54 HONEST OLD JOE 



and this extraordinary person before I finally found my- 

 self accompanying him on the passage home, to which I 

 must chiefly attribute his uniform kind and friendly 

 deportment towards me. 



It was not long before I took a final leave of my ship- 

 mates, and from the manner of their farewell I had 

 reason to believe they were sincere in their hopes of my 

 restoration to health and to the service. I shook each 

 of the ward-room oflicers by the hand, one after the 

 other ; and fancied I saw a moisture in the eye of the 

 plain, Aveather-beaten old master (Baker), with Avhom, for 

 my little knowledge of navigation, I was a great favourite 

 (he scarcely ever taking an observation without me), when 

 he grasped my hand with both his own, and uttered 

 his benediction on my head. The first-lieutenant, honest 

 old Joe, as he was called, was not behind at expressing 

 his regret at my leaving the shij) ; while the officer of 

 my watch, who was more like a relative than a superior, 

 while giving me an affectionate grasp, said he hoped on 

 his return to England, which would not be very long 

 first, that he should find me recovered and ready to join 

 him in some other ship, where I might serve out my time, 

 and then soon obtain my promotion. I replied sorrow- 

 fully that the nature of the malady that was written on 

 my invalid- ticket would be a bar to my ever rising in 

 the profession. 



" Stop, sir, stop ! " cried the doctor, who Avas reclining 

 in the after-part of the ward-room; "remember that 

 the greatest man that ever lived, Julius Cgesar himself, 

 was similarly afflicted." 



A smile played on my lips, though tears were in my 



