ew, and
these men quickly scrambled into one of the quarter-boats, which by this
time had been run up to the davits. Life-buoys too had been thrown
overboard, but not one of them had fallen near enough to the struggling
boy to enable him to grasp it. Young Marryat happened at the time of the
accident to be standing in the waist of the ship conversing with the
captain of the main-top of the watch below. Hearing the splash and the
excited cries of "Man overboard!" which rang out fore-and-aft, he rushed
to the gangway to see if he could be of any assistance in the emergency.

One can imagine his feelings on beholding his arch-enemy, the bully of
the midshipmen's berth, struggling desperately for life under the
frigate's counter. Being an admirable swimmer himself, Marryat saw at a
glance that his messmate was helpless in the water, and indeed was on
the point of sinking. Without a moment's hesitation, and without waiting
to throw off coat or boots, the plucky youngster boldly plunged
overboard, and quickly rising to the surface, struck out for his now
almost unconscious enemy, and fortunately managed to seize him and keep
him afloat, whilst he shouted to those on board to lower the cutter as
quickly as possible. The men were only too eager to go to his
assistance, and the instant the lifeboat was safely in the water, her
crew got their oars out, and, pulling vigorously to the spot, soon
hauled both midshipmen, wet and dripping, inboard.

Cobbett was unconscious, his face being as pale as death, but it was
only a matter now of a few seconds to get him aboard the frigate, where
he soon revived under the care of the surgeons, and was able to return
to duty in the course of a day or two, much humbled in spirit, and very
grateful to the courageous young messmate who had so gallantly saved his
life at the risk of his own.

Writing home to his mother on the subject of this adventure, Marryat
concluded his account by saying: "From that moment I have loved the
fellow as I never loved friend before. All my hate is forgotten. I have
saved his life."

A ludicrous adventure in the water once befell Captain Marryat. In the
gallant officer's private log occurs this entry: "July 10th.--Anchored
in Carrick Roads, Falmouth. Gig upset with captain."

Florence Marryat in her father's memoirs thus relates the incident:
"When this gig was capsized, it contained, besides Captain Marryat, a
middy and an old bumboat woman. The woman could swi