MORNING WATCH 39 



midshipman, I thought I was gaining ground on the 

 great Caractacus, who had but so recently occupied that 

 post, and who was now debarred, with the others who 

 had been disrated, from speaking to us, either off or 

 on dutv. Added to the satisfaction of being out of 

 reach of such annoyance, the haughty demeanour of 

 the other individual I have before alluded to was some- 

 what softened down towards me, if not totally changed, 

 by the tact and impartial conduct of the officer of 

 our watch, who would see no difference, and make no 

 distinction between us, and did all he could to make 

 our duties light and our time happy. 



Often in the middle watch, when crossing the South 

 Atlantic, with the trade wind blowing steadily and 

 constantly from one point of the compass, little or no 

 alteration in the trim of the sails or quantity of canvas 

 was necessary, under a sky sparkling with a brilliancy 

 unkno-vvm in the northern hemisphere, and nothing was 

 heard but the reply of the man at the helm to the 

 quartermaster. This officer would assemble us on the 

 poop, and, sending to his cabin for a liquor-case, he 

 would invite us all to fill our glasses, and then cause each 

 of us to sing a song, himself joining in the chorus ; 

 sometimes varying the amusement by exercising his wit 

 good-humouredly on my Hibernian friend ; at others 

 with anecdotes gained from his own experience in the 

 service, or by some happy allusion to those we had 

 left behind. 



The greater part of the morning watch in those warm 

 latitudes and comparatively smooth seas I spent in climb- 

 ing the masts and rigging ; and I had now gained sufficient 



