We were busy the whole of that afternoon, and up until nine o'clock in
the evening, the riggers working "overtime," as the admiral was most
anxious for us to go to sea at the earliest possible moment; and Mr
Annesley, during the time, was all over the ship, taking me with him,
and keenly watching the fitting of every spar and piece of rigging,
being fully determined that every part of the work should be well and
conscientiously done. I thought him unnecessarily particular over what
then seemed to me to be trifles; but the time came, when I perceived
that no part of the rigging or equipment of a man-o'-war could be justly
regarded as of trifling importance.
The work being pushed forward thus energetically, we made rapid
progress; and on the day fortnight from my joining the ship, she was all
ataunto, with sails bent, stores of every kind, including powder and
shot, on board, fully manned, and, in fact, quite ready for sea.
Captain Hood had paid a couple of flying visits to the ship since I had
joined her, but I had not seen him, as I happened on both occasions to
be away at the dockyard; but on the morning in question he came on board
about eleven o'clock--his own gig having been sent on shore for him--
mustered the hands and read his commission, made us a short speech, and
then went on shore again, previously giving Mr Annesley instructions to
have everything ready for a start by three o'clock that afternoon. As
soon, therefore, as the gig had left the ship's side, blue-peter was run
up to the fore-royal-mast-head, the fore-topsail was loosed, and
everybody not actually belonging to the ship was ordered to be out of
her in an hour's time. Then came the men's dinner-time, after which
there was a general straightening and clearing up, fore and aft, the
boats were hoisted in and secured, and finally the messenger was passed,
and the anchor hove short-stay-a-peak.
And now, while all hands are supposed to be waiting with suppressed
impatience for the appearance of the man who, for a time at least, was
to exercise an almost omnipotent influence over the welfare and
happiness of our little community, upon whose skill and courage our very
lives were frequently to depend, and to whom we all looked up as our
future leader in every deed of enterprise or daring, an opportunity
occurs for me to say a descriptive word or two concerning the principal
individuals with whom I found myself brought into association.
To commence at the top of the tree and work my way downwards--Captain
Hood was, when he took command of the "Juno," a man of about two-and-
thirty years of age, of medium height and slight build, with a well-
formed figure, and a face which, though by no means handsome, was
strikingly agreeable to look at, chiefly because of its frank, easy,
good-natured expression. He was always scrupulously well-dressed, even
in the vilest of weather; and there was just the faintest perceptible
trace of Bond-street dandyism in his air, conveying at first an
impression of slight mental weakness--an impression, however, which was
rapidly dispelled upon a more intimate acquaintance. His manner was
quiet and imperturbable to an astonishing degree; and the more exciting
the circumstances in which he was placed, the more calm and placid did
his demeanour become. But those who flattered themselves that these
characteristics indicated a lax disciplinarian found themselves
grievously mistaken. He was strictness itself, in the matter both of
discipline and etiquette; was as brave as a lion, a perfect seaman, with
an eye which seemed intuitively to light at once and infallibly upon the
slightest fault, and with a will of iron concealed beneath the placid
suavity of his demeanour. His influence, though it could scarcely be
said to be felt, was irresistible; and by its means he, in an incredibly
short time, wrought the ship's company into one of the smartest, if not
absolutely _the_ smartest, in the service.
Mr Annesley, the first lieutenant, was in many respects a strong
contrast to his superior. A tall, dark, square-built and muscular-
looking man, with handsome features, dark, flashing eyes, and well-
proportioned figure, every nerve of which seemed a-quiver with
superabundant vitality. His gesture, though restrained, was earnest and
emphatic; his language in conversation, refined and eloquent; in
carrying on the duty of the ship, short, sharp, and incisive. His
manner to his superiors was quietly respectful, to his equals, somewhat
distant, though without any trace of hauteur, and to his inferiors,
gentle and sympathetic, or cold, stern, and repellant, accordingly as
they won his approval or incurred his displeasure. He, like the
skipper, was also a prime seaman, with a dauntless courage which verged
very closely upon recklessness, though it never was allowed to actually
merge into that undesirable quality.
