52 SHORT ALLOWANCE. 



convoy had caused to be of unusual du- 

 ration, and there being no port at which 

 we could possibly touch before reaching 

 the Bay of Bengal the Cape of Good 

 Hope being at that time in the hands of 

 the Dutch, it having been restored to them 

 at the peace of Amiens it was thought 

 necessary to put the ship's company, officers 

 included, (for there is no distinction in these 

 cases,) on a short allowance of water. 



Now it came to the turn of a young 

 Irishman, who had served about half his 

 time, by the name of Nixon, to dine with 

 the captain, a day or two after ; and in the 

 course of conversation at the table he was 

 asked how the young gentlemen, meaning 

 the midshipmens' mess, did with the mini- 

 mum of water to which they were restricted. 

 In the simple and ingenuous manner that 

 was natural to him, he replied, " Oh, capi- 

 tal ! very well indeed, they could do with 

 half the quantity." Whether the captain 

 took him at his word and acted accordingly, 



