LONDON, AND VOYAGE TO SINGAPORE 331 



with the stores she was taking out to the East all on board ; 

 but day after day and week after week passed, signals were 

 exchanged with the admiral, but we seemed no nearer sailing 

 than when I came on board. It was rather dull work, but 

 I consoled myself with getting acquainted with the ship and 

 its ways, the regular routine of which went on, and every- 

 body seemed as fully occupied as if we were at sea. The 

 captain had a nice little library in his cabin, among which 

 the only book I specially remember was a fine Spanish 

 edition of Don Quixote. This I intended to read through 

 during the voyage, as my familiarity with Portuguese and the 

 small experience of Spanish conversation while in Venezuela 

 enabled me to understand a good deal of it. But this was 

 not to be. 



Having read almost all Marryat's novels, I was especially 

 interested in the characters and manners of the various 

 officers, in whom I found several of Marryat's types repro- 

 duced. The captain, as I have said, was nervous, and espe- 

 cially on everything connected with official etiquette. One day 

 signals were being made from the admiral's ship, and there 

 seemed to be some doubt as to what ships it was intended 

 for. The first-lieutenant asked what they were to do about 

 it, and the captain was quite excited for fear of a reprimand, 

 and at last said, " We can only do what the others do. Watch 

 them and repeat the signals they make." Whether it was 

 right or not I don't remember. One officer, I think it was 

 the purser, was the great authority on naval history. His 

 small cabin had a complete set of the Navy List for fifty years 

 or more, and every matter in dispute as to what ship was at 

 a certain station in a given year, or where any particular 

 officer was stationed, was always referred to him, and if he 

 could not say off-hand, he retired to his cabin for a few 

 minutes, and then produced the authority which settled the 

 question. The others were nothing remarkable, except the 

 doctor, who was of the jolly, talkative sort, and seemed 

 especially to pride himself on his knowledge of seamanship. 

 One day I remember the captain was summoned by signal to 

 go on shore to the admiral's office. It was a cold day with 