The second lieutenant, Mr Michael Flinn, was a rollicking, good-
tempered, good-natured young Irishman, careless and impulsive, as the
generality of his countrymen are, always ready to perform a service for
a friend, and still more ready to break the head of an enemy; a passably
good officer afloat, but possessed with a perfect genius for getting
into scrapes--and out of them again--on shore, with no consciousness
whatever of his own dignity as one of his Majesty's officers, and ever
ready to join heart and soul in any escapade of which he might happen to
get an inkling. He was admirably adapted for such work as a cutting-out
expedition, or a dash ashore to spike the guns of an outlying battery;
but, when I first knew him, was utterly unfit for any service requiring
discretion or tact in its execution.
The third lieutenant, the Honourable Edward Plantagenet Mortimer, was
simply a useless, soft-headed dandy, who would as soon have dreamed of
throwing himself overboard as of soiling his hands; there was no harm in
him, he was good-natured enough, but he was emphatically _the_ idler of
the ship, never even making a pretence of performing any duty, but
simply dawdling about the deck in kid gloves, with an eye-glass
eternally screwed into his starboard top-light. His one idea was that
he was a brilliant performer on the flute; and in his watch below he was
incessantly rendering the lives of his neighbours a burden to them by
the melancholy wailings which he evoked from that instrument. It was
said that he could fight--when no other alternative was open to him--but
the bustle and confusion, and, above all, the exertion, he considered
such "a howwid boah," that he always most carefully avoided those
occasions for distinguishing himself, which other men are wont to seek
with avidity. Why on earth he ever entered the navy was a puzzle which
utterly defied solution.
The master, Mr Rawlings, was a middle-aged man, quiet and unobtrusive
in manner, and with very little to say upon any subject unconnected with
his profession. There, however, he was unapproachable. He was simply
perfect as a navigator, seemed to have been in and out of every harbour
in the world, and was intimately acquainted with the position of every
rock and shoal which guarded their approach, together with the
distinctive features of every light, beacon, or buoy which announced
their vicinity; knew the direction and rates of the various currents,
and could tell, without referring to his chart, the depths of water over
bars and in channels, together with the bearings of the fairways in the
latter, how wide they were, and the hour of high-water in them at the
full and change of the moon; in fact, his information on such matters
appeared to be quite inexhaustible. He was unquestionably the ablest
master in the entire British navy; and one of the first anxieties of a
captain, when in quest of a crew, was to get hold of "old Rawlings" as
master.
We midshipmen were six in number; four of my messmates being older, and
one younger than myself. They were all good-tempered, agreeable lads,
and in other respects were about on a par with the average run of
midshipmen. The master's-mate, Mr Percival, was berthed with us. He
was a fine, gentlemanly, young fellow of about eighteen years of age,
with great ability and intense application, bidding fair to achieve
eventually a reputation equal to that of his chief, for whom he
entertained a profound admiration.
And now, having introduced my fellow-officers, let me say what it is
necessary to say respecting the ship.
The "Juno" was one of the old class of frigates, of which, however, she
happened to be an extremely favourable specimen. She was very strong,
being oak-built throughout, and copper fastened; her timbers being of
the most solid description, and exceptionally heavy scantling. She came
to us with the unenviable reputation of being a poor sailer, though she
was a very _good_ model, particularly under water; but Mr Annesley paid
her a visit while in the dry dock, and attentively studied her lines,
having done which he determined to alter her trim altogether, putting
her nine inches deeper down in the water aft, and reducing her ballast
to the extent of twenty tons. The result answered his most sanguine
expectations; for while she still stood up well under her canvas, she
was steadier in a sea-way, lighter and drier forward, paid off quicker
in stays, and though still scarcely a clipper, her rate of sailing had
considerably improved. Her accommodations were somewhat cramped, as
compared with the newer and larger class of frigates; but as far as I
was concerned, coming into her from the little "Scourge," there seemed
to be a positive superabundance of room. She mounted thirty-two long
twelves, and mustered a crew of 190 men.
It had been my intention to act upon Sir Peregrine's suggestion, and ask
for a day or two's leave to run home and see my friends once more,
before finally quitting Old England upon a cruise of unknown duration;
but we had been so excessively busy that I really had not the conscience
to make such a request; and now that the ship was finally ataunto, it
appeared that we were to proceed to sea forthwith. I was therefore
obliged to content myself with writing them a long letter, to which I
put the finishing touches while we were waiting for the captain, Mr
Annesley having kept a shore-boat alongside to take ashore a few letters
which he had hastily scribbled after the completion of the preparations
for unmooring, and by which he kindly intimated that any one who had
letters to send might send them.
