8 SELECTIONS FROM HUXLEY 



I. was English to the backbone, and he made some inquiries 

 as to my student career, finally desiring me to hold myself 

 ready for examination. Having passed this, I was in Her 

 Majesty's Service, and entered on the books of Nelson's old 

 5 ship, the Victory, for duty at Haslar Hospital, about a couple 

 of months after I made my application. 



My official chief at Haslar was a very remarkable person, 

 the late Sir John Richardson, an excellent naturalist, and 

 far-famed as an indomitable Arctic traveler. He was a si- 



10 lent, reserved man, outside the circle of his family and inti- 

 mates ; and, having a full share of youthful vanity, I was ex- 

 tremely disgusted to find that "Old John," as we irreverent 

 youngsters called him, took not the slightest notice of my 

 worshipful self either the first time I attended him, as it was 



15 my duty to do, or for some weeks afterwards. I am afraid to 

 think of the lengths to which my tongue may have run on the 

 subject of the churlishness of the chief, who was, in truth, one 

 of the kindest-hearted and most considerate of men. But 

 one day, as I was crossing the hospital square, Sir John 



20 stopped me, and heaped coals of fire on my head by telling me 

 that he tried to get me one of the resident appointments, 

 much coveted by the assistant surgeons, but that the Admi- 

 ralty had put in another man. "However," said he, "I 

 mean to keep you here till I can get you something you will 



25 like," and turned upon his heel without waiting for the 

 thanks I stammered out. That explained how it was I had 

 not been packed off to the West Coast of Africa like some of 

 my juniors, and why, eventually, I remained altogether seven 

 months at Haslar. 



30 After a long interval, during which "Old John" ignored 

 my existence almost as completely as before, he stopped me 

 again as we met in a casual way, and describing the service on 

 which the Rattlesnake was likely to be employed, said that 

 Captain Owen Stanley, who was to command the ship, had 



