302 DOTTINOS ON THE ROADSIDE. [Chap. XVIII.— B.p. 
“ My dear King,” said I, “ you are aware that the 
strictest discipline is, or ought to be, maintained on 
board a man-of-war, where it is especially necessary 
to stop at once the smallest tendency on the part of 
any of the crew, to indulge that propensity for strong 
liquors only too generally the fault of sailors, blow, 
it will be impossible for me to punish any delin¬ 
quents under my command, for a transgression of 
this kind, if they see a guest of mine, especially one 
in your position, setting the example. I must there¬ 
fore appeal to your good feeling to refrain, while you 
are with me, from indulging in more wine than is 
needful.” 
The King took these blunt remarks in very good part, 
and replied, that he had no doubt that even the temp¬ 
tation to excess would not occur while he remained 
on board the ship, and that he only drank too much in 
consequence of the solitary life he led, the absence of 
congenial society, and the melancholy foreboding, 
which he could not shake off, that he was the last 
chief of a doomed race. 
I thought it right to acquaint the officers with the 
tenor of this conversation, and to request that they 
would aid me in keeping temptation out of the King’s 
reach, and I can only say that during the time he 
remained my guest, he faithfully kept his word. In¬ 
deed, I found him a most amiable, accomplished, and 
agreeable companion, and I am indebted to him for 
much information, and very considerable assistance in 
that project for the development of Mosquito with 
which I have identified myself. 
