most degrading severity."

The captain listened to my defence with attention, and I thought seemed
much struck with it. I afterwards learnt that Mr Handstone had
received a reprimand for his harsh treatment of me; he observed, that I
should one day turn out a shining character, or go to the devil. It
appeared pretty evident to me, that however I might have roused the
pride and resentment of the senior members of the mess by my resistance
to arbitrary power, that I had gained some powerful friends, among whom
was the captain. Many of the officers admired that dogged, "don't care"
spirit of resistance which I so perseveringly displayed, and were forced
to admit that I had right on my side. I soon perceived the change of
mind by the frequency of invitations to the cabin and gun-room tables.
The youngsters were proud to receive me again openly as their associate;
but the oldsters regarded me with a jealousy and suspicion like that of
an unpopular government to a favourite radical leader.

I soon arranged with the boys of my own age a plan of resistance, or
rather of self-defence, which proved of great importance in our future
warfare. One or two of them had nerve enough to follow it up: the
others made fair promises, but fell off in the hour of trial. My code
consisted of only two maxims: the first was always to throw a bottle,
decanter, candlestick, knife, or fork at the head of any person who
should strike one of us, if the assailant should appear too strong to
encounter in fair fight. The second was, never to allow ourselves to be
unjustly defrauded of our rights; to have an equal share of what we paid
equally for; and to gain by artifice that which was withheld by force.

I explained to them that by the first plan we should ensure civility at
least; for as tyrants are generally cowards, they would be afraid to
provoke that anger which in some unlucky moment might be fatal to them,
or maim them for life. By the second, I promised to procure them an
equal share in the good things of this life, the greater part of which
the oldsters engrossed to themselves: in this latter we were much more
unanimous than the former, as it incurred less personal risk. I was the
projector of all the schemes for forage, and was generally successful.

At length we sailed to join the fleet off Cadiz, under the command of
Lord Nelson. I shall not pretend to describe the passage down Channel
and across the Bay of Biscay. I was sea-s