14 MEMOIR OF FLEEMING JENKIN 



and at that all-important islet, in July 1817, she 

 relieved the flagship of Sir Pulteney Malcolm. Thus 

 it befell that Charles Jenkin, coming too late for 

 the epic of the French wars, played a small part 

 in the dreary and disgraceful afterpiece of St. 

 Helena. Life on the guardship was onerous and 

 irksome. The anchor was never lifted, sail never 

 made, the great guns were silent ; none was allowed 

 on shore except on duty ; all day the movements 

 of the imperial captive were signalled to and fro ; 

 all night the boats rowed guard around the accessible 

 portions of the coast. This prolonged stagnation 

 and petty watchfulness in what Napoleon himself 

 called that ' unchristian ' climate, told cruelly on 

 the health of the ship's company. In eighteen 

 months, according to O'Meara, the Conqueror had 

 lost one hundred and ten men and invalided home 

 one hundred and seven, * being more than a third 

 of her complement.' It does not seem that our 

 young midshipman so much as once set eyes on 

 Bonaparte ; and yet in other ways Jenkin was 

 more fortunate than some of his comrades. He 

 drew in water-colour ; not so badly as his father, 

 yet ill enough ; and this art was so rare aboard 

 the Conqueror that even his humble proficiency 

 marked him out and procured him some allevia- 

 tions. Admiral Plampin had succeeded Napoleon 

 at the Briars ; and here he had young Jenkin stay- 

 ing with him to make sketches of the historic house. 



