freshening, and all sail was made, as the captain was in a hurry to get
the voyage over. In the evening, when the watch was called, not a man
came on deck, every one of them being drunk, while most of the men in
the other watch, who had managed to slip down every now and then, were
in no better condition. The captain, who had been ailing, was in bed.
Mr Griffiths, the doctor and I, Jim and Brown, were the only sober
ones. The second mate evidently did not know what he was about. Mr
Griffiths advised him to turn in. I was very sorry to see my brother
Jack nearly as bad as the rest, though he afterwards told me that,
having been so long without spirits, they had had an unexpected effect
upon him. We sober ones had to remain all night on deck, running off
when a puff of wind struck the sails. It was a mercy that it didn't
come on to blow hard, for we could never have managed to shorten sail in
time to save the spars. Indeed, very probably the masts would have
gone. Brown, Jim, and I took it by turns to steer till morning broke,
by which time some of the rest of the crew began to show signs of life.
As we got into northern latitudes a strong north-easterly breeze made
the weather feel bitterly cold to us, who had been for so long a time
accustomed to a southern climate.

During all that period I had not worn shoes. For the sake of warmth I
now wanted to put on a pair, but my feet had so increased in size that I
could not find any large enough in the slop-locker.

At last the wind shifted to the south-west, and we ran before it up
Channel.

The first object we made was the Owers light-vessel, about ninety miles
from the Downs. Having made a signal for a pilot, one boarded us out of
a cutter off Dungeness. How eagerly all of us plied the old fellow for
news, though as he was a man of few words it was with difficulty that
the captain or mates could pump much out of him. We remained but a few
hours in the Downs to obtain provisions, of which we were again short,
and thence proceeded to the Thames, where we dropped our anchor for the
last time before going into dock to unload.

Jim and I, although we had been kept on board against our will and had
never signed articles, found that we could claim wages. Though I had no
reason to like Captain Hawkins, yet I felt that I ought to wish him
good-bye.

To my surprise, he seemed very friendly, and said that if I ever wished
to go to sea again he should be very glad