told his father
that he had made up his mind to become a sailor. The Earl at first
laughed at him, but he had never been in the habit of thwarting his son,
and when Fitz Barry assured him that he should pine and perhaps die,
unless he was allowed to have his will, the Earl declared that he was a
very obstinate boy, but would not throw any objection in his way.
Still, as he was not certain that his father was in earnest, he went to
Nora and Sophy, to get them to assist in pleading his cause. Lady Sophy
having herself made up her mind to marry a sailor, thought that there
was not a finer profession to be followed, and Nora, who loved Fitz
Barry with all her heart, could not think of doing otherwise than as he
wished. Besides, she confessed that a ship was a very beautiful thing,
and that she thought her dear brother must be happy on board, for little
did the young ladies know of the toils and dangers, the hardships and
the sufferings to which sailors are exposed, whatever their rank. They
had read to be sure of wrecks, of noble ships sinking or being burned,
of men being castaway on desert islands, with little or no food on which
to subsist, of boats long floating on the ocean, till one by one those
on board had died of starvation or thirst, or from the exposure they
were doomed to endure. To them all was bright and attractive, and Fitz
Barry, therefore, by dint of importunity, at length prevailed upon his
easy-going father, to allow him to join Captain Falkner's beautiful
frigate, the _Cynthia_, provided that officer would take him. That
matter he had left in the hands of his cousin, Sophy, and he had no
doubt that she would induce the captain to receive him on board. He was
perfectly right in his conjectures, for the captain, as many other
captains would have been, was very ready to receive an Earl's son among
his midshipmen. It was necessary for the frigate to remain for some
weeks after the late rising, to ascertain that all was quiet before she
could venture to quit the bay.

There was time, therefore, for Barry to be fitted out for sea, and at
length, just before the frigate sailed, he was received on board and
rated as a midshipman. He was good-natured and unaffected, was
intelligent and zealous in his new profession, had, moreover, plenty of
money, and these qualities soon made him a favourite with most of the
officers on board.

Captain Falkner having landed his prisoners at Cork, and remained there
ti