thedeep valley between, till at last we saw him no more! His sad fate waslong deplored in the ship. I thought at the time that the captain wascruel in not sending a boat for him; but I am now convinced, fromexperience, that he submitted only to hard necessity, and chose thelesser evil of the two.

  The fate of this young man was a serious warning to me. I had becomefrom habit so extremely active, and so fond of displaying mynewly-acquired gymnastics, called by the sailors "sky-larking," that myspeedy exit was often prognosticated by the old quarter-masters, andeven by the officers. It was clearly understood that I was either to bedrowned or was to break my neck; for the latter I took my chance prettyfairly, going up and down the rigging like a monkey. Few of the topmencould equal me in speed, still fewer surpass me in feats of daringactivity, could run along the topsail-yards out to the yard-arm, go fromone mast to the other by the stays, or down on deck in the twinkling ofan eye by the topsail halyards; and, as I knew myself to be an expertswimmer, I cared little about the chance of being drowned; but when Iwitnessed the fate of the poor marine, who I saw could swim as well ifnot better than myself, I became much more cautious. I perceived thatthere might be situations in which swimming could be of no use; andhowever beloved I might have been by the sailors, it was evident that,even if they had the inclination, they might not always have the powerto relieve me; from this time, I became much more guarded in mymovements aloft.

  A circumstance occurred shortly after we got to sea which afforded meinfinite satisfaction. Murphy, whose disposition led him to bully everyone whom he thought he could master, fixed a quarrel on a very quiet,gentlemanly young man, a supernumerary midshipman, who had come on boardfor a passage to his own ship, then down in the Bay of Biscay. Theyoung man, resenting this improper behaviour, challenged Murphy tofight, and the challenge was accepted; but as the supernumerary wasengaged to dine with the captain, he proposed that the meeting shouldnot take place till after dinner, not wishing to exhibit a black eye atthe captain's table. This was considered by Murphy as an evasion; andhe added further insult by saying that he supposed his antagonist wantedDutch courage, and that if he did not get wine enough in the cabin, hewould not fight at all.

  The high-spirited youth made no reply to this insolence; but, havingdressed himself, went up to dinner; that over, and after the muster atquarters, he called Mr Murphy into the steerage, and gave him as sounda drubbing as he ever received in his life. The fight, or set-to,lasted only a quarter of an hour, and the young supernumerary displayedso much science, and such a thorough use of his fists, as to defy thebrutal force of his opponent, who could not touch him, and who was gladto retreat to his berth, followed by the groans and hisses of all themidshipmen, in which I most cordially joined. After so clear a proof ofthe advantages of the science of self-defence, I determined to acquireit; and, with the young stranger for my tutor, I soon became aproficient in the art of boxing, and able to cope with Murphy and hissupporters.

  There was a part of my duty which, I am free to confess, I hated: thiswas keeping watch at night. I loved sleep, and, after ten o'clock, Icould not keep my eyes open. Neither the buckets of water which were soliberally poured over me by the midshipmen, under the facetiousappellation of "blowing the grampus," nor any expostulation orpunishments inflicted on me by the first lieutenant, could rouse my_dormant_ energies after the first half of the watch was expired. I wasone of the most determined votaries of Somnus; and for his sake enduredevery sort of persecution. The first lieutenant took me into his watch,and tried every means, both of mildness and coercion, to break me ofthis evil habit. I was sure, however, to escape from him, and toconceal myself in some hole or corner, where I slept out the remainderof the watch; and the next morning I was as regularly mast-headed, to dopenance during the greater part of the day for my deeds of darkness. Ibelieve that of the first two years of my servitude, one-half of mywaking hours, at least, were passed aloft.

  I took care, however, to provide myself with books, and, on the whole,was perhaps better employed than I should have been in my berth below.Handstone, though a martinet, was a gentleman; and as he felt a greatinterest in the young officers in the ship, so he took much pains in theinstruction and improvement of them. He frequently expostulated with meon the great impropriety of my conduct; my answer invariably was, that Iwas as sensible of it as he could be, but that I could not help it; thatI deserved all the punishment I met with, and threw myself entirely onhis mercy. He used frequently to call me over to the weather side ofthe deck, when he would converse with me on any topic which he thoughtmight interest or amuse me. Finding I was tolerably well read inhistory, he asked my opinion, and gave me his own with great good senseand judgment; but such was the irresistible weight of my eyelids, that Iused, when he was in the midst of a long dissertation, to slip down thegangway-ladder, and leave him to finish his discourses to the wind.

  Now, when this occurred, I was more severely punished than on any otheroccasion; for, to the neglect of duty, I added contempt both of his rankand the instruction he was offering to me. His wrath was alsoconsiderably increased when he only discovered my departure by thetittering of the other midshipmen and the quarter-master at the conn.