At length, about 3:30 in the afternoon, the captain's gig was seen
approaching the ship, the side was manned, and in a few minutes more
Captain Hood stood upon his own quarter-deck.
"You may--ah--run my gig up to the davits, if you please, Mr Annesley,"
said he, "and then we will--aw--weigh at once if--ah--you have
everything ready."
"Quite ready, sir," replied the first luff, turning away to give the
necessary orders. The gig was hoisted up and secured, the hands were
sent aloft to loose the canvas, the topsails were sheeted home and mast-
headed, the jib run up, and, simultaneously with this, the capstan-bars
were shipped, one of the ship's boys mounted the capstan-head violin in
hand, and to a merry air upon that instrument out stepped the men, the
anchor was quickly run up to the bows, and with the last drain of the
flood-tide the "Juno," under topsails and jib, with a light north-
easterly air of wind, glided with a slow and stately movement out of the
harbour, squaring away directly down through the Solent as soon as we
had cleared the anchorage at Spithead, instead of going out round the
island to the eastward, as was at that time usual with men-o'-war. This
circumstance, trifling as it was, had a very exhilarating effect upon
all hands, as it seemed to foreshadow that our skipper, notwithstanding
his somewhat affected manner, had a habit of taking the shortest and
most direct road when he had an object to achieve.
There were several ships lying at Spithead as we passed through, and it
was observed that one of them--the "Boston," a frigate of about our own
size--was just getting under way, her destination being the east coast
of North America. Her skipper, Captain Courtenay, and ours were, it
appeared, old friends, and having met that day at the Admirals' office,
there had been a little good-natured banter between them as to the
comparative sailing powers of the two ships, each being of course of
opinion that his own ship could beat the other; and it had been finally
arranged that, as both frigates were to sail that day, there should be a
friendly race down Channel, the stake being the time-honoured one--a new
hat. Accordingly, as soon as we had room, the "Juno" was rounded-to
with the main-topsail to the mast, to wait until the other ship should
join us.
We were not detained very long. Hardly were we hove-to when the
"Boston" was seen threading her way out through the fleet, and in a few
minutes more she was close abreast of us, the "Juno" bearing up at the
moment which would bring the bows of the two ships exactly level.
Captain Courtenay appeared at the gangway as the "Boston" drew up
alongside, and on our skipper showing himself, hailed "Juno ahoy! are
you ready?"
"Ay, ay," was the response, "we are--aw--quite ready."
"Then--_off_!" shouted the "Boston's" skipper, and at the word down came
his topgallant sheets, the yards going up at the same moment, and the
royal sheets fluttering down into their berths, as the yards rose to
meet them; then up went the royal yards to their respective mast-heads,
the courses dropped heavily down, the staysails and flying-jib slid up
their stays, and the driver was hauled out, the whole being done with
the regularity and rapidity of a well-oiled and easy-working machine.
In the meantime our own hands had not been idle, and under Mr
Annesley's able manipulation the "Juno" proved herself quite as smart as
her antagonist in spreading her snowy pinions.
From that moment all was pleasant excitement on board as the two ships
slid gently along side by side within hailing distance of each other.
Speculation was rife, and the most diverse opinions as to the issue of
the trial were expressed both on the quarter-deck and the forecastle.
The "Boston" had the name of being a tolerably smart craft, but during
the run down the Solent neither ship appeared able to claim any very
decided advantage over the other, sometimes one and sometimes the other
drawing a trifle ahead. On arriving off "Egypt" we were able to edge
away a little, and then stunsails were set on the starboard side in both
ships, still, however, without altering our relative positions.
