LIFE OF CAPTAIN CLAPPERTON. 
Vll 
sea that was then running, but that it was not for him to question the orders of his superior 
officer. On pushing off, he told his messmates to share equally among them any articles 
belonging to him, and bade them good bye. The boat had scarcely put off from the ship 
when she swamped, and as no assistance could be rendered, all hands perished, with the 
exception of two; one of whom was Clapperton, who, under such trying circumstances, 
encouraged and assisted his only surviving companion till his own strength failed him. 
Among others, he had previously struggled hard to save a warrant officer ; but finding 
himself nearly exhausted, he was obliged to desist, and he perished. They then dropped 
off, one after the other, until the bowman and Clapperton were the only two remaining 
out of the whole boat’s crew. The latter then made use of a common sea expression to 
the bowman, “ Thank God, I am not the Jonah !” meaning that he was not, by his bad 
conduct in life, the cause of the Almighty visiting them with his vengeance. The bow- 
man seconded him in the exclamation, and they kept cheering each other until the gale 
so far abated, that another boat was got out and sent to their relief. 
They then proceeded upon their voyage; and in March, 1810, Clapperton joined 
his majesty’s ship Clorinde, where he received the greatest attention from Captain Briggs 
during the time he was on board. In 1812, when lying in Bombay harbour, he was 
joined by another messmate, the Hon. F. Mackenzie, youngest son of the late Lord 
Seaforth, between whom a most sincere friendship was contracted. Not long after this, 
Mr. Mackenzie was attacked with a severe illness, on which occasion Clapperton never 
left him, but nursed him as he would his own brother, until he died; when he added a 
lock of his hair to his locket, which contained that of his father and some friends. He 
returned to England in the end of 1813, or beginning of 14; and he was then sent, with 
some other intelligent midshipmen, to Portsmouth dock-yard, for the purpose of being 
instructed in Angelo’s sword exercise, in which he afterwards excelled. When these 
midshipmen were distributed to the different ships in the fleet as drill-masters, Clapperton 
volunteered his services for the Canadian lakes, and was sent on board Sir Alexander 
Cochrane’s flag ship, the Asia. This ship continued at Spithead till the end of January, 
1814. During the passage to Bermudas, Clapperton’s services as a drill were performed 
on the quarter-deck. On her arrival, he was sent to Halifax, and from thence to the 
lakes, just then about to become the scene of warlike operations. During his passage out 
and his stay at Bermuda, nothing could exceed his diligence in the discharge of his duty 
with the officers and men. At his own and the other mess-tables, he was the soul and 
life of the party : he could sing a good song, tell humorous tales, and his conversation 
was extremely amusing. He bade adieu to all on board the Asia, and pursued his 
voyage to Halifax ; from that to Upper Canada. 
Soon after he arrived on the lakes, in 1815, he was placed in a situation that strongly 
marked that benevolence which was so strong a feature in his character. In the winter 
he was in command of a blockhouse on Lake Huron, with a party of men, for the purpose 
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