  One evening I completed my disgrace with him, though a great deal mightbe said in my own favour. He had sent me to the fore-top-mast-head, atseven o'clock in the morning, and very unfeelingly, or forgetfully, keptme there the whole day. When he went off deck to his dinner, I camedown into the top, made a bed for myself in one of the top-gallantstudding-sails, and, desiring the man who had the look-out to call mebefore the lieutenant was likely to come on deck, I very quietly beganto prepare a sacrifice to my favourite deity, Somnus; but as thelook-out man did not see the lieutenant come up, I was caught nappingjust at dusk, when the lieutenant came on deck and did me the honour toremember where he had left me. Looking at the fore-top-mast-head, hecalled me down.

  Like Milton's devils, who were "found sleeping by one they dread," up Isprung, and regained my perch by the topsail-tie, supposing, or r
atherhoping, that he would not see me before the mast, in the obscurity ofthe evening; but he was too lynx-eyed, and had not presence of mindenough _not_ to see what he should not have seen. He called to thethree men in the top, and inquired where I was? They replied at themast-head. "What!" exclaimed Handstone, with an oath; "did I not seehim this moment go up by the topsail-tie?"

  "No, sir," said the men; "he is now asleep at the mast-head."

  "Come down here, you lying rascals, every one of you," said thelieutenant, "and I'll teach you to speak the truth!"

  I, who had by this time quietly resumed my station; was ordered downalong with them; and we all four stood on the quarter-deck, while thefollowing interrogations were put to us:--

  "Now, sir," said the first lieutenant to the captain of the top, "howdare you tell me that that young gentleman was at the mast-head, when Imyself saw him `shining' up by the topsail-tie?"

  I was sorry for the men, who, to save me, had got themselves intojeopardy; and I was just going to declare the truth, and take the wholeodium upon myself, when, to my utter astonishment, the man boldlyanswered, "He _was_ at the mast-head, sir, upon my honour."

  "Your honour!" cried the lieutenant, with contempt; then, turning to theother men, he put the same question to them both in succession, andreceived the same positive answers; so that I really began to think Ihad been at the mast-head all the time, and had been dreaming I was inthe top. At last, turning to me, he said, "Now, sir, I ask you on yourhonour, as an officer and a gentleman, where were you when I firsthailed?"

  "At the mast-head, sir," said I.

  "Be it so," he replied; "as you are an officer and a gentleman, I ambound to believe you." Then turning on his heels, he walked away in agreater rage than I ever remember to have seen him.

  I plainly perceived that I was not believed, and that I had lost hisgood opinion. Yet, to consider the case fairly and impartially, howcould I have acted otherwise? I had been much too long confined to themast-head--as long as a man might take to go from London to Bath in astage-coach; I had lost all my meals; and these poor fellows, to save mefrom further punishment, had voluntarily exposed themselves to aflogging at the gangway by telling a barefaced falsehood in my defence.Had I not supported them, they would certainly have been flogged, and Ishould have lost myself with every person aboard; I therefore came tothat paradoxical conclusion on the spot, namely, that, as a man ofhonour and a gentleman, I was bound to tell a lie in order to save thesepoor men from a cruel punishment.

  I am sensible that this is a case to lay before the bench of bishops;and though I never pretended to the constancy of a martyr, had theconsequences been on myself alone, I should have had no hesitation inspeaking the truth. The lieutenant was to blame, first, by too great aseverity; and, secondly, by too rigid an inquiry into a subject notworth the trouble. Still my conscience smote me that I had done wrong;and when the rage of the lieutenant had abated, so as to insure theimpunity of the men, I took the earliest opportunity of explaining tohim the motives for my conduct, and the painful situation in which Istood. He received my excuses coldly, and we never were friends again.

  Our captain, who was a dashing sort of a fellow, contrived to brush upthe enemy's quarters, on the coast of France. On one of our boatexpeditions, I contrived to slip away with the rest; we landed, andsurprised a battery, which we blew up, and spiked the guns. The Frenchsoldiers ran for their lives, and we plundered the huts of some poorfishermen. I went in with the rest, in hopes of finding plunder, andfor my desserts caught a Tartar. A large skate lay with its mouth open,into which I thrust my forefinger, to drag him away; the animal was notdead, and closing his jaws, divided my finger to the bone--this was theonly blood spilt on the occasion.

  Though guilty myself, I was sorry to see the love of plunder prevail soextensively among us. The sailors took away articles utterly useless tothem; and, after carrying them a certain distance, threw them down forothers equally useless. I have since often reflected how justly I waspunished for my fault; and how needlessly we inflicted the horrors ofwar on those inoffensive and unhappy creatures. Our next attempt was ofa more serious nature, and productive of still greater calamity to theunoffending and industrious, the usual victims of war, while theinstigators are reposing in safety on their down beds.