pithead, these
little indulgences came to an end; for the frigate was no sooner at
anchor than, before the powder hoy arrived alongside, Captain Vavassour
came off, the crew were mustered, and he read his commission and hoisted
his pennant, from which moment the strictest naval discipline became the
order of the day. Nevertheless, when at the conclusion of the
above-mentioned ceremony the skipper ordered his gig and returned to the
shore, I obtained leave to accompany him, upon condition that I reported
myself on board again by eight o'clock. I therefore again, and for the
last time during that cruise, dined with my father, after which he
accompanied me to the Hard, bade me a most affectionate good-bye, and
stood watching the wherry which was conveying me off to the ship, until
the boat passed out of the harbour and we vanished from his sight. Not
until long afterward did I know that, instead of starting for home the
next morning, as he had talked of doing, he crossed over to Gosport the
first thing after breakfast, walked to Haslar, and stationed himself on
the beach at Gilkicker Point, watching the frigate until she had got
under way and passed out of sight to the southward and eastward.

The next morning, at daylight, Blue Peter was hoisted at the fore-royal
masthead and a gun fired as a signal that the ship was about to sail;
boats were hoisted in and stowed, stock was brought alongside, and the
order was given to clear the ship of strangers--sailors' wives and
sweethearts who had come off to say a last good-bye, bumboat women who
were making a final desperate effort to obtain a settlement of their
accounts, and tradesmen of all kinds engaged upon the same errand or
intent upon palming off upon the men otherwise unsaleable stock.

Shortly after ten o'clock Captain Vavassour came on board, immediately
after which the hands were piped to "up anchor"; and within half-an-hour
we were under way and standing out toward Saint Helens, under all plain
sail, before a light northerly breeze.

We had not been under way a quarter of an hour before it became apparent
to everybody on board that the _Europa_ was going to more than justify
the exceedingly favourable opinion that we had already formed of her;
for, light as was the wind, she slid through the water at a speed that
fairly astonished us, her keen stem cleaving the short Channel surges
cleanly and with very little noise or fuss, and leaving behind her a
wake so smoot