As the sun declined toward the horizon the wind gradually dropped,
finally dying away altogether, and leaving us absolutely motionless save
for the drift of the ebb-tide, which still swept us along to the
westward. It was a magnificent evening, the water, smooth as glass,
reflecting on its glittering surface an absolutely unbroken picture of
our stately consort, with every snowy sail, every spar and rope, as
clearly shown as though she were reposing on the polished surface of a
gigantic mirror. The western sky, glowing with tints of the clearest,
palest amber melting into a delicate rose, which merged in its turn
imperceptibly into a clear, deep, transparent blue as the eye glanced
from the horizon toward the zenith, was without a trace of cloud, and
against this pure and exquisitely tinted background the outlines of
Hurst Castle stood sharply out, the castle itself and the low spit of
land on which it is built appearing of a deep, rich, powerful, purple
hue, as though carved out of a giant amethyst, while the country further
inland exhibited tints varying from the deepest olive--almost
approaching black--through the richest greens, away to the most delicate
of pearly greys in the remote distance. The Wight--about a quarter of a
mile distant on our port hand--presented a picture of exquisite and
almost fairy-like beauty, with its wooded slopes, waving cornfields, and
grassy dells, aglow with the rich purply-golden haze of sunset,
repeating their beauties in the waveless tide which washed its shores.
As I stood gazing entranced upon the varied beauties of earth, sea, and
sky, the scene gradually changed, a marvellous transformation was taking
place, the sky tints deepened into a warmer, richer glow, the colours of
the landscape slowly faded into sombre neutral, the castle stood out
black as ebony against the dying flush in the sky, the water blushed
crimson for a moment, then paled to a cold greyish purple as a faint
breeze began to ruffle its surface, the azure of the sky became
momentarily deeper and richer and more purple in tone, and presently,
out from the clear cerulean depths started into view the planet Venus,
beaming down upon us with a soft, silvery, lambent radiance, and tracing
upon the bosom of the darkening wave a delicate thread of quivering
liquid light--
"`Who can paint like Nature?'" said a voice at my elbow, while an arm
was slid quietly within my own, and I found myself joined by young
Raleigh, a fellow-mid--and by all accounts a scion of the same family as
the renowned Sir Walter--"what mortal brush could hope to emulate the
exquisite softness, delicacy, richness, and power of those tints which
have just faded out of the picture before us, or what artist could
adequately express the quiet, dreamy beauty of the present scene? Dame
Nature has been kind in permitting what will probably be our last
glimpse for some time to come of our native land, to be one of such
surpassing loveliness. We are bound to a region the beauty of which has
been for ages a favourite theme among poets, yet I fancy many of us will
look with yearning fondness upon the cherished memory of the parting
smile with which old England has bidden us a long good-night."
"I am sure _I_ shall, for one," said I, "I have heard and read much of
the beauties of the `sunny South,' but I find it difficult to imagine
anything more exquisitely beautiful than many scenes which I have
witnessed at home when Nature has been in her happier moods."
"Ah! that is because you have never been away from home," remarked
Raleigh. "I have already been up the Mediterranean once, and without
for a moment attempting to decry the--"
"Hands, trim sails. In with the stunsails on the starboard side; rig in
and secure the booms, ease up the larboard braces, and take a small pull
upon the starboard, rig out the booms on the port side and get the
stunsails on her again. Be smart, my lads, or we shall have the frigate
alongside presenting us with a full view of her stern all the way down
Channel."
_So_ spake the first lieutenant, the boatswain's whistle chirped, and in
a moment the stillness on board gave place to a scene of bustle and
animation. The breeze, after faintly ruffling the glassy surface of the
water with an occasional cat's-paw, came softly stealing out from the
E.S.E., and every sail was immediately trimmed with the most scrupulous
nicety to woo the gentle zephyr. The lighter and more lofty sails first
acknowledged its welcome presence, alternately swelling out and
fluttering to the masts, like the gentle rise and fall of the breast of
sleeping beauty, then they filled out steadily, the lower and heavier
canvas also sullenly yielding to its influence; a soft, musical,
rippling sound arose beneath the frigate's bows, tiny whirlpools formed
in the wake of the rudder and trailed away astern, the pressure of the
spokes upon the helmsman's hand became firm and steady, a faint creak
was occasionally heard aloft as the strain upon the spars increased, the
sails "went to sleep," the sheets tautened out, the ripple under the
bows grew louder and louder, until it emulated the rush of a mountain
torrent, and the foam gathered round the cutwater, hissing along the
side, and swirling far away in our wake, as the "Juno," yielding to the
freshening breeze, swept out past the Needles, and hauled up a point or
two for Ushant.