came, in time, sullen, and separated
himself from the occasional merriment of his mess-mates; and it is not
improbable that this moody temper had given rise to the mutinous acts
for which he was to suffer.

This man now apologised for the liberty he had taken, and said he would
not detain me long. "You see, sir," said he, "that my poor friend is
quite overcome with the horror of his situation: nor do I wonder at it.
He is very different from the hardened malefactors that are executed on
shore: we are neither of us afraid to die; but such a death as this, Mr
Mildmay--to be hung up like dogs, an example to the fleet, and a shame
and reproach to our friends--this wrings our hearts! It is this
consideration, and to save the feelings of my poor mother, that I have
sent for you. I saw you jump overboard to save a poor fellow from
drowning; so I thought you would not mind doing a good turn for another
unfortunate sailor. I have made my will, and appointed you my executor;
and with this power of attorney you will receive all my pay and
prize-money, which I will thank you to give to my dear mother, whose
address you will find written here. My motive for this is, that she may
never learn the history of my death. You can tell her that I died for
my country's good, which is very true, for I acknowledge the justice of
my sentence, and own that a severe example is wanting. It is eleven
years since I was in England; I have served faithfully the whole of that
time, nor did I ever misbehave except in this one instance. I think if
our good king knew my sad story, he would be merciful; but God's will be
done! Yet, if I had a wish, it would be that the enemy's fleet would
come out, and that I might die, as I have lived, defending my country.
But, Mr Mildmay, I have one very important question to ask you--do you
believe that there is such a thing as a future state?"

"Most surely," said I; "though we all live as if we believed there was
no such thing. But why do you doubt it?"

"Because," said the poor fellow, "when I was an officer's servant, I was
one day tending the table in the ward-room, and I heard the commander of
a sloop of war, who was dining there with his son, say that it was all
nonsense--that there was no future state, and the Bible was a heap of
lies. I have never been happy since."

I told him that I was extremely sorry that any officer should have used
such expressions at all, particularly before him; that I wa