"Upon my word, young gentleman, I am glad to hear it," said Mr
Annesley; "for I shall have the satisfaction of knowing that I have at
least _one_ midshipman of promise under me, whatever the rest may be.
Now come down into the gun-room, and get something to eat; we are the
only officers on board, so I thought it was not worth while to lay out a
couple of tables. And while we are eating, you may as well give me an
account of your action with, the French frigate, which, by the way, has,
I see, been purchased into our own navy, and given to Captain Brisac."
I, of course, gladly accepted so kind an invitation; and, as we ate, I
described as graphically as I could every incident of the action, being
frequently interrupted in the course of my narrative by questions which
showed how keenly interested my interrogator was in every detail,
particularly those relating to the handling of the two ships.
"Thank you, Mr Chester," said Mr Annesley, when I had finished; "you
have interested me much, and instructed me somewhat, also: one or two of
the evolutions which you have so clearly described were very cleverly
conceived, and as boldly carried out. I hope you will remember then, as
most certainly _I_ shall, it is knowledge of this kind which is so pre-
eminently useful to a naval officer. Courage is of course an
indispensable quality in every one who has to fight his Majesty's
battles, whether on sea or land; but the ability to manoeuvre a ship in
the heat of battle, so as to place her in the most advantageous
situation with regard to her antagonist, is of fully equal importance;
and without the knowledge necessary to effect this, the most conspicuous
courage, both of officers and crew, may become of no avail. Remember
this, my lad, and lose no opportunity for perfecting yourself in the
science of practical seamanship. Now let us go on deck again, as I hear
the hands have turned to."