io AUTOBIOGRAPHY 



one of the resident appointments, much coveted by the 

 assistant surgeons, but that the Admiralty had put in 

 another man. "However," said he, "I mean to keep you 

 here till I can get you something you will like," and 

 turned upon his heel without waiting for the thanks I 

 stammered out. That explained how it was I had 

 not been packed off to the West Coast of Africa like 

 some of my juniors, and why, eventually, I remained 

 altogether seven months at Haslar. 



After a long interval, during which "Old John" ig- 

 nored my existence almost as completely as before, he 

 stopped me again as we met in a casual way, and describ- 

 ing the service on which the Rattlesnake was likely to be 

 employed, said that Captain Owen Stanley, who was to 

 command the ship, had asked him to recommend an as- 

 sistant surgeon who knew something of science; would I 

 like that? Of course I jumped at the offer. "Very well, 

 I give you leave; go to London at once and see Captain 

 Stanley." I went, saw my future commander, who was 

 very civil to me, and promised to ask that I should be 

 appointed to his ship, as in due time I was. It is a singu- 

 lar thing that, during the few months of my stay at Has- 

 lar, I had among my messmates two future Directors- 

 General of the Medical Service of the Navy (Sir Alex- 

 ander Armstrong and Sir John Watt-Reid), with the 

 present President of the College of Physicians and my 

 kindest of doctors, Sir Andrew Clark. 



Life on board her Majesty's ships in those days was 

 a very different affair from what it is now, and ours 

 was exceptionally rough, as we were often many months 

 without receiving letters or seeing any civilized people 

 but ourselves. In exchange, we had the interest of being 

 about the last voyagers, I suppose, to whom it could be 

 possible to meet with people who knew nothing of fire- 

 arms as we did on the south coast of New Guinea 



